A Bucket List Dream – Aoraki / Mount Cook

Today we pick you up from your home and transport you to Tauranga Airport for your direct flight to Christchurch. A vehicle will be waiting for us at Christchurch airport. This will be our transportation for the next six days. We will transport you to our hotel in the city. After checking in you are free to explore your surroundings for the afternoon. Use your hop on hop off day pass to access the city tram. Hop off at one or more of the 18 stops or stay on the tram for a full circuit. Dinner will be in house this evening.

ACCOMMODATION: Novotel Christchurch Cathedral Square – 1 night (D, B)

This morning after breakfast, we will depart the hotel and head to The Antarctic Centre. This place is amazing. There is so much to see and experience. For many, it is the interaction with the husky dogs in the dog zone, for others it may be the Hägglund ride, an all-terrain vehicle which takes you on an obstacle course and don’t forget the blizzard room, the penguin feeding or the 4D experience of Antarctica. This must be one of Christchurch’s best attractions, one not to be missed.
From here we travel through Rakaia Gorge, viewing the beautiful waters and pristine forests. We will visit the giant salmon statue, which was constructed of steel, wood and fibreglass in 1991 by sculptor and builder Philip Price. The giant salmon pays homage to the salmon and trout fishing which are popular here. There is a lovely café here where we stop and you can purchase lunch.
From Rakaia, we travel to Oamaru, where we check in to our accommodation for the night. Time to take our bags to our room and grab our warm coats/jackets, hats and scarves as we are off to Oamaru’s Blue Penguin Colony for an evening event… to see the little Blue Penguins emerge from the water and make their way to their burrows on the shore. Discover the world of the little blue penguin, and in visiting, we are contributing to the long-term conservation and research programs of the centre. Then after a full day, back to our accommodation for the night where we will enjoy an evening meal together in house.

ACCOMMODATION: Heritage Court Lodge – 1 night (D, B)

After our in-house breakfast, it’s all aboard, and we’re off to visit Oamaru’s Heritage Precinct, a central heritage hub that showcases the Victorian past of Oamaru. The Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust owns sixteen mercantile buildings in an area called the Heritage Precinct. Before we let you loose, we’ll visit Whitestone City. This is not your usual museum, while bringing history to life, here, you can touch everything! Even ride on the only penny farthing carousel in New Zealand!

After our visit, it’s all aboard our transport again and off to Steampunk HQ. Dress warm for this visit. For the next hour you will be submerged in the whacky and bizarre, which is Steampunk. Steampunk HQ promotes sustainability and recycling, featuring an interesting collection of retro-futuristic sci-fi art, movies, sculpture and sound. The machines feature a lot of copper, pipes, gears and anything else that can be assembled. Often featuring flickering lights and sound and even flames and smoke exuding from some contraptions. This interactive museum allows for exploration and discovery. This must be one of the most interesting and unusual attractions New Zealand has to offer.

Sadly, it’s time to leave this quirky place and continue our journey towards Mount Cook. We will drive 5 km south of Duntroon to the home of the Elephant Rocks. While the rocks don’t resemble elephants, they are very large indeed and are a collection of weathered limestone rocks. The wider area is known for its interesting geology and fossils, and this site was used as a filming location for the first Chronicles of Nania movie in 2005.

After exploring this unusual landscape, we carry on to Omarama, home to Shrek the Sheep, who gained fame in New Zealand for his remarkable escape from shearing for six years, evading muster and carried 27kgs of fleece around to keep him warm (the average merino fleece is 4.5kgs). He became a national icon and was even the subject of children’s books and helped raise money for Cure Kids.

While we are here, we will have a late lunch and photo opportunity with his statue. We continue our journey past Twizel, and the beautiful Lake Pukaki with our destination for the day being The Hermitage Hotel situated in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park.

We are here for two nights, so you can leisurely enjoy the majesty of it all. Just sit about & soak up its beauty, read a book or sip a glass of wine by the fire, rug up and go for a short walk exploring your surrounds, breathe in that fresh mountain air, watch out for the cheeky kea. Use this time to familiarise yourself with the hotel and embrace the facilities on offer, or rest as tonight will be a late one.

Dinner will be a buffet in house this evening. Then we will go to the Hotels’ Planetarium for the 9.30pm ‘under the stars-outdoor stargazing experience’ under the largest Gold Tier Dark Sky Reserve.

Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve
In 2012, 4,367 square kilometres of the South Island – including Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park and the Mackenzie Basin – became an international dark sky reserve. Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve is the largest such reserve in the world and the first in the southern hemisphere. Its aims are to promote star-gazing and protect astronomical research at the Mt John Observatory. By 2019 Aotea/Great Barrier Island and Rakiura/Stewart Island also gained dark sky accreditation.

ACCOMMODATION: Hermitage Hotel – 2 nights (D, B)

Breakfast is in house today and at your leisure. Today is about relaxing and taking time to enjoy what the hotel and area has to offer. Maybe you feel like going to one of the cafes for morning tea or sit in front of the fire with a book or glass of wine. Perhaps sitting with a book in an armchair looking out the large windows at the wonderful view of the Southern Alps. For those who wish to venture outside, there are some walking tracks you can explore. However you choose to spend your day, make the most of the wonderful facilities. Treat today like a pamper day, relaxing and just being. Eat lunch at your leisure at one of the cafes and then carry on relaxing in this amazing hotel.

For those who feel like adding a little extra to your stay you may like to take a plane ride/helicopter ride over the Southern Alps or include a landing. Again, it’s a once in a lifetime experience and a wonderful way to immerse yourself completely into the surrounds. There’s also a Glacier Explorer experience that can be booked at the Hermitage Activites Centre. These are optional extras and weather dependent.

At 5pm tonight we will return to the planetarium for ‘A Galactic Journey’ and indoor planetarium show presented live by one of the planetariums resident astronomy guides.

Tonight, dinner is again a buffet in house.

ACCOMMODATION: Hermitage Hotel (B, D)

Breakfast is again in house. Sadly, today we must leave the wonderful Hermitage Hotel which has been our home for the last two nights.

Today is just a short travel day to Tekapo – so it’s a great opportunity to take that flight up to Mt Cook if anybody was interested and the weather is right.

Highlights of a Helicopter Flight & Alpine Landing – Experience the thrill of a helicopter flight over the stunning Ben Ohau Mountain range and the majestic peaks of the Southern Alps. Enjoy a unique view of Aoraki / Mount Cook and take in the incredible alpine landing spot, allowing you to soak in the spectacular natural beauty.

Take advantage of this unforgettable opportunity to witness the grandeur of Aoraki / Mount Cook from a unique and privileged perspective.

Two Options:

ALPINE EXPLORER
Take in the awe-inspiring Aoraki / Mount Cook, known as the ‘Cloud Piercer’ by the Māori, from a truly unique and incredible perspective.

$520 pp – 35mins

ALPINE VISTA
This shorter scenic option is perfect for those seeking the thrill of a helicopter ride with stunning views of the mountains.

$350 – 20 mins

What’s included:
• Scenic helicopter flight
• Alpine landing
• Informative pilot commentary.

Enroute to Tekapo – if the weather is kind, we will take a detour up to the top of Mount John. A prominent peak overlooking Lake Tekapo in New Zealand’s Mackenzie District. It’s a popular destination for its panoramic views and the location of the University of Canterbury Observatory, which houses one of New Zealand’s largest telescopes and carries out global research. There is a wee café on the top and it’s a great place to sit and soak in the views and vastness of the Mackenzie Basin, which is particularly stunning.

New Zealand’s largest telescope
A fourth reflecting telescope, constructed in Japan, was installed at Mt John in late 2004. It has a 1.8-metre aperture, and a large electronic camera mounted at the prime focus. This telescope, New Zealand’s largest, is used for photometry as part of the MOA project, and is the largest telescope in the world dedicated to microlensing.

The MOA project
MOA stands for microlensing observations in astrophysics. Microlensing is caused by the bending of light rays by the gravitational field of a massive object (the lens), with the result that the light from a distant star can be amplified in brightness, typically for 3–5 weeks.
The MOA project began at Mt John in 1995, mainly supported by Auckland, Canterbury and Victoria universities in New Zealand and Nagoya University in Japan, for detecting and observing microlensing events. Fifty or so events are discovered annually by astronomers at Mt John.

We arrive in Tekapo, and no visit here is complete until you have visited the ‘Church of the Good Shepherd’. Situated on the shores of Lake Tekapo amongst the natural beauty of the lake and the mountains, designed to give the impression of quiet strength and simplicity, the building embodies the essential qualities of the early settlers who endured the extremely tough Mackenzie Country environment. This modest stone church was built firstly to the glory of God and secondly, as a memorial to the pioneers of the district.

The builders of the Church were instructed that the site was to be left undisturbed, and that even the matagouri bushes surrounding the building were to remain. Rocks which happened to be on the wall line were not to be removed. The stones for the wall were to be procured from within a radius of five miles of the site and were to be unchipped and in their natural condition.

Opened in 1935 the Church of the Good Shepherd is the sole church in Lake Tekapo and continues to be a place of worship for residents. It was designed by Christchurch architect R.S.D. Harman, based on sketches by a local artist, Esther Hope.

Right next to the church is the famous statue of a Sheep Dog. In the 19th century, Scottish shepherds came to work on the pastoral runs of the eastern South Island. The high country could not have been farmed successfully without the border collies they brought with them. To honour these ‘canine Scots’, a statue of a collie has been raised at Lake Tekapo.

Later in the day we take another look into astronomy and the stars – this time you we will be immersed into Māori Astronomy – A daytime indoor astronomy guided tour which will change the way you see the night sky. Discover the night sky from a cultural perspective, mixing Māori astronomy with scientific discovery. Explore four interactive zones that reveal how Māori used constellations and ocean currents to navigate, the significance of star clusters, and the mythology in the stars.

We will book into our accommodation place situated in the heart of the town. After checking in we will venture out again for those who wish to join us for a hot swim in the gorgeous Tekapo Springs. Or maybe you are a little more adventurous and done on a pair of ice skates or ride the rubber tube down the icy slopes.
Tekapo Springs is one of New Zealand’s leading tourism attractions, providing the perfect mix of relaxation and recreation in one of the most beautiful places in the world, Lake Tekapo. The story is about a family who loved the wilderness and snow, who showed grit and determination in the face of challenges and never gave up on their plans and dreams.

We will dine a little later this evening, as it is another full day.

ACCOMMODATION: Peppers Clearwater (B, D)

After a lovely night’s sleep – enjoy your breakfast in house – before packing up and heading for Christchurch.
This is a 3-hour drive over Burkes Pass, through Fairlie with its rolling hills dotted with sheep & deer and we will stop in Geraldine for comfort and food. Take a quick visit to the famous Barkers Foodstore before continuing to Christchurch airport.
We will check in and drop our luggage, and our flight depart @ 2.45pm with an ETA back in Tauranga @ 4.40pm. This is a direct flight with Air New Zealand, and you should get some wonderful last glimpses of the Southern Alps on our departure flight.

We will be met at the Tauranga airport by another Zealandier Tours driver and delivered safely to your home, having experienced the most memorable holiday, grateful for the experiences, the people you met, and the beauty you saw and yet feeling just a little surreal like your body has returned, but a part of your soul was still wandering those unforgettable landscapes.
It’s amazing how a few days away can change your perspective on everything.