TWO NEW EPIC HIKES + ACCOMMODATION
IN GLENORCHY

…for two days of hiking and camping. A step up from the Routeburn, but if you can handle a hike like that and don’t mind a challenge, this is the perfect adventure for you. Limited availability, small private groups only, contact us to find out more.

Itinerary:

Day One
Arrive at The Great Glenorchy Alpine Base Camp and get settled in. You will meet your guide and you will be briefed and your gear will be checked. We have a licensed wood-fired restaurant where you can enjoy your first ‘food over fire’ dinner with us, maybe toast a marshmallow at one of our fire pits before bed. Our huts are pretty cosy and perfect for your pre-adventure rest (if your excitement permits).

Day Two – 8-10km
Up nice and early, and after breakfast you’ll meet your guide and climb into one of our Defender 4X4s to be shuttled to a nearby heli lift zone. You’ll be flown deep into The UNESCO South West New Zealand World Heritage Area to your start point (glacial traverse). This entire day will be spent in the high alpine zone and the alpine zone. The scenery is pretty special and surprisingly, the range and diversity of small plants still enthrals us all here.

Day Three – 18km
Breakfast and break camp. You will be well into the groove of tramping by now and we cover a reasonable distance on this day with the terrain and scenery constantly changing. Among other memorable moments, you will make your way across alpine streams, a saddle crossing between two mountains with regular pausing for refreshments along the way. You will gradually descend down through to the Beech forest to the evening’s traditional heavyweight riverside tented camp. Your meal will be prepared in camp ovens and the stretcher beds, air mattresses, and wood-fired tent heater will all add up to a welcome small step up in comfort.

Day Four – 4×4
There’s no need to rush. Breakfast, help break camp, maybe another shorter loop hike and then into the Land Rover Defender 4×4 for your homeward leg. It’s a great drive, with plenty of river crossings (some quite deep), a few stops for refreshments and then it’s all the way back to The Great Glenorchy Alpine Base Camp, the home fires and home cooking of your final night with us (this time).

Spanning diverse terrain, this pack camping experience is a step up from the Routeburn, but with our technical gear and decent fitness it is perfectly achievable. This package is available for small private groups, contact us to find out more.

Itinerary:

Day One
Arrive at The Great Glenorchy Alpine Base Camp and get settled into your hut(s). You will meet your guide and you will be briefed and your gear will be checked. We can help you if you’ve forgotten something or if we need to swap any items. This hiking adventure package includes dinner in our popular licenced woodfired restaurant on the two nights you spend with us at Base Camp. Rest if you can, although the excitement/anticipation will probably make a deep sleep difficult.

Day Two – 7-8km
Up nice and early, breakfast and help load your packs into one of our Defender 4X4s. The beginning of your adventure is about a 45-minute drive from The Great Glenorchy Alpine Base Camp. The planned hiking distance on this day doesn’t seem that far, but there is a bit of height to gain, so steady as she goes, plenty of refreshment stops along the route to your first pack campsite.

Day Three – 8km
There will be no messing around. Break camp and ascend up onto the famous Park Pass Glacier. Your guide will be a properly trained/experienced expert glacial guide who will really enjoy guiding your glacial traverse. There are some pretty serious crevasses you’ll get up close and personal with and it’s a great time. Exciting. From the Park Pass glacier, you will make your way to the alpine tarns just below Lake Nerene where you will be pack camping. It is a stunning setting and, weather permitting, you will be looking back over your day’s achievements including a wonderful perspective of the Park Pass glacier.

Day Four – 12km
You’ll be in the groove by now. Up and going early will be the plan. Ascend to Lake Nerine and then up and over the bony backbone of Nereus Peak ahead of your descent via North Col into the Route Burn North Branch. This stage cannot be rushed, easy does it and once you’re in the clear on the valley floor you will enjoy setting up your camp beside the cool clear water of the Route Burn North Branch.

Day Five
No rush. A leisurely breakfast and break camp. A fairly easy-going hike alone on the pristine valley floor to the meeting point where your Defender transfer will be waiting for you. Back to The Great Glenorchy Alpine Base Camp (did someone say showers and a sauna), a big relax, another stunning food of fire meal, bar, fire pits and plenty of good vibes for your final night with us (this time anyway).