Hiker�s New Zealand"Tramping" the country�s South IslandNew Zealanders are proud of the natural beauty of their "clean and green" land, and they�ve equipped the backcountry with some of the world�s most glorious hiking trails. This coming winter, Mountain Travel-Sobek, The Adventure CompanyTM, has planned a series of tours that will take hikers on an exhilarating ramble through some of the country�s prettiest scenery and give them a taste of many different adventure activities�a perfect trip for active travelers. After a day in Wellington, New Zealand�s capital city, the group (limited to just 14 members) will cross Cook Strait to begin tramping (that�s Kiwi for hiking) on the Queen Charlotte Track, which showcases the scenic coast and native forests of Queen Charlotte Sound. Queen Charlotte Sound was once an important trade route and provided shelter and seafood for the Maori who lived here, as well as for Captain Cook, who made the area his New Zealand base in the 1770s. More hikes will take the group into other environments such as the rainforests of Paparoa National Park, the stratified limestone cliffs and blowholes of Pancake Rocks, the icy realms of the Franz Josef Glacier, and Okarito Lagoon, one of New Zealand�s largest wetlands (great for birding), where the group can take an optional sea kayaking tour as well as a hike. Next, participants take a scenic flight across alpine and glacier country into the heart of Mount Aspiring National Park for a three-hike through the Siberia Valley, followed by a jet-boat ride on the Wilkin River. Midway through the trip, the group visits Queenstown, known as the "adventure capital of the world," where optional activities that include whitewater rafting, jet-boating, bungy jumping, parapenting, mountain biking, hot-air ballooning, and more await the active traveler. The highlight of the tour is a four-day walk on New Zealand�s acclaimed Milford Track, which many people call the "the finest walk in the world." Milford�s trails wind deep into Fiordland National Park�s spectacular towering mountains, lush rainforests, and incredible biodiversity for which the area is famous, culminating at breathtaking Milford Sound, whose shimmering waters reflect steep 5,000-foot peaks all around. Accommodations throughout the tour are in comfortable hotels and lodges. Just in case participants have not had their full dose of adventures, a pre- or post-trip extension to see the best of New Zealand�s North Island is also available. The trip will be led by native New Zealander Andrew Fairfax, who quit his job as a corporate attorney a few years ago to turn his lifelong interest in the outdoors into a more fulfilling job as an adventure guide. A staunch Kiwi, he enjoys taking people into the heart of what he firmly believes is the most beautiful country on earth; he�ll show people the real New Zealand, the side most travelers never get to see. The 15-day trip departs January 14, February 18, and March 17, 2000. Land cost is from $3290 per person. For more information, please contact Mountain Travel-Sobek at 1-888-MTSOBEK (687-6235) or visit their Web site at www.mtsobek.com Edited by Dave Shultz |
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