Discovery Down Under Tour

A schools 8 day programme, ex Christchurch.

Itinerary 4 (Tour code SCH8DDU)

Price is retail NZ$ 1,172 per person (US$586pp) with two teachers travelling free. This is for a minimum group size of 30 paying students. Price includes all meals, transport accommodation, specified activities, tour leader, tour management and government taxes.

Itinerary Summary:

Day 1: arrive CHCH , Antarctic Centre, accom Christchurch hostel
Day 2: TranzAlpine train to Jacksons whitewater raft trip, accom Greymouth Hostel
Day 3: Start Paparoa National Park 3 day walk circuit, accom cave camp
Day 4: continue walk, accom tent camp
Day 5: finish walk, accom Greymouth Hostel
Day 6: Dragons Cave rafting, accom Greymouth Hostel
Day 7: Jungle Boat Paddle. pm train to CHCH, Maori Dinner & show, accom CHCH
Day 8: depart from CHCH

Day 1: Welcome to Christchurch.

Arrive Christchurch. Clear customs and immigration and make your way to the arrivals hall. You will be met on arrival by a representative from the Wild West Adventure Company.

As an introduction to this part of the world we take a visit to the International Antarctic Centre - For a guided Educational Tour. Travel the short distance (5 minutes) to visit the International Antarctic Centre and experience Antarctica - the coldest, windiest, driest and most remote place on earth. Experience the four seasons of the Antarctic including a polar blizzard. Discover a penguin rookery and watch the Southern Lights. You can visit Scott Base, New Zealand's station in Antarctica, view the continent from outer space and discover the secrets of this last great wilderness.

Come face to face with Antarctic marine life and wander through the beautiful and chilling ice-cave. Don't miss the "Great White South" - an audio visual show of Antarctica that will leave you spell-bound.

We have arranged for a special extended and more extensive educational experience here. Lecturers, part of the Antarctic Project Force, are teachers who have been to The South Pole will spend time with you. One of your group will get dressed in Antarctic clothing and be toilet trained! It's a hands-on fun lecture and certainly a great eye opener.

Board your coach for a tour of the "Cathedral City". You will observe the benefits of a city built on a great plain and graced by the Avon River. This gives the city a rural feel to it that is seldom seen in today's modern cities.

See the Town Hall, Cathedral Square and the old English architecture in the inner city buildings. Hagley Park with its wide expanse of English Oak trees shows its prominence. See the new tramway and historic buildings recently renovated to their charm of yesteryear. Maybe take a ride on the old tram as "it gets around". (Own low cost)

Note: Tour depth and duration will depend on your arrival time in Christchurch.

Proceed to your hostel and check-in.

6:30pm: Dinner at Hostel (note that today meals that have been costed in is dinner only).

Day 2: 0630 Breakfast.

Get an early start this morning for you are about to embark on a tour across the Southern Alps into the Wild West Adventure Country

0745 Depart from Hostel
0830 check in at Christchurch Rail Station
0900 Depart on the TranzAlpine Train. This journey is regarded as one of the top 6 train trips in the world. You will pass over amazing river viaducts and under the Southern Alps through an 8 kilometre tunnel. We travel out of Christchurch towards Arthurs Pass. Cross the alluvial Canterbury Plains, famous for its fat lamb industry and then into the foothills of the Southern Alps. The train winds its way through 16 tunnels over the upper reaches of the Waimakariri River, past sparkling snow-fed streams, rock formations and crystal clear lakes to Arthurs Pass.

Notice the sharp mountain peaks with their vast alpine screes sprawled among the high tussock country as you tour this land of contrasts that is the Arthur's Pass National Park.

We stop for a short break to take photographs and then continue through the Otira tunnel to a completely different world when you emerge from the lower end. You are now entering a region of ancient rainforests, dramatic landscapes, gold fields, greenstone jade and rugged coastlines. This is a place founded on adventure, romance & intrigue. This is the West Coast. Most of the photographs taken to market New Zealand are from this region. World wide, 'Coasters' have a reputation for their pioneering spirit and their friendliness having been built on a heritage of gold miners, bushmen and explorers .

12:00 midday. We depart the train at Jackson's. This used to be a gold rush and timber milling town which now has one house and the Stage coach Inn. Here you will be met by the crew from the Wild West Adventure Company to start a hiking, camping and whitewater rafting adventure experiencing one of the world's finest wildernesses.

On arrival we issue you with a cut lunch and a drink before driving in from the main highway by Mercedes Unimog four wheel drive truck. Our Mercedes Unimog 4 wheel drive vehicles will drive in from the main highway through heavy native New Zealand rainforest. Climbing over mountain foothills to the creeks and rivers of the Taipo Valley area below you will see some stunning views over the valleys and mountains. The "Taipo" refers to a Mythical Maori Dragon which was believed to have lived in this area. You will walk with a guide along the bush tracks in the valley (around 90 minutes walking). The Unimog's will be used to get you across rivers and streams and around the 'tough stuff' as you are making your way further up the river.

This afternoon you will try some Shaky-Plate white water rafting which is on a grade 3 location ideal for school groups.

You will raft over the Alpine fault line from the Pacific Tectonic Plate to the Indo-Australis Plate. The canyon walls, as you raft through this crack in the earths crust, show the striated layers of rock being tilted and bent as the Indo-Australis pushes under the Pacific Plate. Further on you will view the layered effect of different sized boulder layers where the ice-age glaciers advanced leaving smaller stones of the moraine. While seeing this you will enjoy an excellent rafting experience. This river is braided most of the way so you can choose a raft which takes the easier more relaxed route or take an "Action Raft" which gives you a roller coaster ride of rapids down the river. The choice is yours. Accommodation Greymouth Hostel Dinner, Hong Kong Restaurant.

Day 3:
Travel this morning to the Paparoa National park where we begin our three day walk into this amazing limestone canyon.

New Zealand's South Island West Coast has one of the most diverse systems of walking trails in the World. They originate from the spectacular 720 km 'Te Ara Pounamu', translating as 'The Greenstone Pathway', a route that has been followed for hundreds of years by Maori traders seeking precious New Zealand Jade greenstone. Last century the pathway was walked by our early European Explorers such as von Haast, Meuller, Arawata Bill & the Brunner Brothers who were then followed by goldseekers and our early settlers.

Today there are 83 different sections of Te Ara Pounamu that can be walked or cruised on to make a network of 'pathways' that give you a cultural insight into the South Pacific amongst World Heritage Class scenery. The walkways consist of different walking sections ranging from 30 minute paved tourist feature walks to half-day nature trails and on to overnight walks that take from two days to a week.

We are going to spend the next three days following one of the trails into an area of canyons, rivers and spectacular rainforest. It features amazing limestone gorges, magnificent stands of Rimu Rainforest trees and visits to caves. There is almost a feeling of spiritualness about this rather special & little known area of the South Island. One night is spent camping in a large cavern called the Ballroom while the other is in tents. Hikers carry all equipment and food. This hike involves a number of river crossings in crystal clear water that is great for swimming. This part of 'Te Ara Pounamu' is weather dependant and we have an alternate all weather track we use if the rivers are to high. Accommodation, Ballroom Cavern.

Day 4:
Continue our walk Accommodation, tent Camp Paparoa National Park.

Day 5:
Finish our three day walk Accommodation Greymouth Hostel Dinner, Hong Kong Restaurant.

Day 6:
Today is another fun day where you will enjoy an adventure of mystery, challenge & intrigue! Float through a galaxy world of glow-worms on subterranean lakes, experience the splendour and roar as you slide down underground water-falls or take a cuddle through the love tunnel! Discover enchanting limestone formations in this Castle of the Underworld.

This evening we will have a Chinese meal at the Hong Kong Restaurant Accommodation: Greymouth Hostel. Dinner, we will cook our meal tonight on a beach BBQ bonfire Kiwi style.

Day 7:
0900 We travel the 15 minutes to a Float the rainforest 'Jungle Boat' Cruise and race. This morning you will be in 'racing teams'. Choose your craft! We have native outrigger and dugout canoes that will drift us down into the rainforest. In the traditions of our early explorers, by Jungle Boat we follow the route of 'Te Ara Pounamu'-the greenstone pathway. This is part of the trail used by ancient Maori greenstone jade traders on their way to the West Coast jade fields. Your spirit will lead you to your choice of waka (boat). Choose from taking a fun journey on the unique Maori outrigger canoe of the type used to travel the great ocean currents of the Pacific or for those individual sprits paddle your own dugout canoe through the rainforest waterway with your guide. This gentle flat water float trip through some of the worlds most hauntingly beautiful scenery teaches you how we preserve the delicate balance between one of natures oldest ecosystems and today's modern use of this environment. Touch the silence while drifting by this prehistoric world of huge podocarp rainforest trees with some of the areas bird life. The dark waters give you an eerie feeling of timelessness and spirituality. You will leave with a sense of rejuvenation from your visit with nature today. Once everyone is used to their boats we make our way to an area of mirror like water to challenge your mates to a race down the rainforest waterway.

1425: Catch the TranzAlpine Train back to Christchurch arriving at 6:35pm

1835: On arrival at the Christchurch Rail Station you will be picked up by coach and taken to the national Maori Marae for dinner. This evening is a dinner with a difference. Dinner cooked in the ground Maori style. We are going to Nga Hau E Wha marae (the marae of the four winds), a Maori meeting place and village for a concert, tour of the marae and hangi dinner.

Upon reaching the marae, you the visitor (manuhiri tuarangi), wait to be welcomed. You will receive a Powhiri, (welcome ceremony). You will be challenged by a warrior ( the wero), followed by the Karanga. (Call of welcome). Next is the lifting of the food (Kai) from an earthen oven (hangi) before entering into the dining house (wharekai) to enjoy the feast (hakari). The formal part of the evening always finishes in the dining room (wharekai) with a short speech of farewell (poroporoaki) and a song (Waiata).

We will then go into the magnificently carved meeting house (Whare runanga), your group will engage in formal speeches (whaikorero) which will end in the greeting and a Hongi (the pressing of noses). (many groups share some of their own culture at this point and reply to the hosts with a song from their own country)

The Nga Hau E Wha cultural group will share with you the Maori aspects of life (taha Maori), through song and dance (Haka and poi) and will request your participation (Whakangahau).

You will take a formal tour of the Marae and the spectacularly carved meeting houses named Aoraki and Te Aritaua Pitama before returning to your Hotel.

9:00pm: Travel back to your hostel.

Day 8: Today you depart for home. Transfers to the airport are provided. (This days arrangements will be organised once flight details are available) Note that only breakfast is included in your tour cost today.

Cancellations: Tours paid for and cancelled within 30 days of or during travel will not be refunded under any circumstances. We recommend you have travel insurance & can arrange this for you.

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