New Zealand walking holiday, small group
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.com
Check dates, prices & availability
The leaders are not guides – they’re not there to shepherd you around. Instead, they’ll let you know which local restaurant serves great value food – without running the risk of travellers’ tummy. They’ll allow you to avoid hour-long queues at train stations and attractions.
We like to think of small group travel as the Goldilocks option. It is independent travel without the fuss, worry and bunk beds – and organised travel without the coaches. And it’s cheaper than a tailor made tour. It’s sits somewhere in the middle – and we think it’s just about right.
Have big, life-enriching experiences that would be impossible to organise without lots of time and insider knowledge.
Simplicity
Make the most of your holiday time by letting someone else do the hard work and boring logistics!
Peace of mind
Small group tours take care of the security aspects – and provide a safety net should anything unexpected happen.
If you don’t have three months to spend exploring, small groups trips let you cover more ground in less time. Your days are not spent queuing for tickets or finding hotels – so you can squeeze more into your holiday.
Solo travellers who’d like company
Likeminded travel companions plus peace of mind for those travelling alone. Single supplements are usually available – providing privacy if you want it.
Less confident travellers
Stray from the tourist trail without worrying about getting lost, and meet local people without dealing with the language barrier.
Couples and friends have private rooms, and you can choose to eat alone or not. Single supplements give solo travellers their own room.
“There won’t be any free time”
Free mornings or afternoons let you explore on your own, or just relax.
“The accommodation will be basic”
Trips are as high or low end as you like. Though off the beaten track destinations won’t have luxury hotels, this is all part of the adventure.
“I won’t like the other travellers!”
Tour operators try to create groups with a similar demographic – age, families, activity levels... Chances are, you’ll even make new friends.
“Will we be following an umbrella?”
No.
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.
On this trip we travel overland to enjoy the natural wonders of New Zealand. By not taking any flights, using local vehicles, walking and taking the ferry between the north and south island this allows you to see much more of this beautiful country and reduce our carbon footprint. The 13 National Parks in New Zealand receive thousands of visitors each year and good administration and management is essential in order to minimise the impact on the fragile areas we are visiting. We ensure that our walks only follow marked official trails and actively encourage clients to carry all waste out of parks and not to pick flowers or disturb the natural resources.
The tap water is both safe to drink and very clean in New Zealand and we encourage clients to take a water bottle to fill up, rather than generating plastic bottle waste – the water taste even better taken straight from the springs which we pass during the walks!
As a company we support Cool Earth. Protecting rainforest is one of the most effective actions to tackle climate breakdown. CoolEarth work with indigenous communities empowering them to conserve their forest; keeping CO2 locked in.
The Impacts of this Trip
One of the focuses of this trip is the traditions and culture of the Maori. We visit Te Papa Tongarewa National Museum in Wellington to learn about their heritage and way of live and experience a traditional ‘hangi’ dinner in Rotorua. These excursions allow you to contribute both financially and culturally to the Maori way of life with all activity fees going directly to support the local Maori community. As an example the Te Papa Museum is strongly involved with the repatriation of koiwi and koimi tangata(Maori and Moriori skeletal remains) from international institutions, which is very important in the culture.
We use locally owned and managed accommodation where possible. Our hotel in Picton is owned by 2 locals who have a passion for the running of their hotel and very knowledgeable of the local area and walking trails.
On this trip we generally provide breakfast so our guests have the opportunity and are recommended to eat in local restaurants or eateries. Where we provide lunch in Milford Sound it is prepared aboard your boat and the included dinner is the ‘hangi’ dinner, which supports the local Maori customs and culture.
Our tour leaders for this trip are New Zealanders and this enables us to get a deeper insight into the history, culture and wildlife of the region. They are trained in how to actively promote responsible tourism and brief our groups on how they can minimise their own impacts, avoid disturbing wildlife and travel with respect for the cultural significance of indigenous communities.
In addition to the above, we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key and so all staff, Tour leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage. As well as this, we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Send a Cow, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of UK travel industry bodies Tourism Concern and AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators.
On this trip we travel overland to enjoy the natural wonders of New Zealand. By not taking any flights, using local vehicles, walking and taking the ferry between the north and south island this allows you to see much more of this beautiful country and reduce our carbon footprint. The 13 National Parks in New Zealand receive thousands of visitors each year and good administration and management is essential in order to minimise the impact on the fragile areas we are visiting. We ensure that our walks only follow marked official trails and actively encourage clients to carry all waste out of parks and not to pick flowers or disturb the natural resources.
The tap water is both safe to drink and very clean in New Zealand and we encourage clients to take a water bottle to fill up, rather than generating plastic bottle waste – the water taste even better taken straight from the springs which we pass during the walks!
As a company we support Cool Earth. Protecting rainforest is one of the most effective actions to tackle climate breakdown. CoolEarth work with indigenous communities empowering them to conserve their forest; keeping CO2 locked in.
The Impacts of this Trip
One of the focuses of this trip is the traditions and culture of the Maori. We visit Te Papa Tongarewa National Museum in Wellington to learn about their heritage and way of live and experience a traditional ‘hangi’ dinner in Rotorua. These excursions allow you to contribute both financially and culturally to the Maori way of life with all activity fees going directly to support the local Maori community. As an example the Te Papa Museum is strongly involved with the repatriation of koiwi and koimi tangata(Maori and Moriori skeletal remains) from international institutions, which is very important in the culture.
We use locally owned and managed accommodation where possible. Our hotel in Picton is owned by 2 locals who have a passion for the running of their hotel and very knowledgeable of the local area and walking trails.
On this trip we generally provide breakfast so our guests have the opportunity and are recommended to eat in local restaurants or eateries. Where we provide lunch in Milford Sound it is prepared aboard your boat and the included dinner is the ‘hangi’ dinner, which supports the local Maori customs and culture.
Our tour leaders for this trip are New Zealanders and this enables us to get a deeper insight into the history, culture and wildlife of the region. They are trained in how to actively promote responsible tourism and brief our groups on how they can minimise their own impacts, avoid disturbing wildlife and travel with respect for the cultural significance of indigenous communities.
In addition to the above, we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key and so all staff, Tour leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage. As well as this, we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Send a Cow, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of UK travel industry bodies Tourism Concern and AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators.
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