Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Head to
Wellington
and interact in the national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa, then sa-
vour the city's great restaurants and bars. Having crossed Cook Strait and cruised the Marl-
borough Sounds, stop in at vibrant Nelson on the way to
Abel Tasman National Park
and
its golden beaches and turquoise waters. Walk, kayak or sail your way around. Two more
national parks -
Kahurangi
and
Nelson Lakes
- lie nearby. Tramp the Heaphy or Lake An-
gelus, on your way to the wild West Coast. Follow the stunning Tasman Sea coast road past
Paparoa National Park, pausing at
Punakaiki's
pancake rocks. Walk the half-day Pororari
River Loop if you can't fit in the whole Inland Pack Track.
Keep on trucking south towards glacier country. Call in at the West Coast Wildlife Centre
in
Franz Josef Glacier
to coo over the kiwi chicks, before tramping into
Welcome Flat
for
a well-earned soak in the hot springs. Having cleared Haast Pass, the
Siberia Valley
awaits.
Go in on foot, plane, jetboat, or even all three. Don't miss pretty lakeside
Wanaka
, from
where you can head into Mt Aspiring National Park via the Matukituki Valley, then head
over the Crown Range to adrenaline capital,
Queenstown
. Take your pick from some of
NZ's most fabulous walks - the Routeburn, Greenstone Caples and Rees-Dart. Head round
to postcard-perfect
Milford Sound
, arriving by car through the Homer Tunnel or on foot via
the Milford Track, NZ's most famous Great Walk. Fly or drive to
Christchurch
from
Queenstown and you're done.
