New Zealand Tours: Mountain Bike, Sea Kayak or Hike on the Rimu Tour

Planning a vacation to New Zealand for the first time can be challenging, especially if you are not familiar with all of the great sites, attractions and activities that this island nation has to offer. One way to get around this problem is to book a sightseeing tour with a local tourist organization. Active New Zealand is a great company to work with if you are a novice globe traveler in search for a real adventure, and their Rimu tour is perfect for people interested in sea kayaking, hiking or mountain biking tours of the South Island of New Zealand.

The Logistics of the Rimu Tour

The Rimu tour is a 12 to 14 day guided tour that starts out from Christchurch, New Zealand. While there is a general day by day itinerary for this tour, there are several points in the tour where you can select from a variety of activities. For example, when you book your Rimu tour you will be able to choose between a backpacking option, a sea-kayaking option and a biking option. The cost of this tour is going to vary depending on some of the options that you choose, however, the price is going to start around U.S.$2699, excluding airfare and taxes.

The Rimu tour is very popular and it is common for two tours to be held simultaneously. Some groups will run the tour from north to south, while other will run the tour from south to north. The following is how the tour will run if you are in the northbound group. If you happen to be in the southbound group then your tour with begin and end in Queenstown instead of Christchurch.

The Start of Your Tour

The first day of your tour will start on a Monday. On this day you will need to be in Christchurch by 10 a.m. to be picked up by Active New Zealand. You will then be transported to the quaint village of Kaikoura for snorkeling and your first night's lodging. This is a relaxed day that is designed to help you adjust to the new time zone and recover from jet lag.

Tuesday morning you will begin your day with a tour through the New Zealand wine country and sample local wines. After a picnic at the Forrest Estate Winery, the tour group will split up into bikers, sea kayakers and hikers. The hikers will begin their 3 day 2 night Nelson Lake National Park adventure, the sea-kayaks will begin their 3 day 2 night adventure through the Marlborough Sounds and the bikers will begin their 3 day 2 night adventure along the Queen Charlotte Track. The tour group will regroup Thursday afternoon to continue on together.

Rainforest Exploration

After regrouping the tour will move on to hike through the Punakaiki Rainforesst. Here you will follow the Inland Pack Track and explore Pancake Rocks, blowholes, remnants of gold mining camps, and local wildlife and other geological formations. After this adventure you will be driven through some of the most beautiful countryside in the country.

Hiking

Hiking is going to be a big part of the rest of your tour. You will be hiking on beaches, through forest and even on the Franz Joseph Glacier. To prepare for all of this hiking, you will want to make sure that you have a couple of pairs of good hiking shoes, clothing for a variety of climates and be ready for inclimate weather.

Other Adventures

If you didn't select the sea-kayaking tour offered at the beginning of this tour don't worry. You will have other opportunities to kayak later in the tour. For example you can kayak when visiting the Okarito Lagoon, the Milford Sound or while visiting Lake Manapouri. This is a long tour so you will have several days where you are given free time to just explore on your own and to shop.

The Tour Wrap Up

At the end of the trip the Active New Zealand will drop you off at either the Christchurch Airport or somewhere in the center of Christchurch. If you will be staying in New Zealand for a few more days or weeks, then you will need to make arrangements for transportation and accommodations.