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The Waitutu Track takes you from Lake Hauroko down the Wairaurahiri River by jetboat to the southern ocean. Then following the South Coast track across mighty viaducts, bush and beach tracks returning to Tuatapere.
Day 1: Tuatapere
Check in to The Waiau Hotel, voted
one of New Zealand's top country hotels. Around
6pm your guide will meet you for a briefing guide
and make plans for the next few days. The join the guide for dinner at 7.30 pm. Settle in for
a good nights sleep to prepare for tomorrow's
adventure.
Shuttles are available at extra cost from Queenstown
(7.30am), Invercargill (2pm) and Te Anau (7.30am) but are not included in the package.
Day 2: Lake Hauroko, Waitutu Lodge
Drive 1 hour
Jet boating time: 1 1/2 hours
Drive from Tuatapere to Lake Hauroko then jetboat down the Wairaurahiri River, said to be New Zealand's steepest river with rock strewn rapids leading from Lake Hauroko to the southern ocean.
Stay at the Waitutu Bush Lodge set on the Wild side of the Wairaurahiri River in the Waitutu Forest.
Take a short walk in the Waitutu Forest with giant rimu and totara trees hundreds of years old.
Day 3: Viaducts, Port Craig Village
Walk 6 hours / 16km
Heading east along the South Coast track we cross the spectacular Percy Burn viaduct, the highest remaining wooden viaduct in the world on our way to Poret Crai Village. Explore the remains of this once bustling milling town.
Day 4: Rarakau Carpark, Tuatapere
Walk 5 – 6 hours / 16 km
Drive 45 minutes
A chance to see Hectors dolphins and penguins as we follow bush and beach trails around the sweeping Te Waewae Bay to the Rarakau Carpark.
Shuttle to Tuatapere.
Day 1: Arrive in Tuatapere
Check in to The Waiau Hotel, recently voted
New Zealand's top country hotel. Around
5pm wander along the road to the Tuatapere
Hump Ridge Track office to meet your guide
and make plans for the next few days. Dine
with the guide at 7.30 pm. Settle in for
a good nights sleep to prepare for tomorrow's
adventure.
Day 2: Track transport Tuatapere to Lake Hauroko
Rarakau Carpark. Walk to Port Craig Village
Walk 5 - 6 hours / 16 km ( 9.6 m )
Up for an early breakfast departing Tuatapere
at 8.30am for Lake Hauroko on the edge of Fiordland National Park.
The walk from Bluecliffs Beach follows the
beach and coastal tracks. Fiordland crested
penguins, Hector dolphins, New Zealand fur
seals, and whales can
occasionally be seen as we follow the sweeping
Te Waewae Bay to Port Craig Village. Explore
the remains of this once bustling milling
town with a Heritage Trail and brochure.
Our first night on the trail is spent in
the Port Craig Village a modern bush lodge
set above Mussell Bay.
Day 3: Viaducts, Waitutu Lodge
Walk 5 - 6 hours / 16km ( 9.6 m )
Today we head west along an old coastal
track cut in 1896 to provide access to gold
mining settlements at Preservation Inlet.
In the 1920's a bush tramway was built to
transport logs to the mill at Port Craig.
This included the construction of four large
wooden viaduct's. The largest is the spectacular
Percy Burn Viaduct, the highest remaining
wooden viaduct in the world.
Our destination for the night is the Waitutu
Lodge set just across the Wairaurahiri River
in the stunning Waitutu Forest. This is
the largest tract of untouched native forest
in New Zealand featuring giant Rimu and
Totara hundreds of years old. Learn about
the intricate habitats that
provide homes for an abundance of wildlife
including the South Island kaka, wood pigeon,
long tailed bat and yellow crowned parakeet.
Day 4: Wairaurahiri River, Lake Hauroko,
Tuatapere
Take a short walk in the Waitutu Forest
with giant rimu and totara trees hundreds
of years old. Jump on to your jetboat and
head up the Wairaurahiri River, said to
be New Zealand's steepest river leading
from the southern ocean up to Lake Hauroko.
No spins or twirls here. Access to country
like this is why the Hamilton jet was invented.
At Lake Hauroko we transit by road back
to Tuatapere arriving around 4pm.
Jet boating time: one and a half hours |
