Includes brochure, itinerary booklet and large NZ map
OUR CLIENTS SPEAK!
Trip reviews of ACTIVE NZ
Average: 4.44 
(6,206 trip reviews since 2004)
(6,206 trip reviews since 2004)
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Adventure Tours
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"I haven't had so much fun in years! Hiking in the bush, in the midst of fantastic scenery and landscape, reaching the mountain hut and then having dinner with your trip buddies singing songs and cracking jokes over a glass of NZ wine and then going outside to see the star-speckled sky and the moonlight reflecting off the snowy peaks of the nearby mountains is priceless!"
Max Gliner (Essex, United Kingdom) August 2007 Winter Rimu
Max Gliner (Essex, United Kingdom) August 2007 Winter Rimu
MEET OUR GUIDES:
Ben Laffan
"Ben did everything in his power to ensure that our trip was fabulous - I think he would have turned himself inside out if we asked him to - and at a few points I was afraid someone would! I think this is a very hard job, but he made it look easy and fun. He chatted with everyone about anything that struck their fancy and entertained us all. Our group spanned 40 years in age plus widely varying backgrounds and interests, yet Ben had something special going with each one of us. I doubt that anyone felt they weren't Ben's favorite client! He had a great sense of humor and encyclopedic knowledge of all things New Zealand - Ben, how do you remember how deep/wide/ long all these lakes are? - and a lively interest in the rest of the world as well. We were all amazed that he could run up mountains and then drive for hours and never seem tired. He was fantastic."
Margaret Gill (Massachusetts, USA) February 2009 Rimu
PHOTO OF THE MONTH:
Rimu Nov 2011
Who needs Photoshop when you've got views like this?
Our New Zealand Adventure Itineraries
We’ve put together the best New Zealand tours for you
Experience the best of New Zealand hiking and the New Zealand outdoors
We name our outdoor adventure trips after our favourite New Zealand trees and birds because we're very enthusiastic about New Zealand's natural history, and sharing that knowledge with you. From October through April, our extended summer down here on the Southern hemisphere, we run the Rimu 14-day South Island adventure and the Manuka 14-day hiking trip. The Kauri 5-day North Island trip is a great introduction to New Zealand, or works well with our South Island trips if you have three weeks downunder. We also have the Tui 8-day adventure on the South Island, and if you're travelling with kids, take a look at the Kea 13-day family trip that runs all year-round. Also, from May through September we run our Winter Rimu 14-day South Island winter adventure trip to see the South Island outdoors at its most dramatic.
If you're up for something really different, then check out our Guide's Choice trips, designed by our guides, Lynette and Jim, who won an annual competition among our guides to come up with the trip that they would love to run, visiting and exploring their favourite parts of New Zealand. These are a great option as a returnee's trip for those of you who've travelled with us before, or for anyone interested in seeing a different side of New Zealand, away from the tourist trail, where real New Zealanders go when they want an active adventure.
We have clients from all around the world so we stick with one currency (US dollars) in order to keep things simple. Click here to bring up a window that will give you an approximate cost of our trips in your local currency.
If you're up for something really different, then check out our Guide's Choice trips, designed by our guides, Lynette and Jim, who won an annual competition among our guides to come up with the trip that they would love to run, visiting and exploring their favourite parts of New Zealand. These are a great option as a returnee's trip for those of you who've travelled with us before, or for anyone interested in seeing a different side of New Zealand, away from the tourist trail, where real New Zealanders go when they want an active adventure.
We have clients from all around the world so we stick with one currency (US dollars) in order to keep things simple. Click here to bring up a window that will give you an approximate cost of our trips in your local currency.
Rated the 9th Greatest Adventure Trip in the World by National Geographic Adventure!
The Rimu is our longest running trip, now entering its thirteenth year, with constant evolution to make it as good as we can possibly make it!
- Hike Routeburn Track, Punakaiki, Franz Josef Glacier and
Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park - Wilderness Backpacking in Nelson Lakes National Park, Sea Kayaking or Biking Marlborough Sounds
- Cycle Cycle Hawea to Wanaka
- Sea Kayak Okarito Lagoon and Milford Sound
- Hike West Coast Beaches and Rainforests
- Explore the lakeside village of Queenstown
- Snorkel with Seals
Rated the best do-it-all New Zealand Travel Deal of the Year by Outside Magazine!
The Tui is our shortest South Island trip. It’s an action-packed, adventure-oriented itinerary that works well if you are looking for an incredible adventure vacation but don’t have a lot of time to see our country, or as part of a longer trip to New Zealand.
- Hike Routeburn Track, Franz Josef Glacier and
Mt Aspiring National Park - Cycle Hawea to Wanaka
- Sea kayak Milford Sound
- Scenic mountain flight to Siberia Hut
- Jet boat ride up the Wilken River
- Explore the lakeside village of Queenstown
Hint! Combine the 5-day Kauri with the 8-day Tui to make a two week North and South Island trip.
Our Kauri trip packs loads of adventure into just five days. It allows you to see the 'other side' of New Zealand and we’ve designed it with departure dates that line up with most of our South Island trips.
- Explore volcanoes and Maori culture
- Hike Tongariro Alpine Crossing
- Hike mountains, beach and headland
- Bike Whakarewarewa Forest
- Hiking alongside Rotorua's lakes
- Caving in Waitomo
- Zero Carbon
- Bio-diesel powered buses
- Organic food
- Luxury Eco friendly accommodation
The Pounamu is our flagship, ecologically sustainable "Deep Green" tour. We've extensively researched sustainable travel, added the comprehensive knowledge of New Zealand’s most gorgeous, untouched areas that we've accrued in our 15 years of running our unique style of physically active tours of New Zealand… and paved the way towards serious sustainability.
- Swim with dusky dolphins
- Hike Queen Charlotte, Abel Tasman and Routeburn Tracks
- Sea Kayak Marlborough Sounds and Milford Sound
- Plant a tree in Okarito
- Cycle riverside trail from Hawaea to Wanaka
- Kayak on Lake Moeraki
- Visit Wineries
- Explore Queenstown, adventure capital of New Zealand!
New Zealand is at its most dramatic in winter – the snowline is a lot lower, which makes the mountains look amazing, and we get plenty of crisp, clear blue-sky days due to New Zealand’s mild maritime climate.
- Multi-Day Sea Kayak/Cycle at Manapouri and Milford Sound, or Ski/Snowboard in Queenstown
- Overnight hike to Copland hot pools
- Hike Fox Glacier, Mt Aspiring and Aoraki/Mt Cook National Parks
- Explore the lakeside village of Queenstown
- Sea Kayak Okarito Lagoon
This trip was designed by guide and multisport athlete, Jim Hawkridge.
Over the years we’ve received many requests for an extreme version of our classic Rimu trip. Well – here it is. A trip guaranteed to get your heart pumping and your endorphins flowing.
- Hike Cascade Saddle, Mt Aspiring National Park
- Bike Queen Charlotte Track, Hanmer Forest and Craigieburn Skifield
- Swim with Dusky Dolphins
- Sea Kayak Abel Tasman National Park
- Hike Mt Owen and Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park
This trip was designed by guide, Lynette Warmington and was named one of the Best 25 New Trips by National Geographic Adventure Magazine.
This trip has a big wildlife focus – dolphins, seals, penguins, kiwi, kea, whales, albatross, sea lions – these are just a few of the many amazing creatures you can see on this trip. It’s a great option for keen wildlife photographers, and those that enjoy seeing creatures in their natural environment.
- Three-day Hump Ridge Guided Walk
- Cruise Doubtful Sound
- Visit Dunedin - home to some of New Zealand’s rarest wildlife!
- Swim with Dolphins, Whale Watch, Visit Penguins
- Hike Peel Forest, Kaikoura Peninsula, Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park
- Visit Kiwi Sanctuary
This trip is designed so parents, teenagers and children enjoy a wide range of activities together while still having a bit of time out – it is a vacation after all!
- Wildlife reserve and kiwi viewing
- Jet boat the Rakaia Gorge
- Hike Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park and South Westland World Heritage Area
- Raft near Queenstown
- Hike Mt Aspiring National Park and Franz Josef Glacier
- Kayak Lake Mapourika
- Visit Beaches and Rainforest of the West Coast
The Manuka is an active hiking trip at a relaxed pace. It’s designed for people who enjoy the off-the-beaten-track, Kiwi style of our trips, but who also like their creature comforts and want to take things a little easier than the folks on our more physically challenging trips.
- Great Walks Discovery or Milford Track Guided Walk
- Hike West Coast Beaches and Rainforests
- Explore the lakeside village of Queenstown
- Hike Mt Aspiring National Park and Castle Hill
- Hike Paparoa National Park, Fox Glacier and Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park
