New Zealand : Volcanoes and Rainforest

Day 1 Wednesday - join tour in Auckland
7km/2 hours hiking 
The tour departs from Auckland at 07.00 following a briefing from your guide.  Drive south to Rotorua and continue to Whirinaki Forest Park. After a picnic lunch, pack the gear and set off on the hike through this primeval rainforest, whose podocarp trees are ancient offshoots of the conifer family and evolved before the flowering plants. Overnight hut accommodation by a river.

Day 2 Thursday - Whirinaki
14km/6 hours hiking 
Continue up the valley track for 1.5 hours before taking a side track up a gorge to the next camp, practising river crossing techniques along the way. This is really off the beaten track and the rivers are clear and pure enough to drink. With luck maybe see the rare blue duck and robins and perhaps hear the kaka, a large bush parrot. An evening campfire and time to enjoy your surroundings.

Day 3 Friday - Rotorua
10km/5 hours hiking 
Penetrating deeper into the forest, take a rough trail past cascading creeks and over a small pass to the rainforest of weeping ferns and giant podocarps. Then head to the trailhead where transport is waiting to take you to Rotorua. This amazing area is alive with geothermal activity, and geysers, hot springs and mud pools are found even in the town centre. Enjoy a thermal bath in a natural hot river hidden in the bush, en route to our camp at Blue Lake – one of Rotorua’s beautiful old crater lakes.

Day 4 Saturday - Rotorua Lakes
15km/5 hours kayaking
Optional early morning kayak trip (around NZ$85– 5 hours) on Lake Tarawera, an ancient crater with sandy beaches, surrounded by forest. Rich in Maori history, the area was devastated by the 1886 eruption of Mt Tarawera, which buried villages under the ash. At lunchtime, stop for another natural hot bath in the bush before driving to the next camp on the banks of the Waikato River.

Day 5 Sunday - Taupo
5km/1.5 hours hiking 
Head for the clear waters of Lake Taupo, a 600 sq. km caldera, which formed in a cataclysmic eruption in 186 AD. After lunch, drive the short distance to Tongariro National Park, gifted to the New Zealand people by a far-sighted Maori chief, who saw it as a way to preserve the sacredness of this special place and in particular the summits of its volcanoes. Here, hike through alpine grasslands to a hut set in native beech forest, beside a bubbling stream. In warm weather, it is usually possible to camp but the hut is handy for colder days.

Day 6 Monday - Tongariro World Heritage Area
7km/4 hours hiking 
Spend the whole day among the surreal lunar landscapes of this active volcanic region. The last eruption, in 1996 saw ash and steam spew from the summit crater of 2797m high Mt Ruapehu, the highest mountain on the North Island. Another much younger volcano, Mt Ngauruhoe, is almost symmetrical and stands 2291m, overlooking a scattering of jewel-like crater lakes. Another wilderness camp tonight.Tongariro National Park (6 hours hiking)Hike through lava and ash, climbing steadily to reach the brilliant emerald lakes, and a lunch stop. Spend time exploring the rust-red craters of the volcanic plateau, before descending on the western side. Evening drive to a simple riverside lodge for a hot shower and a big meal.

Day 7 Tuesday - Tongariro National Park
15km/6 hours hiking 
Hike through lava and ash, climbing steadily to reach the brilliant emerald lakes, and a lunch stop. Spend time exploring the rust-red craters of the volcanic plateau, before descending on the western side. Evening drive to a simple riverside lodge for a hot shower and a big meal.

Day 8 Wednesday - Waitomo
1km/1 hour caving 
After an early start, drive for 2 hours through a hill country farming region to Waitomo, a limestone region famous for its labyrinth of caves. Visit a ‘secret’ cave, where glow worms, waterfalls and grotesque limestone formations can be seen. Later, drive through the Waitomo back country to reach the west coast, and camp by the beach and cook a hangi Maori style. A beach fire is an atmospheric end to the day.

Day 9 Thursday - Mount Egmont/Taranaki National Park
3km/1.5 hours hiking 
Spend the morning at the coast, visiting the site of a Maori pa (fortified village). After relaxing, swimming and exploring the cliffs and beaches, drive south to Mt. Egmont National Park. Standing 2518m high, this volcano was named by Captain Cook, who saw it smoking when he sailed past in 1769. Sacred to the Maori, the mountain is known to them as the spirit/god Taranaki.   It is considered a sacred place and the rocks represent his bones and vegetation represents his hair.  Hike through a gnarled and moss-clad forest to a hut on the side of the volcano.

Day 10 Friday - Tour ends in Wellington
6km/2.5 hours climbing 
If the mountain conditions are reasonable, get up early and climb up the side of Mt Egmont/Taranaki as far as Fanthams peak.  There are commanding view from the summits of this solitary volcano.  The drive to Wellington takes you through new Zealand's flattest plains - it doesn't last long!  Arrive in Wellington and head out for an evening meal and farewell drink in the capital city.  Your guide can drop you at your preferred accommodation.