This is our signature and most popular trip covering over 2500 kms , two weeks and virtually the whole length of the beautiful South Island. We ran it for the first time in 2024 and it was a huge success. This year was no different.
We had a convoy of seven vehicles, a mix of new and returning guests, ready to explore the diverse scenery that the Island has to offer. After having spent 20 years living in France, I love the South Island of New Zealand. It really is a continent in microcosm, with Beaches, mountains, rivers, lakes, valleys and everything else.
Being a two week trip, it’s important for everyone to get to know each other as quickly as possible. The first day of the trip is designed to do just that. We met in Picton at lunchtime and then headed to Mill Flat on the Northern Bank of the Wairau River for a chilled afternoon with swimming, campfire and BBQ.
The next few days saw us heading down the Molesworth, into Edwards Valley, swimming in the remote hot pools and then on down to Tekapo and the Macaulay Hut.
We then headed up the Hopkins to Monument Hut, the last stage of the River Valley, Southern Alps part of the trip. The night at Monument was amazing with 5 Billion stars and a spectacular moon rise over the mountains.
Leaving the Hopkins, the route took us over the Omarama Saddle and onto Homestead Campsite, our home for two nights.
We had a fantastic day exploring the Oteake Conservation Area, visiting, the Ida Valley Railway Hut, the Mount Buster diggings and finished the day off at the famous, haunted, Vulcan Hotel. The Vulcan has “upped it’s game” and now provides fantastic food at a reasonable price. Everyone returned to camp replete and ready for more adventures.
From there, we headed South to Alexandra where we had a replen, before attacking the Old Man Range and the infamous Waikaia Bush Road. We had the obligatory team photo at the Obelisk, visited Potters Hut and Hyde Rock before heading, once again, out into the wilderness camping halfway to Old Woman Hut.
Our “secret” campsite is awesome!! In the middle of nowhere, in a small cleft in the ground amongst old mine workings and with a stream and a fantastic swimming hole. Everyone had a swim in the surprisingly warm water, and we spent a super evening under stars and generally had a great time enjoying each other's company.
The next stage of the adventure saw us heading further South and into Southland. We drove the Nevis Valley and then a short road move saw us in the Mavora Lakes, where we opted to camp by the lake and a few attempts at fishing were made. We didn’t get anything, but was good fun trying.
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