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This is a preliminary Itinerary with activities not necessarily in this order.

Day 1: 

Your Tour Leader will meet and greet you and help with “Check-in” in the Terminal.
Departing either Wanganui, Wellington, Christchurch, Manapouri  or Invercargill airport on Air Chathams ATR 72 500 turbo prop 50 seat aircraft,

Upon arrival, on Chatham, we will assemble in front of the aircraft for a group photograph.

We will be met at the airport and introduced to our host and Tour Guide, Toni Croon.

During the flight you may like to put your watches forward - The Chatham’s is 45 minutes ahead of NZ time. (but 20 years behind the times.)

• Depart airport 10:00am by bus for Blind Jim’s Creek (Fossilized Sharks Teeth)

On the shores of beautiful Te Whanga lagoon, near Blind Jim's Creek, careful fossicking is likely to be rewarded by the discovery of fossilised shark teeth. Around 30 million years old.These incredibly ancient objects are almost as scarce as hen’s teeth but can be found in the Chatham Islands. To find a tooth from a creature that was eating fish long before the first primate - let alone the first human - walked the earth is amazing. I am sure that by the time you leave Te Whanga Lagoon you will all be in possession of one or many of these prized ancient fossils.

• Nikau Reserve.

 Nikau Bush is 19ha reserve located 1.5km North of Blind Jims. It conserves broadleaf forest with a fine stand of Nikau palms the best on the island, the only palm native to the Chatham Islands, an even more impressive sight when flowering and bearing  fruit.

• Packed lunch and a cup of tea on the way

•  Running South West of Waitangi the Tuku road provides  views of rich farmlands and shoal coastal waters. The stunning Tuku  Reserve lies  in the valley, and great place for viewing  Parea, the Chatham Island pigeon and other bird life

• Back to the Hotel;  Check in and freshen up for Dinner at 6pm.

      Retire to the bar mix with the locals and relax till the small hours.

• Wi-Fi code available at lounge bar.

Day 2:   - Southeast and fishing settlement of Owenga.

• Continental Breakfast  7.00am

• Optional activities: (Weather permitting).

Deep sea fishing $195 pp 2 to 3 hours 10 pax

Depart approx 7.30 returning approx 10.30

All Fish caught will be filleted and bagged, frozen and able to be all brought home.

When the quota has been reached the fishing vessel will come home early..

Extra, fresh ‘free flow’  Blue Cod or Groper can be bought at $33 per kg to be brought home.

Toni will have got numbers of persons going and arranged the fishing trip the night before

• Short walk and familiarisation tour of ‘downtown Waitangi’ with a visit to the Museum and shop and stamp passport.

• Depart for our journey out to the Southeast and fishing settlement of Owenga. A fishing village, including a working fish factory.
• First stop is the Moriori, Kopinga Marae sited on the hilltop at Te Awatea. This is the only Moriori marae in New Zealand. Kopinga Marae, shaped like an albatross when viewed from the air, continues to amaze visitors. Learn the culture, learn about the History of the first inhabitants fo the Island. Panoramic views across lake Huro to Waitangi and across Te Whanga to its entrance at Te Awapatiki.
• Tommy Solomon Statue  at Manakau, Owenga, 

Tommy Solomon, (7 May 1884 – 19 March 1933) is believed by most to have been the last full-blooded  Moriori  which were the indigenous people of the Chatham Islands.

• Visit Art Gallery at Owenga

Eva Cherie Tuck Art Studio, Chatham Island born fifth generation of  Maori descendent. Her works represent a spiritual connection with the landscapes, seascape, bird and fish life. There are no eftpos/visa facilities at the studio, you can however get your purchase billed back to your room. Your purchase will also be packed well for your flight home.

Day 3: -  Waitangi West

• Continental breakfast 7.00am.  
• Optional activities: (Weather permitting).

• Those who haven’t gone fishing will have had time to look around ‘Downtown Waitangi”
• Bus will leave hotel at 10.30 with everybody

• We then travel “Out West” to Waitangi West where we will have a packed picnic lunch and a cup of tea.

We travel over part of the Waitangi West Station consisting of 3,412 hectares carrying 10,000 sheep. Recently bought by a Chinese buyer for $5m

• Stone Cottage  & Maunganui  Bluff

The cottage was built between 1866-1868, for the Moravian Missionaries who arrived in the Chathams in 1843. These German missionaries made no converts, but had a significant input into the history and lifestyle of the Chathams, introducing large-scale horticulture, sheep farming, ship building and literacy. The cottage is built largely of local stone and wood, which reflects the missionaries' attitudes. They were committed to the idea of being self reliant in their own lives, and as an example to others, and hence using only local materials.

• We then visit the safest fishing harbour with the most shipwrecks on the island, at Port Hutt.

• Our next stop is the amazing Basalt Columns at Waitangi West.

Over farmland down to Ohira Bay lies massive olivine basalt columns, part of lava flows dated near 80 million years ago. These are another interesting geological formation - a series of pentagonal shaped volcanic rock columns on the shoreline, and not found anywhere else on the island and only two other places in the world. Giant’s Causeway in Northern Island & Scotland 

• Dinner this evening is a barbecue at Admiral Farm. (Named after the abundant Butterfly)

This is the fourth generation Chathams property owned by the Croon family with a gorgeous garden featuring the eerie skeletons of dead kopi trees and great drifts of the stunning Chatham Island forget-me-not. Lois and Val Croon will be in attendance. Drinks and wine provided.

• Return to hotel well after dark and a days’ de-brief at the bar

Day 4; -  Kaingaroa  - North part of the Chathams  

• Continental breakfast 7.00am.  
• Optional activities: (Weather permitting).
• Those who haven’t gone fishing will have had time to look around ‘Downtown Waitangi”

• Bus will leave hotel at 10.30 with everybody
• Have lunch at Splatter Rock.

These rocks on the western end of Wharekauri Beach are from “Middle Earth” and the metamorphic glass in them, sparkle in the sun.

The farm we travel through is Wharekauri Farm Station. It is 28,000 acres in extent. There are 40 miles of fencing . 12,000 sheep and 260 acres under crop

• Ocean Mail Reserve, Continuing on to Ocean Mail Scenic Reserve we take a board walk and wander through this wetland area. 
•  J M Barker Reserve (Hapupu) Tree Carvings , Dendrogliphs {tree carvings} 

At Hapupu Historic Reserve we discover another unique archeological site.  Carved into the bark of kopi (karaka) trees within the reserve are Moriori tree carvings – known as dendroglyphs.  They are among the little evidence of pre-contact Moriori culture remaining on the island. The last remaining tree is expected to die and disappear 2015 – 2017. Some dead trees still remain

• Lunch at Hapupu Historic Reserve

• We also visit Broughton Landing—an old Mission and Whaling Station, and the farm ‘Mission Station’ owned by Jim Muirson. Jim has 1,400 hectares, running 3,000 Ewes and 350 Cows. This is where we will be able to view the remains of a wrecked RNZAF Short Sunderland and a newly arrived Fokker Friendship in the process of preservation. This particular Sunderland aircraft  provided an aviation lifeline to the island until it was holed by a rock while taking off from the Te Whanga Lagoon in 1959.

• We travel across many paddocks to reach the huge fir seal colony at Point Munning.

• Return to Hotel late in evening and a days’ de-brief at the bar. This is the longest day touring (The return journey will take about 1½ hours)

 Days 5-6-7; 

• Are "Free Days" which allows you to go Fishing, take  a day tour to Pitt Island or just relax.

Day 8; Departure day

• Continental breakfast 7.00am
• The morning is casual for you to do whatever you want to do.
• Visit the craft shop for your gifts and souvenirs
• Bus will leave the hotel at 9:00am for the airport
• Check in at Airport at 9.45am
• Departure time is 10.00am y)

The only extra that you may have to pay for on the Chathams would be your ‘bar tab’, souvenirs, Pitt Island or fishing trip.

                                              SCOOP - SCOOP - SCOOP

                                                              Tour # 39

     We have been able to secure a Charter to the Chatham Islands on the last passenger flight that will be flown by the last flying Convair 580 in the whole world..

This flight will leave Auckland at 9:00am on Friday 13th August and fly down to Wellington to pick up more passengers, leaving there at 11:00am arrive Chatham Islands 1:30pm  (Local Chatham Island Time) 

We will be met by local guides that will look after us for the weekend with the usual Chatham Island hospitality

We depart Chatham at 2:00pm (Local) on Sunday 15th August arriving in Wellington at 3:00pm before carrying on to Auckland, arriving approx 4:50pm 

• Single with shared facilities $2,743

• Standard twin / double with ensuite $2,793

• Superior double $2,843