On this 9 day Stewart Island and Catlins Tour you will discover the great Southern region, from the Otago Peninsula’s Royal Albatross colony to the Catlins rugged coastline.
Highlights of the tour include a two night stay on Stewart Island, Kiwi spotting tour, a visit to Ulva Island, Catlins wildlife guided tour, a visit Transport World in Invercargill, experiencing an afternoon Te Anau Lake cruise and the following day a nature cruise in Milford Sound.
Tour starts and finishes in Christchurch
9am-9:30pm pick up from your Christchurch accommodation
Departing from Christchurch to travel to travel south on our way to Dunedin. Stopping at Dunsandle, Temuka and Oamaru. Enjoy dinner together at our central Dunedin Hotel for a two night stay.
After breakfast we will drive to the end of the Otago Peninsula to Taiaroa Heads to see the world’s only mainland breeding colony of the Royal Albatross. Enjoy a guided tour and see the spectacular views on the Otago Peninsula. A wonderful opportunity for up close viewing interactions with all manner of seabirds and mammals. Arriving at Larnach Castle we have extended our time to enjoy lunch, an audio tour of the castle and plenty of time to explore the gardens, returning to our Dunedin hotel and diner. B.L.D
Enjoy a guided tour of Dunedin’s Ovelston historic house built in the early 1900’s, which is a time capsule experience. Enjoy exploring the wonderful garden of national significance and have morning tea here. We start our journey towards the secluded Catlins region, with walks at the famous Nugget Point lighthouse and Pukaraunui Falls, before arriving at our overnight accommodation located in the heart of in the Catlins. BLD
After breakfast today we meet our local eco-tour guide for an in-depth look at the Catlins. See treasures of fossils, find out about the history, the middens left by Maori communities, the ancient podocarp forests full of rimu, totara, matai and rata, and the kingfishers, tuis, and bellbirds. We return to our Catlins accommodation for a second night. BLD
Today we follow the southern coastal route to Invercargill stopping off at Slope Point, the southernmost point of NZ, and Waipapa Bay where the sea lions live. Arriving in Invercargill to visit the Bill Richardson Transport Museum and get a bite to eat. We later catch our flight to Stewart Island for a two night. In the evening, we will experience some southern hospitality with dinner at the South Seas Hotel. B D
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast with views of native bush and the friendly kaka who visit the Lodge veranda for treats before we visit Ulva Island, strolling around the excellent walking tracks amongst predator free podocarp forest, home to many endangered species. Return to Oban township where you can get a bite to eat. Depart for a minivan tour exploring landmarks and hear the history of Oban, then spend time exploring, or just absorb the tranquility of the island. Dinner tonight is at the South Seas Hotel, the blue cod is highly recommended. Enjoy a guided Kiwi spotting adventure in the evening. B D
After breakfast we depart Stewart Island to fly back to Invercargill airport. We will drive to Te Anau in time for an relaxing afternoon Lake Cruise with afternoon tea served in style, after the cruise we will settle into our accommodation for the evening and have a meal out. B D
Depart Te Anau and drive to the uniquely beautiful and truly awe-inspiring Milford Sound. Discover its beauty on a 2-hour nature cruise, spot wildlife such as Bottlenose Dolphin and Penguin while you cruise around the sound and see the fresh glacial water straight from waterfalls around you, lunch onboard is arranged for you today. After your cruise, we depart for Queenstown to our central hotel accommodation and have our last meal together. BLD
After breakfast we will depart for Christchurch with stops at Cromwell, Tarras, Omarama, Lake Pukaki, Tekapo, and Geraldine. Approximate arrival time in Christchurch will be 5.30pm. B
Thank you for organising such a fabulous tour. It met all my expectations and many more. The hotels and meals were all great too. I particularly enjoyed being able to see so much of the flora and fauna. The Albatross Centre tour was superb with five young chicks curled up in the long grass, three kiwi on our night time Kiwi experience 0n Stewart Island, and the many varieties of birds and flora on Ulva Island. The southern coast was quite stunning, with great museums at Owaka and Curio Bay. The whole tour was full of interesting and special experiences.
Thank you for a brilliant tour which we felt was good value.
The itinerary was really good and lived up to expectations, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and were lucky enough to see a kiwi too.
The minibus was very comfortable and that is speaking as someone who often suffers from poor seats in cars and buses.
Also the quality of the hotels we stayed in each night was excellent with very comfortable beds.
We would certainly recommend your tours as the small number of people is especially pleasant.
The trip was everything I had hoped it would be. My highlights were the Caitlin’s, and our wonderful hosts Fergus and Mary. The meal at Lumberjacks was amazing and the staff delightful.
Stewart Island held many memories, fabulous pub, loved the trip to Ulva Island. kiwi night when a male kiwi came right up to us and nibbled at shoe laces.
Found where I had camped as a 21 year old on Stewart Island. Incredible museum.
My final highlight was having the bag pipes played on “ Faith” , I was sitting alone at the bow and it felt like they were just being played for me!
Overall it was a fantastic adventure.
Many thanks it was an experience that I thoroughly recommend
We enjoyed very much the Catlins and South tour. The small group was very friendly .
Our driver Randall was perfect and joyful.
I particularly enjoyed the visit of the old house in Dunedin, Curio bay, and of course the cruise on Milford Sound.
I had a good time, seeing all the places I had not seen before. The food was good, the accommodation was very comfortable. I am so glad that I did the tour and met some very nice individuals as well.
