Home > Seminars > New Zealand South Island Adventure 2026 – trip 1

Upcoming New Zealand South Island Adventure 2026 – trip 1

New Zealand Adventure

  |   February 16th - 27th, 2026

Go to Bio Bio to Register Now

IVS has teamed up with Bio Bio Expeditions to offer you a trip of a lifetime. Since 1993, Bio Bio has been a leader in delivering top quality travel experiences to guests from age 8 to 80 who share their love of the outdoors. Because of their extensive experience Bio Bio is responsible for the planning and implementation of the complete trip. To register for the seminar and for all questions relating to the trip, please call Bio Bio Expeditions at 1-800-246-7238 or visit www.bbxrafting.com.

12 Days of Adventure

Because New Zealand is about two thirds the size of California, there’s a delicate balance between seeing and experiencing as much of the country as you can and spending too much time in the trip vehicle. With that in mind, we specifically designed The Ultimate South Island Tour for active people looking to experience the best of New Zealand in 12 adventure filled days, while at the same time keeping the driving component to a minimum. We originally sold this tour to National Geographic Expeditions and from 2013 to 2019 we guided over 600 of their guests on this tried and tested itinerary showcasing New Zealand’s most dramatic alpine scenery. Past National Geographic guests have loved this tour and told us that we have the balance of activities, drive times, accommodation and meals just right.

Trip Overview: (schedule subject to change)

Trip Duration: 12 days

Starts: Nelson

Ends: Queenstown

Accommodation: Comfortable 4-star hotels and lodges for eleven nights.

Highlights include:

  • Two nights at a wilderness ecolodge in Abel Tasman National Park

  • Sea kayak from the lodge along the coast of the National Park and in to a Marine Reserve

  • Take an exhilarating rafting trip through the granite gorges of the Buller River

  • Hike in Paparoa National Park amoung impressive limestone formations

  • Two nights in Franz Josef Glacier in Westland National park allows the opportunity to spend a full day exploring the area with an optional heli hike high up on the glacier and/or a scenic heli flight over the glaciers

  • Fly by helicopter into the remote Siberia Valley in Mt Aspiring National Park. Hike for 2 to 3 hours in total wilderness below snowcapped peaks before boarding a jetboat for a fast and thrilling ride down river out of the wilderness

  • Two nights in the lakeside township of Wanaka

  • Hike up to a glacier in Mt Aspiring National Park

  • Hike a section of the Keplar Track in Fiordland National Park

  • Two nights in the lakeside township of Te Anau

  • Visit Fiordland National Park and take a scenic boat ride in Milford Sound, a majestical fjord where towering mountains rise skyward from the sea. Then hike a section of the famous Routeburn Track In Mt Aspiring National Park

  • Finish in Queenstown, with the option to spend a few extra days there, or join an exclusive guided hike on the Milford, Routeburn, or Hollyford Tracks

 

 

CE.  Along the way, Dr. David Twedt will present a practical discussion on common gastro-intestinal problems.

Seminar registration fee for 12 CE hrs: $895.00 

All are welcome including spouses and friends- only the veterinarian attending needs to register for the CE. 

Seminar Topics:

Along the way, Dr David Twedt will present a practical discussion of common GI problems:

  • Clinical approach to abnormal liver enzymes

  • Chronic hepatitis – how to diagnose and treat 

  • Copper associated liver disease – more common than you may think!

  • Four common liver conditions you likely did not learn about in vet school

  • Latest update on feline liver disease; lipidosis, cholangitis, triaditis

  • Acute liver disease – treatment options

  • Canine acute pancreatitis – the diagnosis and management

  • Chronic pancreatitis in the dog and cat

  • Rational approach to esophageal disorders in dogs

  • Food-responsive Enteropathy – Far more common than you think!

  • Update on Giardia diagnosis and management

  • Feline IBD vs. intestinal lymphoma – does it really matter?

  • Antibiotic-responsive diarrhea – A critical appraisal

  • Rational use of probiotics in diarrheic dogs and cats

 Go to Bio Bio to Register Now

Seminar Speakers

  • David Twedt D.V.M. Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Professor of Medicine Colorado State University

CE Hours

Seminar registration fee is $895.00 for 12 AAVSB RACE approved hours.