The ‘Wild’ West Coast Wanderer, a seven-day/eight-night trek exploring the South Island’s West Coast is the new offering from High Country Journeys.
Ranfurly-based owner-operator John Mulholland says adding the new West Coast tour offers existing and new clients a third tour option alongside their flagship ‘Grand Slam’ and the more challenging ‘Explorer’ tag-along guided tours. These self-drive 4WD tours or ‘tagalongs ‘as they are known as require high-clearance 4WDs with low range.
The West Coast Wanderer tour is a more middle of the road tour that features four or five days of off-roading on 4WD tracks and a couple of days exploring many of the hidden gems of the West Coast such as the Denniston Plateau, Stockton Mine, Blackball, Punakaiki, Hokitika Gorge, Okarito and Gillespie’s Beach. A couple of days do feature some tarmac driving but are rewarded with the last day in the stunning Haast area with visits to Jacksons Bay and the Cascade River Valley and a jet boat trip on the Waiatoto river.
The trip starts with a meet-up day at Springfield after lunch, heading off mid-afternoon to travel into Mt White Station for the first night’s accommodation.
The first full day covers tracks around the Waimak river area in the morning and then after lunch travels over Arthurs Pass to Lake Brunner Lodge for the night.
Day two travels through the Napoleon Hill tunnel track and time permitting the Big River track near Reefton and then onto the night’s accommodation near Westport.
Day three will be up to the historic town of Denniston and after exploring the township and its famous incline it will be followed by a 4WD track around the Plateau and Mt Rochford area and then returning to the accommodation in Westport again.
Day four is a tour with Mickey Ryan’s Outwest tours of the expansive Stockton mine or a visit to the old gold mining area of Charleston and a trip into a remote but very interesting and beautiful valley. This night’s accommodation is in the historic town of Kumara after exploring the famous coalmining town of Blackball and the famous Hilton Hotel enroute.
Day five sees the tour explore the old gold areas of Goldsborough and Stafford on the back road to Hokitika as well as continuing through Lake Kaniere, Hokitika Gorge and Okarito to overnight at Franz Joseph.
Day six explores the old black sand mining of Gillespie’s beach and then after some interesting 4WDing up some river valleys on the way ends up at Haast for the nights’ accommodation.
The final day will be a jetboat experience on the Waiatoto river in the morning and then down to Jacksons Bay and then on down to the stunning Cascade and Martyr River Valleys before returning to the Haast again for the last night.
High Country Journeys’ other trips remain very popular:
The Grand Slam tour is HCJ’s flagship and is still the most popular tour by far. This seven-day/eight-night package that starts in Blenheim and takes in Molesworth Station and then after traveling through MacDonald Downs and the Lees Valley in North Canterbury heads down through the Lake Coleridge and the Rakaia River areas, through the Mackenzie Country and finishes in the Cardrona/Wanaka area of Central Otago.
The Great Mackenzie and Central Otago Explorer is a five-day/six-night package that is more challenging with most days on tracks that are over 4,500 ft that suits more experienced drivers. It starts in the Lake Ohau/Omarama area and ends in the Cardrona/Wanaka area and takes in the rugged and majestic high country and tussock lands of the Mackenzie Country, Lindis Pass, Central Otago and Northern Southland.
All High Country Journeys tours are fully guided with radio contact to each vehicle and travel at a quieter pace as they are made up of smaller tour groups (six to nine vehicles). These tours are also fully catered with breakfast, packed lunches and two course evening meals supplied. The accommodation venues are made up of really comfortable homestays and farmstays, historic hotels and some really nice motels and lodges.
