What is Skippers Canyon ?

Skippers Canyon is one of New Zealand’s most spectacular and historic gorges. Glacially carved during the last Ice Age and then brutally deepened by the powerful Shotover River through ancient Otago schist rock, this dramatic canyon tells a story of immense geological power and human endurance.

The river relentlessly cut through the hard schist, creating sheer cliffs with heart-stopping drops and exposing quartz reefs rich in gold. In the 1860s, this became the heart of the Otago Gold Rush — known as “the richest river in the world.” Thousands of miners endured back-breaking work, freezing winters, dangerous floods, and treacherous cliffs just to chase a dream of fortune. Many lost their lives to the unforgiving terrain.

Today the narrow, winding road still clings to those same sheer walls, passing old mining ruins and giving jaw-dropping views at every turn. It’s raw, remote, and deeply moving.

Our private small group tours let you experience the real Skippers Canyon at your own pace. No big crowds — just you, Del (with 35+ years guiding here), and the wild beauty and rich history of this special place.

Being a 35+ year local, we know the absolute best locations for you to take awesome photographs.

Impeccable safety record.

Thousands of happy camera wielding Skippers Canyon clients.

All tours are small groups. Optional PRIVATE tours- flexible and personalised to meet your needs.

We are a local, family run business who make time for you, take pride in what we do and aspire to give you the best experience possible.

Del has been guiding tourists locally for over 35+ years and has a wealth of knowledge about the area.

We are professional, safety conscious and pay attention to detail.

You will travel in a modern  4WD vehicle with comfortable seats, great leg room, large windows and all mod cons .

Highlights of this half day include:

- Dels 35+ years Skippers guiding experience

- Your own personal photo tour 

- Hells and Heavens Gates

- Lighthouse Rock

- Historic gold mining relics

- Shotover River

- Major Lord of the Rings locations

- Engineering marvel Pinchers Bluff

- Skippers Bridge (1901)

and much more..

My Del was a fantastic guide with an abundance of local knowledge and skill in navigating our 4WD tour of Skippers Canyon. I would absolutely recommend and go again given the opportunity. A great tour with many chances to take some fantastic photos along the journey!wife and I went on a half day photography tour of Skippers with Del in July 2020. We both had a thoroughly brilliant time. Not only was the tour historically informative, but Del's knowledge of the area meant we stopped at some beautiful points along the road for great photos. It was a real case of local knowledge being a real boon to the trip. Del was great company and his passion for what he does was really evident. We are already planning a longer tour when we next visit Queenstown! This trip is highly recommended for all photographers amateur, hobbyist and professional. 

Thomas, Auckland 2020

I had a such an amazing day with Del today for Skippers Canyon & Glenorchy Photography full day tour. It was by far the best outdoor experience I had bar none. 

Del was such professional and knowledgeable guide and a superb driver. The fact that his choice of transportation being luxury 4X4 also only added to the already fantastic experience. 

Every corner we turned, Del had helpful and interesting stories to make the experience so much more fun. His sense of humour was also top notch, which was great. 

While Glenorchy (and drive to get there and more) was beautiful and amazing, Skippers Canyon was just unreal! 

Thanks again for such unforgettable memory and experience Del!

Richard, Auckland 2020

What a fantastic experience going up the skippers road canyon with Del, absolutely amazing landscape and Del's your man for very entertaining stories and wealth of knowledge on the history of the area. Lovely comfortable vehicle. By far the best trip we have done in New Zealand. Highly recommended.

Rae Scotland 2019

Del gave us a fantastic tour of Skippers Canyon. He had an amazing amount of knowledge about the area which was really interesting. Del stopped at many scenic sites where we had lots of time for great photos. We would thoroughly recommend this trip especially if you were after a personal touch.

Sandra, NZ 2019

Just an absolutely amazing trip, A private adventure, Del / Tour owner and our guide was brilliant. This is a must do!!! Del has many trips he can offer, we did the skippers canyon half day. Wow, wow, wow

Mike NZ 2019Del was great to deal with right from first contact and we appreciated his guidance in preparing for the day. He is easy to get on with and made sure we had a great day. Our trip meant that we experienced un-seasonal snow in April and we appreciated his expertise, local knowledge of the area and weather conditions.

Thoroughly enjoyed another aspect of the Central Otago landscape and we look forward to being able to join him again in the very near future.

My wife and I recently did the Skipper’s Canyon tour with Del as our driver and guide. Del was fantastic - incredibly knowledgeable and experienced and showed us all the best features and views the canyon has to offer. He was great to have a chat with and share a few laughs - we learned so much along the way. My wife doesn’t normally do too well heights or steep drop offs on a bumpy road, but with Del’s experience on that road, she felt very safe and had the best time. We stopped in one of the most spectacular spots I’ve ever had the pleasure to have a delicious morning tea - supplied by Del (he even did an amazing job catering to our dietary requirements). Before going, I was a little concerned about heading out the same way as we came in, thinking that travelling the same route twice would take away from the experience - I couldn’t be more wrong! It was amazing travelling the same picturesque track with a completely different perspective, this was also enhanced by the different lighting and low lying cloud we experienced on the way in. I couldn’t recommend this tour with Del highly enough, we want to come back and do the same trip again, but in winter with some snow - we also want to see all the other trips Del has to offer. This is a must do!

Toby Pickering, Australia

SAFETY COMPLIANCE

4WD Expeditions maintains a robust safety management system, meticulously aligning with the MBIE Safety Audit Standard for Adventure Activities. Our formal certification under AdventureMark® underscores our unwavering dedication to prioritizing the safety and well-being of our clients. Our commitment to continuous improvement is evident through regular reviews by AdventureMark® to ensure ongoing compliance with the established safety standard.

IMPORTANT

Any off road / back country driving can lead to unexpected incidents. This can include but is not limited to - accidents, injuries, vehicle damage, property damage & loss of life.

RISKS FROM NATURAL HAZARDS

4WD Expeditions actively monitors all tours for natural hazards including but not limited to the following.

Weather, Storms, Lightening, High winds, Landslip, Snow avalanche, Ice, Rockfall, Flooding, Wildfires.

4WD Expeditions reserve the right to delay or cancel any tours or activities if weather conditions are not suitable. 

What is Skippers Canyon ?

Skippers Canyon is one of New Zealand’s most spectacular and historic gorges. Glacially carved during the last Ice Age and then brutally deepened by the powerful Shotover River through ancient Otago schist rock, this dramatic canyon tells a story of immense geological power and human endurance.

The river relentlessly cut through the hard schist, creating sheer cliffs with heart-stopping drops and exposing quartz reefs rich in gold. In the 1860s, this became the heart of the Otago Gold Rush — known as “the richest river in the world.” Thousands of miners endured back-breaking work, freezing winters, dangerous floods, and treacherous cliffs just to chase a dream of fortune. Many lost their lives to the unforgiving terrain.

Today the narrow, winding road still clings to those same sheer walls, passing old mining ruins and giving jaw-dropping views at every turn. It’s raw, remote, and deeply moving.

Our private small group tours let you experience the real Skippers Canyon at your own pace. No big crowds — just you, Del (with 35+ years guiding here), and the wild beauty and rich history of this special place.

Highlights of this full day include everything from the half day tour as well as :

- Upper Shotover River

- Strohles hut 

- Campbells Saddle

- Skippers Creek

- Packers Point

- Upper Skippers Canyon

- McLeods

and much more..

Being a 35+ year local, we know the absolute best locations for you to take awesome photographs.

Impeccable safety record.

Thousands of happy camera wieilding Skippers Canyon clients.

All tours are small groups. PRIVATE tour option- flexible and personalised to meet your needs.

We are a local, family run business who make time for you, take pride in what we do and aspire to give you the best experience possible.

Del has been guiding tourists locally for over 35+ years and has a wealth of knowledge about the area.

We are professional, safety conscious and pay attention to detail.

You will travel in a modern 4WD vehicle with comfortable seats, great leg room, large windows and all mod cons (no buses or vans).

I had a such an amazing day with Del today for Skippers Canyon & Glenorchy Photography full day tour. It was by far the best outdoor experience I had bar none. 

Del was such professional and knowledgeable guide and a superb driver. The fact that his choice of transportation being luxury 4X4 also only added to the already fantastic experience. 

Every corner we turned, Del had helpful and interesting stories to make the experience so much more fun. His sense of humour was also top notch, which was great. 

While Glenorchy (and drive to get there and more) was beautiful and amazing, Skippers Canyon was just unreal! 

Thanks again for such unforgettable memory and experience Del!

Richard, Auckland

My wife and I recently did the Skipper’s Canyon tour with Del as our driver and guide. Del was fantastic - incredibly knowledgeable and experienced and showed us all the best features and views the canyon has to offer. He was great to have a chat with and share a few laughs - we learned so much along the way. My wife doesn’t normally do too well heights or steep drop offs on a bumpy road, but with Del’s experience on that road, she felt very safe and had the best time. We stopped in one of the most spectacular spots I’ve ever had the pleasure to have a delicious morning tea - supplied by Del (he even did an amazing job catering to our dietary requirements). Before going, I was a little concerned about heading out the same way as we came in, thinking that travelling the same route twice would take away from the experience - I couldn’t be more wrong! It was amazing travelling the same picturesque track with a completely different perspective, this was also enhanced by the different lighting and low lying cloud we experienced on the way in. I couldn’t recommend this tour with Del highly enough, we want to come back and do the same trip again, but in winter with some snow - we also want to see all the other trips Del has to offer. This is a must do!

Toby Pickering, Australia

What a fantastic experience going up the skippers road canyon with Del, absolutely amazing landscape and Del's your man for very entertaining stories and wealth of knowledge on the history of the area. Lovely comfortable vehicle. By far the best trip we have done in New Zealand. Highly recommended.

Rae Scotland 2019

Del gave us a fantastic tour of Skippers Canyon. He had an amazing amount of knowledge about the area which was really interesting. Del stopped at many scenic sites where we had lots of time for great photos. We would thoroughly recommend this trip especially if you were after a personal touch.

Sandra, NZ 2019

Just an absolutely amazing trip, A private adventure, Del / Tour owner and our guide was brilliant. This is a must do!!! Del has many trips he can offer, we did the skippers canyon half day. Wow, wow, wow

Mike NZ 2019

SAFETY COMPLIANCE

4WD Expeditions maintains a robust safety management system, meticulously aligning with the MBIE Safety Audit Standard for Adventure Activities. Our formal certification under AdventureMark® underscores our unwavering dedication to prioritizing the safety and well-being of our clients. Our commitment to continuous improvement is evident through regular reviews by AdventureMark® to ensure ongoing compliance with the established safety standard.

IMPORTANT

Any off road / back country driving can lead to unexpected incidents. This can include but is not limited to - accidents, injuries, vehicle damage, property damage & loss of life.

RISKS FROM NATURAL HAZARDS

4WD Expeditions actively monitors all tours for natural hazards including but not limited to the following.

Weather, Storms, Lightening, High winds, Landslip, Snow avalanche, Ice, Rockfall, Flooding, Wildfires.

4WD Expeditions reserve the right to delay or cancel any tours or activities if weather conditions are not suitable.