Destinations | Chatham Island Tours
Escape to paradise The Chatham Islands is home to New Zealand’s most remote communities as it’s known for its history, nature, and the county’s classic Kiwi culture.
be given the opportunity to fossick for some fossilised shark teeth, some 30 million years old, and Nikau Bush, which is a 19-hectare forest reserve. Another day is all about fishing as you visit the settlement of Owenga, home to a working fish factory. Another highlight is Kopinga Marae, the only Moriori marae in New Zealand.
Recently more mainlanders have been taking the opportunity to visit the Pacific archipelago. During your stay, we will visit the four corners of the Island and the special places in between. Located about 840 kilometres (520 mi) east of Christchurch, an ATR flight to the Chatham Islands takes less than two hours, but where are you going exactly? One of the many tours at Chatham Island with 42 people on board. This is a unique chance to be able to visit the Chatham Islands relatively easily with a flight time of under three hours. The Chathams form an archipelago consisting of 10 islands — the largest of which are Chatham and Pitt.
As the tours are so popular and in conjunction with Air Chathams and Hotel Chathams, the tours allow a 50 passenger ATR aircraft for another special direct flight from Invercargill Airport direct to the Chatham Islands for January 2022.
This is just small a taste of all that is offered on Merv’s Chatham Islands Tours. Are you hungry yet? In terms of temperature, Chatham Islands has an oceanic climate due to a narrow temperature range and relatively frequent rainfall.
The climate is cool, wet, and windy with average high temperatures between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius in summer, and between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius in July, the Southern Hemisphere winter.
The tour operator of Chatham Island Tours is Merv Halliday.
Merv’s Chatham Islands Tours have already announced their tour schedule for early 2022, with trips planned to depart from Invercargill, Wellington, and Christchurch in January, March, and April respectively, and Whanganui during October.
Join a day trip to Pitt Island and squeeze in some more fishing, or just put your feet up!
Its isolated position, a long way from any substantial mainland, gives the record temperature for main settlement Waitangi to be just 23.8 degrees Celsius.
While the islands have officially been part of New Zealand since 1842, research suggests Indigenous people of the islands; the Moriori migrated there from mainland New Zealand as early as 1500.
Tours are scattered around the South and North Island, which lasts for seven nights and eight fully guided days when exploring Chatham’s most eastern island before returning home direct.
Another day you’ll travel to Waitangi West and see a historic cottage built by Moravian Missionaries, and finally, you’ll stop by Splatter Rock and Hapupu Historic Reserve before enjoying relaxing free time for your final few days.
Snow is extremely rare, being recorded near sea level in July 2015 after several decades. Hotel and tour operator Toni Croon led a tour to Splatter Rock with the Nature Photographic Society of NZ.
Chatham Islands Tours has also been invited to Whanganui where there’s a 50 passenger ATR aircraft for another special direct flight from Wanganui Airport to the Chatham Islands. Jump aboard to enjoy eight days of adventure, education, relaxation, and wonderment. The tours are all-inclusive, so from the moment you board the flight to your return, Merv’s got your airfares, airport transfers, accommodation, meals, and bus tours, concessions, and levy’s covered.
You’ll explore the wonderful Chatham Islands by spending your evenings in the beautiful Hotel Chatham or Travellers Rest, while activities like deep-sea fishing keep you entertained during the day. Your local tour guide will greet you at the terminal to officially kick off your Chatham Islands voyage. During the next few days, you’ll explore the shores of Te Whanga Lagoon, where you will
Check out the website: [https://www. chathamislandtours.nz/] to find more information regarding packages, the schedule, all about the Chatham’s, galleries for inspiration, and on booking a trip. Packages include things like a return airfare, seven nights’ accommodation, airport transfers, meals covered, a full-time tour leader, private property entry granted, visitor’s map, and so much more. A run-down of how the trip will look like each day is also outlined on the website under ‘packages.’ CT
Book now – either via online booking enquiry, email chathamislandtours@ gmail.com, or call Merv on (03) 249 8294 before the next departure!
Waitangi is the main port and settlement on the Chatham Islands.
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A Subantarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis) spotted at Point Munning.
