Ultimate Fiordland Cruise

Friday 16 September

Depart Auckland on a morning flight direct to Queenstown. Transfer by coach to the
lakeside town of Te Anau for an overnight stay. Enjoy a Welcome Dinner at the hotel.

Saturday 17 September

After breakfast, enjoy a spectacular helicopter transfer to join Heritage Explorer in Preservation Inlet. The captain and expedition leader will be waiting to welcome you aboard Heritage Explorer. Settle into life aboard before we set sail along Long Sound and enjoy your first impressions of Southern Fiordland’s unrestrained landscape.

Sunday 18 September

Today is dedicated to exploring Preservation Inlet, rich in history we will
delve into the gold mining and forestry attempts that once made this now quiet
waterway a bustling hub of activity. The area’s natural bounty saw more than 2,500
gold miners and saw millers flock to the region in the late 1890s.

Monday 19 September

• Chalky Inlet The entrance to Chalky Inlet is guarded by the impressive limestone cliffs of Chalky Island, the inspiration behind Captain Cook’s naming of the fiord.

• Dusky Sound Our expedition cruise through Dusky Sound visiting the some of the most significant historical and conservation sites in New Zealand.

• Acheron Passage & Breaksea Sound A navigation through Acheron Passage, which separates Resolution Island from the mainland, is sure to be one of the highlights or our time in Fiordland. The extensive sheltered waters of scenic Breaksea Sound, initially scouted for sheep farming suitability by early setters in the 1850s is also the location of Breaksea Island.

• Doubtful Sound Spanning some staggering 40-kilometres and holding the title as New Zealand’s deepest fiord. • Charles & Caswell Sound One of the southern-most of the northern fiords, Charles Sound, branches into Emelius and Gold Arms at its head with Gold Arm being home to one of the most extensive marine
reserves in the inner fiords. Another rarely explored fiord, Caswell Sound is home to the last physical remains of the 1949 New Zealand–American Fiordland scientific expedition.

• George Sound George Sound is the longest of the Northern Fiords and with several arms branching from the fiord.

•Milford Sound We enter the magnificent Milford Sound this afternoon and enjoy a leisurely final cruise of this unforgettable location. Enjoy your final night aboard in the protected waters beneath the towering peaks of Milford Sound and revel in the sensational scenery as you celebrate this unforgettable adventure with a farewell dinner.

Tuesday 27 September

After a final breakfast and farewells, head ashore where a transfer to Te Anau, via
the historic Homer Tunnel and the lowland beech forests and golden tussocks of
scenic Eglinton Valley, awaits. In case of unexpected delays, we ask you not to book
any onward travel from Te Anau until after 3pm this afternoon

Wednesday 28 September

After breakfast coach to Queenstown airport for your early afternoon flight to
Auckland or extend your stay in Queenstown