Single Day 4WD Tag Along

HIGH COUNTRY STATION

1 DAY ADVENTURE

ADVENTURE DESCRIPTION

This is a wonderful high country sheep station one day expedition showcasing the Queenstown region. This expedition travels through to a beautiful, very private, high country sheep station. With a guaranteed variety of tracks, diverse stunning scenery, local area commentary, gold mining history and memorable experiences, this expedition brings it all together.

ITINERARY

At 8:30am we meet at the One Mile Car Park on Queenstown’s Lake Esplanade.

After a safety talk and explanation on radio and convoy procedures we set off to explore a very private high country sheep station and its huge vistas. Plenty of time is allowed to soak in the mountains, river, and raw scenery. We head out to a remote back country hut for lunch before returning through the station, allowing time for a hands on go at gold panning or to just chill out.

Once we are back through the sheep station boundary gate, opportunities exist for an afternoon of lake fishing or a gentle 1 1/2 hour walk around an alpine lake.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

Small groups
Authentic high country sheep station experience
Gold detector & gold pan use
Exclusive and extremely private
Meet and chat with sheep station owners
Genuine kiwi experiences
Visit New Zealand legend Barry Crumps remote southern home

TRIP REQUIREMENTS

This expedition operates on private sheep station farm tracks. As per most backcountry tracks this station has narrow tracks, and tracks at height. Drivers need to be confident driving on back country roads.

Vehicle insurance on private farm tracks needs to be checked before booking this tour.

VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS

Four wheel drive

All Terrain tyres with min 60% tread preferred

Hi/low ratio

DATES AVAILABLE

On Demand

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INFORMATION

MIGHTY SKIPPERS CANYON

1 DAY ADVENTURE

DESCRIPTION

A full day exploring the stunning Skippers Canyon with full commentary and interpretation at each stop. From Coronet Peak to the mighty Shotover River, we journey along the infamous 1889 road following the trail of the 1860s gold rush.

This expedition is available in either:

full tag along option, where you drive your own vehicle in convoy with us including radio communication.

full or half day guided tour, where we drive and you enjoy the magnificent scenery

TAG ALONG ITINERARY

At 8am we will meet at the Skippers Canyon turn off up Coronet Peak Road for a compulsory safety briefing, radio distribution and the plan for the day.

Following this, we begin our adventure by cresting Skippers Saddle to get our first views of Mt Aurum, the Skippers Road and a view of the high country terrain which we will drive through.

Highlights of the day include:

Hells and Heavens Gates
Lighthouse Rock
Historic gold mining relics
Shotover River
Major Lord of the Rings locations
Engineering marvel Pinchers Bluff
Traversing Skippers Bridge (1901)
Skippers School (1889)
Skippers Cemetery
Optional Jetboat tour
and much more..

We aim to be out of the canyon by late afternoon.

DATES AVAILABLE

Trips are run on demand

NOTES

Skippers Canyon is a public road.

Private and rental vehicle insurance policies must be checked to make sure they include Skippers Canyon.

During summer the road does not require 4WD vehicles, but further up the canyon there are small creeks to cross and areas that require vehicles with suitable ground clearance. Please contact us to check vehicle suitability.

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INFORMATION

NEVIS & BANNOCKBURN

1 DAY EXPEDITION

DESCRIPTION

This Expedition takes us south from Queenstown to the small country town of Garston where we say good bye to sealed roads and head for the hills.

With varied terrain of river flats and tussock grassland high country, old gold mining history, huge rock tors and the spiked native speargrass plants covering the mountain saddles, this expedition provides an adventurous day out without any difficult driving.

Easily handled by most 4WD vehicles and drivers with limited off road driving experience.

A great day out for the whole family, this expedition showcases what Central Otago has to offer.

ITINERARY

From Queenstown we head south following Lake Wakatipu to the small township of Garston for a last takeaway coffee and fresh muffin.

From Garston we gain altitude and climb up into tussock country at the southern end of the Hector Mountains over Nokomai Saddle.

We descend into the southern Nevis Valley where we find the Nevis River.

Following the river the valley opens out to be a wide, barren, typical Otago high country valley. After numerous small fords and creek crossings we start to see the gold mining remnants, from sluicing ponds and pipework to historic buildings. We pass the old settlement and turn off to explore the old cemetery.

After lunch we head off again and from the Nevis crossing we leave the valley and river behind to climb up and over Duffers Saddle. We will spend time amongst the rock tors enjoying the magnificent views over Lake Dunstan, Cromwell and the Pisa Range.

Descending down to the old 1858 township of Bannockburn, we stop at the local pub for a dust quenching drink and debrief. From Bannockburn we separate, and head back to Queenstown in our own time.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

Available on our guided tour or tag along

Full commentary at each stop

Explore the stunning remote Nevis Valley and its past

Explore the rock tors on Duffers Saddle

Amazing views down to Lake Dunstan, Cromwell and the Pisa Range

DATES AVAILABLE

Trips run on demand

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INFORMATION

OLD MAN / OLD WOMAN RANGE

1 DAY EXPEDITION

DESCRIPTION

Full day tour ex Queenstown featuring 2 historic Central Otago townships and the 16780 ha (41450 acre) Kopuwai conservation area. This tour allows visitors to not only visit but to experience this remote and wild region first hand. A genuine New Zealand high country adventure away from mainstream tourism.

ITINERARY

From Queenstown we head west through the Kawarau Gorge past Cromwell and Lake Dunstan to historic Clyde, where we have time to grab a coffee and see Clyde Dam up close. From Alexandra we start climbing steeply to 1682m, providing commanding views over Central Otago, and the 26-metre rock, Kopuwai, also known as the Obelisk or Old Man Rock. This area has an average annual temperature close to zero degrees Celsius. As a result the ranges are dotted with distinctive schist rock tors and bisected by fields of freeze-thaw hummocks and mounds, creating a wave-like effect across the slopes and basins. The ground cover is dwarf, tundra-like vegetation of wind- blasted cushion plants. The low growing dracophyllum plant dominates these areas, along with several mountain daisies. The area is rich in Maori and European history. You can find native flora typical for the windy, mountainous region, and observe a variety of birdlife. The Old Man Range is a sub-alpine island for lizards and invertebrates.

We negotiate the old gold mining tracks and trails traversing the Old Man and Old Woman Ranges which run from north-west to south- east, creating a rain shadow that blocks and absorbs southerly fronts, making Central Otago New Zealand’s driest area. Attaining the height of 1740m we start travelling through the Kopuwai Conservation area, with stunning Central Otago vistas on our right, and the Nevis Valley and Hector Mountains on our left.

We come out at Duffers Saddle on the Nevis Road and proceed down through to the old gold mining township of Bannockburn, where a cool drink awaits in the old local pub.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

Full day ex Queenstown adventure
Commanding views over Central Otago
Historic Clyde and Clyde dam
Available on our guided passenger tour or tag along
Explore the wild remote Kopuwai Conservation area
Explore the rock tors on Duffers Saddle
Amazing views down to Lake Dunstan, Cromwell and the Pisa Range
A photographers dream!

DATES AVAILABLE

Trips run on demand

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INFORMATION

SERPENTINE / POOLBURN

1 DAY EXPEDITION

DESCRIPTION

This full day expedition provides a wonderful opportunity to explore some of Central Otago’s best kept secrets, namely: historic Ophir township, Poolburn Dam, the Serpentine Road, one of New Zealand's most remote Churches and the Old Dunstan Road.

Built in the early 1930s for irrigation and a great depression employment initiative, the Poolburn Reservoir and its striking scenery has been popularised by being used as a location in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

ITINERARY

From Queenstown we head to Central Otago, stopping at the historic Clyde township for a quick stroll and morning tea and then on to Ophir. Ophir, originally known as Blacks, was a thriving gold mining town built on the back 1863 gold rush. During these years it became a commercial and social hub with a population of 1000, a far cry from its current population of 50! It is of historical interest due to the many original buildings including the restored Post and Telegraph Office, the 1895 Courthouse, and the 1870s Police Station. After a stop at Pitches Store, we travel to the Ida Valley and climb up to the Poolburn Dam to navigate our way through a very different and expansive Central Otago landscape. From here, we make our way towards the old gold mining township of Serpentine, named after the winding path of the nearby Waimonga Creek. Then, depending on conditions, we can either carry on along the Serpentine Road to exit the Serpentine Conservation area on the Upper Taieri Plain or travel to Lake Onslow and exit near Roxburgh township.

SERPENTINE TOWNSHIP AND CHURCH

Over 1,000 m above sea level, the Serpentine church was the most elevated in New Zealand when it opened in 1873. Today it is the only remnant of a once-bustling village. Much of the town’s rich heritage is hidden beneath the tussock: tailings, water races, dams, sod pits and the remains of buildings.

The area became known as the Serpentine after the discovery of gold in 1863 transformed this remote area into a vibrant gold-mining town. A settlement quickly sprang up, with two store-hotels, a church, blacksmiths, a cemetery, and huts of sod, wood and thatch with gardens and potato-storage pits. The formed road you come in on follows part of the original dray track used by miners. The Serpentine reached its peak population (150 Chinese and 80 Europeans) around 1873.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

Available on our guided tour or tag along or passenger tour
Serpentine Road
Remote 1873 Church
Poolburn Reservoir
Original Dunstan Road
Historic Clyde
Historic Ophir
Pitches Store, Ophir
1878 stamping battery

DATES AVAILABLE

Trips run on demand

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WAIKAIA BUSH ROAD

1 DAY EXPEDITION

DESCRIPTION

This full day expedition provides an opportunity to explore the Waikaia Bush Road, a fairly rugged 4WD track requiring a reasonable amount of off road experience to safely traverse. From the serene Waikaia river, lush beech forest, tussock plateaus, gold mining and massive rock Tor covered scenery, this road provides access to the beautiful Umbrella and Old Man Ranges.

Waikaia is situated in Northern Southland. The first visitors were Māori hunting moa on the tussocklands of the Garvie Mountains and Old Man Range. Gold discoveries further up the valley in 1862 brought a rambunctious town, known then as Switzers, with hotels, dancing halls and gambling dens. The last productive claim was King Solomon’s Mine, which closed in 1937. A rail line operated from 1909 to 1959.

ITINERARY

This is a big day. Starting early we head South to Lumsden and on to the small Southland township of Waikaia. From Waikaia we pass through stunning beech forest at Piano Flat beside the Waikaia river before the 4WD section starts. The Waikaia bush road climbs very steeply up to the tussock country. This track is not for beginners, it has extremely steep and narrow sections, rock steps and generally requires a good background in off roading. The rock steps require vehicles that have good entry and exit departure angles (Vehicles with low overhanging front or rear bumpers and tow-bars are not suitable for this trip). Once on the tops the countryside has commanding views over the Garvie and Umbrella mountains. Rock tors are a common feature in this landscape adding to the dramatic views. We have two main exit points for this trip, either the Obelisk and down to Alexandra, or extending on to Duffers saddle and Cromwell.

Due to safety considerations, if it is wet or raining at Piano Flat we will not attempt this track.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

Waikaia Bush Road
Switzers museum
Umbrella Range
Old Man Range
Obelisk rock
Potters
Historic Clyde
Mitchells cottage
Gold mining history

TRIP REQUIREMENTS

Vehicle requirements

Four wheel drive
All terrain tyres preferred with minimum 70% tread
Hi/low ratio
Due to safety with track conditions, if it is wet or raining at Piano Flat we will not attempt this track.
Experience off-roading is a must for this tour. This is not considered a beginner trip.

DATES AVAILABLE

Trips run on demand