DISCOVER NZ

Southland, Stewart Island and Doubtful Sound Wednesday 1 - Thursday 9 December 2021 8 nights

TOUR OVERVIEW The deep south is an area many New Zealanders have on their bucket lists but have not yet seen. Join us on a comprehensive tour of the best of Southland including spending two nights on Stewart Island. Visit the captivating Catlins, where the strong winds shape the forests and raise impressive waves along the coast. A cruise and overnight stay onboard the Navigator on Doubtful Sound is sure to be a highlight. The ride over Wilmot Pass is spectacular enough but the Sound is breath-taking in its grandeur and the serenity and peacefulness you will experience will be memorable. At this time of the year, the late summer days are perfect for exploring and vivid sunsets and long twilight evenings lead to ideal star gazing opportunities. You may find that this tour which blends natural beauty, unspoilt landscapes, fascinating history and southern culture and hospitality takes you to another world and rivals any international experience you may have had.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Cruise overnight on the majestic Doubtful Sound • Explore the native forests, waterfalls, lakes, lighthouses and petrified forests of the rugged Catlins. • Spot seals, sea lions, dolphins and penguins in the Catlins and Doubtful Sound • Stay for two nights on Stewart Island and go kiwi spotting • Cruise stunning Paterson Inlet and Ulva Island • Visit Western Southland and the historic settlement of Riverton, spectacular Colac Bay and the magnificent Clifden suspension bridge • Enjoy the excellent Bill Richardson Transport World • Experience the warm welcome of Southlanders

TOUR INCLUSIONS TOUR EXCLUSIONS • The services of an experienced driver and tour • Domestic travel to Invercargill and from manager Queenstown (flights can be booked for you at an additional cost) • 7 nights hotel accommodation • Travel insurance • 1 night on the ‘Fiordland Navigator' on • Meals not specified in the itinerary Doubtful Sound. Designed along the lines of a traditional scow, the Fiordland Navigator blends old • Beverages during included meals, unless world charm with modern comforts that include specified spacious viewing decks, a dining saloon with fully • Personal expenses licensed bar and an observation lounge • If you wish to pay by credit card, a surcharge of • Meals as specified in the itinerary 2.5% will be charged • Local guides

• All group transfers

• Admissions as detailed in the itinerary TOUR PRICE Share twin or double occupancy NZD$4,190 • Activities and sightseeing tours with local guides as Single Supplement NZD$1,390 detailed in the itinerary • Pre-tour material Please contact Calder & Lawson Tours if you are interested in a single occupancy place, as they are IS THIS TOUR FOR ME? limited. This will be an excellent opportunity to GROUP SIZE Minimum 10, maximum 18 experience the best of the deep south. This tour will not be physically challenging, however ability VARIATIONS IN TRAVEL We can make arrangements to stand and walk for 2-3 hours will enable you to fully participate in all activities. for any travel you would like to do before or after this tour. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

DAILY ITINERARY

Wednesday 1 December 2021 Arrive in Invercargill (by midday), ’s southernmost city known Your home - Invercargill for its warmth and hospitality, and transfer to your hotel. Meals: D Overnight: Invercargill In the afternoon, meet your tour manager and visit Bill Richardson Transport World. This is the largest privately owned automotive museum of its type in the world where you will see hundreds of historic vehicles including retro Kombi’s, Ford Letter cars Diamond T Trucks, stunning 1930’s V8’s and more.

Enjoy a welcome dinner with the group this evening.

Thursday 2 December The Catlins is a spectacular coastal stretch between Balclutha and Invercargill - Catlins - Invercargill Invercargill which boasts a rugged beauty and untouched quality. Here you Meals: B/L find a world of native forests fringed by high cliffs, deserted sandy beaches, Overnight: Invercargill sparkling bays, cascading waterfalls, hidden lakes, blowholes, caves, picturesque lighthouses and even a petrified forest. These environments are home to an array of fauna, from native birds, to seals, sea lions, dolphins, and penguins. Today you’ll experience the very best that the Catlins has to offer.

Friday 3 December This morning you journey into the unspoilt landscapes of Western Southland, Invercargill - Invercargill tucked between the towering peaks of Fiordland and the Takatimu Meals: B/L/D mountain range. Start with a visit to the township of Riverton, one of New Overnight: Invercargill Zealand’s oldest European settlements, known to the locals as ‘The Riviera of the South’ and famous for its impressive beach and iconic seaside baches. After morning tea at the Beach House Café, you will visit the award -winning Te Hikoi Southern Journey museum. The museum features life size displays, adventurous characters and engaging stories which reveal how Maori and European adapted to survive on nature’s edge. From here it’s a short drive to spectacular Colac Bay, Monkey Island, Gemstone Beach, and the historic Orepuki. Overlooking the impressive Te Waewae Bay, Orepuki was once a gold mining settlement of 3000 people, and abandoned stores, goldmining relics and sluicing scars are reminders of it’s former glory. Stop for lunch at Orepuki Café, housed in a grand house with old character charm and offering farm to table food.

After an enjoyable day, return to Invercargill with a little time to relax before enjoying dinner at a local restaurant.

Saturday 4 December This morning you take the short drive south to the township of Bluff, situated Invercargill - Stewart Island at the end of New Zealand’s State Highway 1, and famous for its fishing fleet Meals: B/D and the best oysters in the world. Board the ferry for the 1 hour crossing of Overnight: Stewart Island Foveaux Strait to Stewart Island, New Zealand’s third largest island, comprising 1570 square kilometres, Stewart Island is a special place, and offers a glimpse into a simpler, slower lifestyle, in rhythm with the sea and the tides, and attuned to the natural world of bush and beach.

On arrival you will take a chartered 1 1/2 hour ‘Villages & Bays’ mini-bus tour of the island, including a visit to the gateway of Rakiura National Park at Lee Bay, Horseshoe Bay, and Observation Rock with its stunning views of Paterson Inlet.

There will be free time this afternoon to relax and explore the township. After an early dinner at the South Seas Hotel, you may wish to enjoy the optional Wild Kiwi Encounter Excursion (additional cost).

Sunday 5 December A relaxing day to browse the quaint shops and boutiques, walk the beach, Stewart Island visit the local museum and movie theatre, or perhaps hire an E-bike or car to Meals: B/D further explore. Your excursion today is a Paterson Inlet and Ulva Island Overnight: Stewart Island Cruise. The cruise will showcase the hidden coves and unspoilt beaches of Paterson Inlet. You’ll hear fascinating stories of early Maori history and European settlement from your guide as you pass various landmarks. While on board, keep a look out for fur seals and penguins. Paterson Inlet is home to renowned wildlife sanctuary Ulva Island and you’ll stop there for a 45 minute guided walk. On the Island you may see weka (native woodhen), bush robins, rare saddlebacks and yellowheads amongst other species. It is also a protected habitat for some of New Zealand’s rarest plant species. A regular highlight is to encounter an inquisitive weka on the beach.

You’ll dine at the hotel again this evening.

Monday 6 December Cross back over Foveaux Strait by ferry this morning, pausing in Bluff for a Stewart Island - Te Anau group photo at the iconic AA sign at Stirling point, located at the very end Meals: B of State Highway 12. Drive to Te Anau via Winton and the coal mining area Coach: 3 hours 30 minutes of Nightcaps and Ohai before stopping off at the Clifden suspension bridge Overnight: Te Anau which was built in 1898-99 and originally used by horse and cart traffic. You will have a free afternoon in Te Anau. There is an option to take a tour of the Te Anau glow worm caves or just take the time to relax. Dinner at leisure tonight.

Tuesday 7 December Today you will begin your adventure at Doubtful Sound. Start the journey Te Anau - Doubtful Sound with a short cruise across Lake and then a coach trip across Meals: B/D Wilmot Pass, The road journey itself is amazing. Construction took two years Overnight: Fiordland Navigator to enable machinery to be transported in for the . It is believed to be New Zealand’s most expensive road and the only one on the mainland not connected to the rest of the roading network.

Spend the day cruising past stunning scenery, keeping a watch for the resident dolphins, fur seals and rare penguins.

There will be a chance to explore the shoreline by tender boat. Kayaks are available to use, and even a bracing swim is possible for the adventurous! In the evening, enjoy a three course dinner, a drink from the bar and bask in the silence of Doubtful Sound.

Wednesday 8 December Wake up to the quiet beauty of the Sound and spend the rest of the Doubtful Sound - Queenstown morning exploring other parts of the fiord before disembarking at Deep Meals: B/D Cove and continuing by coach via Manapouri and onto Queenstown. Coach: 2 hours 30 minutes Overnight: Queenstown Enjoy a farewell dinner with the group in Queenstown this evening.

Thursday 9 December Check out and transfer to the airport for your homebound flights Queenstown (departing no earlier than 10am) or choose to stay in Queenstown. We Meals: B can help arrange extensions and activities for you.

TOUR MANAGER David McNay is a true “Southern Man”. Born and bred in Southland not only has he worked for the iconic Speights brewery for a decade but was the publican of the Waiau Hotel at Tuatapere for twenty years. Dave has spent the last 17 years driving and leading tours of Southland and is intimately familiar with the land and its people. He looks forward to welcoming you to his neck of the woods.

Photo credits: Thanks to HOW TO SECURE YOUR PLACE ON THIS TOUR A deposit of $500 is required to secure your place on the tour. When minimum numbers are reached, the tour will become a ‘confirmed departure’ and your deposit will be non-refundable. At that point we will advise when the tour payment will be due. If the tour is unable to operate as a result of government travel restrictions due to Covid-19, you will have the choice of transferring your deposit to another tour or receive a full refund.

• Click here to complete the online registration form, pay the $500 per person deposit and your place in this tour is secured.

• Or you can complete a paper registration form. You can down load one from the website www.calderandlawsontours.co.nz, or give us a call and we will email or post one to you.

• TERMS & CONDITIONS Can be found on the website www.calderandlawsontours.co.nz, on the back of the paper registration form or on the summary page when you complete an online registration. If you wish to pay by credit card, a surcharge of 2.5% will be charged. VARIATIONS This itinerary is Version 1 dated 12/05/2021 and is subject to change.