Dart River Scenic jet boat excursion; This is one of the best wilderness experiences New Zealand can offer. This scenic wilderness encounter is bound to enthrall all age groups and is reputed to offer some of the best scenery in New Zealand. Imagine navigating deep into the alpine corridor of mount Aspiring National Park aboard a purpose built jet boat on a pristine glacier fed river, reaching out to towering snow capped mountains. Grandeur on this scale and magnitude will leave an everlasting impression.
The Dart River Jet Safari is available in combination with a number of other activities.

Dart River canoeing; Down river canoeing in a inflatable canoe, very similar to a Canadian canoe. It is suitable for all ages, all levels of fitness and no previous experience is necessary. The Dart River Jet Safari provides the upriver journey, then it's into the inflatable canoe, removing the sound of the V8 powered jet and replacing it with bird song and cascading waterfalls you paddle down river amongst rocky peaks dense rain forest and shady chasms. Enjoy a complementary lunch.

The Ultimate Nature Experience; This full day adventure combines total wilderness walking through ancient beech forest on unformed trails in the Mount Aspiring National park. With Dart River Safari 's you travel to the start of the walk, through one of the most scenic high mountain big river valleys to be found in New Zealand. This is an excellent walk for people interested in plant and bird life. A reasonable level of fitness will ensure an enjoyable day.

Milford Sound Cruises;
Scenic Cruise
A 1 hour 40 min. cruise on board of the ‘Milford Sovereign’, the ‘Milford Monarch’ or the ‘Milford Haven’ with informative commentary in different languages and a variety of lunch options.
Nature Cruise
a 2½ hours leisure cruise to the Tasman Sea on board the ‘Milford Mariner’ or
the ‘Milford Wanderer’ with informative commentary in English only.
Over Night Cruise
-Twin-share private cabin with ensuite bathroom and delicious meals on the ‘Milford Mariner’
-Quad-share bunk style compartments with hearty meals, on the
‘Milford Wanderer’.
Both cruises offer nature guided experiences in the tender crafts or kayaks.

All above cruises are available from Queenstown,
-by Luxury custom build Coaches.
The coach tour includes a convenience stop at a coffee shop in Te Anau and
a number of scenic stops along the Milford Road.

Above Day cruises are also available from Queenstown,
-by air.
      The flight includes a scenic tour over the glaciers, the ice plateaus and
      the Skippers Canyon.

-by coach In and a by air Out.
       This will give you the best of both, the scenic coach tour with stops along
       the Milford Road and the scenic flight over the glaciers, the ice plateaus
       and the Skippers Canyon.

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Doubtful Sound Cruises;
Wilderness Cruise on the ‘Patea Explorer’. This trip includes the crossing of Lake Manapouri, a coach ride over Wilmot Pass and a 3 hour cruise of the Doubtful Sound. During spring there is an abundance of wildlife. Bottlenose dolphins frequently swim at the bow of the boat, fur seals bask in the sun on the Nee islets at the mouth of the fiord. During spring the rare Fiordland Crested Penguin breeds on the islets.
On your return to Lake Manapouri you usually visit the underground Power Station to view the turbine hall from an elevated platform.
This is a full day outing.

An optional Picnic box can be purchased. This is a well prepared box with a good variety of buns and snacks that will keep you through the long day. Complimentary Tea and Coffee is available on both boats.

This cruise is also available from Queenstown, by Luxury custom build Coaches.

Like help selecting a cruise?

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Selection help
Information that can help you in making a selection for a Cruise in the Sounds.
First of all, the name ‘Sound’ is incorrect. Both are Fiords as they have been carved out by glaciers.
The differences between the two Sounds are;

Milford Sound is created by one glacier, and the Doubtful Sound is created by five glaciers.
The Milford Sound cruise is short (duration 1h 40 min.) compared to the five arms of the Doubtful Sound cruise (duration 3 hours).
The main features of the Milford Sound are the Mitre Peak and the Bowen Falls.
When it rains, the Milford Sound is a very powerful mystic place with hundreds of waterfalls of different heights, shape and volume.

Doubtful Sound is known for its remoteness and interesting wild life, particularly in Spring time.
The excursion includes a boat trip across Lake Manapouri, a bus journey over Wilmot pass through lush rain forest and a visit to the underground Power Station in the West arm of Lake Manapouri.  The Tail pipes from the turbines run fresh water from Lake Manapouri into Deep Cove of Doubtful Sound.
Through the years this has created a change of environment, from salt water to fresh water plant and animal live.

To be able for you to make a choice for one or the other excursion, it is also important to know that the Milford Road through Fiordland National Park is a magnificent experience.

The winding road first follows Lake Te Anau until Te Anau Downs and then slowly climbs up following the Clinton river.

The first couple of points of interest are the Mirror Lakes and Lake Gunn. For those who have some extra time to kill; At the Divide you can walk the Route Burn track to the Key Summit, where you find a wonderful Alpine garden. This is an uphill walk of about 1 hour.
The Milford Road then follows the Hollyford river and climbs up to the 1.2km long Homer tunnel, which was completed in 1953. The tunnel lighting and the traffic lights were only installed in 2004.
Coming out of the tunnel the road descends along the Cleddau river and passes the Chasm. It is only a short walk to the Chasm, which is worth while visiting.
The road continues to descend into the valley through a cold climate rain forest of ancient Beech trees before ending at Milford.

This Fiordland National park road is something very special
on it’s own and will be missed when you select the Doubtful Sound.

The Milford Sound is very well known and its cruises are more commercial then Doubtful Sound, and is therefore a very busy destination.

Back to Milford Sound Cruises
Back to Doubtful Sound Cruises
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Milford Saver
This is a full day adventure and combines the Dart River Safari with a flight to Milford to discover the magic and majesty of the Milford Sound by boat. The boat will sail the full length of the fiord past cascading waterfalls luxuriant forests and the towering pinnacle of Mitre Peak. Departing from Queenstown Airport the flight will take you over Lake Wakatipu and the Humbold Mountains to Milford. The return flight will take you over the glaciers of Mount Aspiring, e.g. the Olivine Ice Plateau and the Barrier Range, to the township Glenorchy from where you will start the Dart River Safari.

Jet the Shotover river; for sheer excitement. This exhilarating Jet boat ride takes you through the spectacular Shotover canyon and will leave you breathless. 'Shotover Jet' is Acknowledged as the worlds most famous and successful Jet boat operation. Duration, departing from Queenstown is circa one hour.

4Wheel Drive Safaris Many years before Queenstown's reputation spread as an adventure resort, early settlers were drawn to this region by the lure of gold and the sheer rugged beauty of the country. Even today a great deal of this mountainous land remains un spoilt and uninhabited. Nomad Safaris provides the opportunity to see outback New Zealand as it was when the first pioneers set foot here. 4-wheel-drive vehicles can take you to areas inaccessible by normal means. There are a variety of products that take you to Macetown and Skippers. Half to Full day tours.

Lord of the Rings film locations: A couple of companies provide the viewing of a variety of the film locations by 4WD or Airplane.
Here are some of the locations you may visit:
Skippers Canyon with Shotover river, used as river Anduin, where the Fellowship travel down in their boats after leaving Lothlorien.
Paradise Flat at the confluence of the rivers Dart and Rees, where the Fellowship meet with the Lady Galadriel and Celeborn, and where the battle of Amon Hen and Isengard took place.
Mavora Lakes, the location of the Lawn of PartGalen, where the Fellowship landed after their voyage down to Anduin.
And many others.

West Coast River Safaris Discover the only Sea to Mountain river safari, exploring the outstanding natural beauty of the South West New Zealand World Heritage Area in a custom-built heated, all weather safari jet-boat. River Safaris operates out of Queenstown and Haast. Queenstown visitors will be taken by coach to the west coast. Highlights of this coach trip are the Crown Range passage, Lake Hawea and Lake Wanaka views, the beautiful Haast Pass, Thunderfalls and Haast river. The Safari is mainly up the Waiatoto river, right into Mt. Aspiring National Park.
The trip from Queenstown will take a full day.

Shotover River Rafting; This adventure begins with an unforgettable coach trip on the historic Skippers Road along old gold mining trails into the Skippers Canyon. Arriving at Deep Creek, you will start the rafting expedition at first in peaceful waters followed by exhilarating rapids of the lower canyon named by imaginative rafting guides; Rock Garden, Shark Fin, Toilet, Pinball, Jaws, Sequel, the unforgettable 140m Oxenbridge tunnel followed closely by Cascade rapid. Duration 4.5hours, grade 3-5 depending on water volume. On return from the river relax in the saunas of the Cavell's rafting lodge, take a hot shower and then enjoy a complementary tea or coffee. Rafting is recommended for children over 13 years.

Paragliding Tandem Paragliding can be done from the top of Bob's Peak 650m above Queenstown. To get up there you ride the famous Gondola to the Skyline restaurant complex. Your pilot will guide you on a 15 min walk to the take off area. After a comprehensive instruction it is up and away on this flight experience of a life time. Descending gently over the captivating panorama of Lake Wakatipu Basin and Queenstown. No one is too old or too young to try this fast growing aviation sport.
Duration: Allow 1 hour from the Gondola terminal.

TSS Earnslaw Vintage Steamship
- Scenic cruise on Lake Wakatipu aboard the vintage steamship.
- Scenic cruise and morning or afternoon tea and farmyard tour including animal viewing and demonstration of traditional sheep farming practices.
- Scenic cruise on Lake Wakatipu aboard the vintage steamship with evening dining at Colonel's Homestead.

Trout fishing; Trout fishing adventures on Lake Wakatipu and the Kawerau river are open all year round. The High country stream fishing season opens on 1 Oct. and runs through to 30 May.
Fishing equipment can be supplied. The fishing trips range from fishing from a variety of vessel sizes or drift boats. There are also outings into the mountains by 4WD or Helicopter. Half and full day trips available.

Walks; The magic of Fiordland: The Milford Track, Duration 6 days.
Through Fiordland and Mount Aspiring national parks: The Routeburn Track, Duration 3 days.
The Deep: The Hollyford track, Duration 4-5 days.

Trails; There are a great number of walking opportunities in and around the Lake Wakatipu district and in the direct vicinity of Queenstown. The tracks vary in different grades and length from 1 hr to a full day.

Golf; Golf on New Zealand's most beautiful Golf courses. There are 3 golf courses in the Queenstown Area.

The Skyline; The Gondola will take you up to Bob's peak to the Skyline complex from where you can view Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu and surrounding mountains from a height of 200m above the lake. The Skyline complex has a restaurant, a souvenir shop and a theatre where you can see the ultimate film experience 'Kiwi Magic'

The Luge; Luging is driving a Luge cart down a concrete track which winds 800m down Bob's Peak through the trees and ends at the Skyline complex. The Luge is a 3 wheeled cart that has a unique braking and steering system which allows the rider to travel as slow or fast as he or she dares. From the Skyline complex chairlift takes you to the Luge terminal from where you start your Luge cart ride.

Dart Stables; Horse riding adventures in the Mount Aspiring area, a grandeur snow capped mountain landscape. Horse riding tracks are available from 2 hour tracks, full day tracks and overnight expeditions.

Bungy; You can jump off almost anything. There is the 43m high Kawerau bridge, The Pipeline over the Skippers Canyon 102m, above the Shotover river and the Cable Car 134m above the Nevis river.

These are the most spectacular adventures. Of course there is much more to see and to do in this beautiful area of forests, rivers, lakes and mountains.

Queenstown downtown
Queenstown is an interesting township for dining out and having fun all day till late night. There are a wide variety of restaurants and eating houses as well as bars and nightclubs.

Arts trail
Numerous artists have settled in the area. The artists look forward to meeting you in their studios. The Arts exhibited range from Paintings, Woodwork, Jewellery to Dried flowers.

Wine trail
Tour the Worlds most Southern Vineyards and enjoy the company of fellow wine enthusiasts in the caves of the Gibston Valley vineyard or at the Chard Farm vineyard and taste a selection of fine Chardonnays, Sauvignon Blanc, Rieslings and other crisp variety wines of the area. Have lunch in the picturesque courtyard of the Gibston Valley winery.

We will have pleasure in helping you plan your Queenstown experience and book you on any of the adventure activities with pickup from Larch Hill Home stay.
Please do not hesitate to ask us for any further information you may require !

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