Hiking New Zealand Vacation – New Zealand Hiking Tours – New Zealand Adventure Tours
I would say it was a once in a lifetime trip,
but it was so good a person should not only experience it once.- Mike G., (USA) Aug 2009 Winter Rimu
PHOTO OF THE MONTH:
Rimu Jan 2010
We love being based in Queenstown! It's the best playground in the world and there's always something new to try...
MEET OUR GUIDES:
Gemma van Beek
"Excellent. She was wonderful. Very patient, kind, personable, great cook. One of the better guides I have had."
Ami Jampolis (California, USA) December 2009 Rimu
"This was one of the best vacations ever. I could have never organized the amount of activities that I did with ACTIVE NEW ZEALAND and the guides were great at taking care of all the hard parts of the vacation so I could just have fun. You also took me to many places I would have never thought of visiting and really loved. I had the time of my life."
Krysten Comoglio (California, USA) October 2002 Rimu
Krysten Comoglio (California, USA) October 2002 Rimu
Manuka - Important Info
ACCOMMODATION:
The Manuka is a backcountry wilderness trip. You’ll be staying in the highest level of accommodations available in the remote places we take you. While it features more creature comforts than some of our other trips, it’s not a scenic tour of the luxury hotels of the South Island. We prefer to stay in comfortable bed and breakfasts, lodges and apartments. Rooming is based on twin-share, although single rooms are available on request. Rooming on the Milford Track Guided Walk is in 4-6 bed bunk rooms – again private rooms are available on request. As there's a variety of accommodations on this trip, most places will have ensuite bathrooms and one or two will have shared bathrooms, so we may ask you to share a bathroom with other group members on occasion.
RECOMMENDED FLIGHTS:
If you’re flying in on the first day of the trip, or out on the last day, we recommend arriving in Christchurch by about 9 - 10.30am on Monday, and departing from Christchurch after 2.30 - 4pm on Sunday. Other flight times may also be possible – if you are considering alternative flight times please let us know.
PICK UP INFORMATION:
On the first day of the trip we can either pick you up from the Heritage Hotel in Christchurch at 10.30am or at the Christchurch domestic airport in front of the information desk at 11am.
DROP OFF INFORMATION:
On the last day of the trip we can drop you off at the Christchurch airport in time for the flights above, or anywhere in central Christchurch in mid-late afternoon.
TRIP DIRECTION:
To keep our group sizes down, we run the Manuka trip in two different directions around the South Island - northbound (refers to initial direction of travel from Christchurch) and southbound. This itinerary happens to be written up in the northbound format. We also run the Manuka starting and ending in Queenstown. Whichever trip you take, you'll do all the activities we've mentioned, just in a different order. The Manuka is a product of many years of evolution and fine-tuning – it works well whichever way you do it!
FITNESS:
You must have a reasonable level of fitness to enjoy yourself. The level of fitness required on this trip is lower than on some of our other trips, but you should be in the habit of doing at least some exercise. You don’t have to be young and extremely fit – age and experience is not important, but it is important that you enjoy walking and hiking. This trip is not a passive scenic tour of New Zealand.
EXPERIENCE:
You don’t have to have any outdoor experience at all to take our trips. We’re offering trips that allow you to make the most of New Zealand’s incredible wilderness. Our experienced guides are highly trained, knowledgeable and will look after you! You don’t have to carry a heavy pack. All we ask is that you are energetic and in reasonable shape and we guarantee you’ll have an incredible time. We manage the level of commitment to suit your experience, and we have an impeccable safety record. We also hold all relevant government licenses and permits.
FLEXIBILITY:
Because of the off-the-beaten-path and non-commercial nature of some of our lodgings on this trip, we sometimes need to stay in different lodgings than specified in the itinerary. When we do this the daily activities don’t change and we use accommodations of a similar level.
INCLUDED:
The trip fare is US$3799 + 12.5% NZ government taxes. We quote all prices in US dollars, so our guests from all over the world can more easily relate prices to their own currencies. You can also join for shorter periods of time, at a pro-rated fare. The trip fare includes just about everything, specifically:
• All guiding services. We have two guides per trip, a lead guide/driver and a co-guide who is responsible for meals and accommodations. This means we can really make sure you have a great time! We operate with small groups and we don’t hesitate to offer a second departure when our trips start getting full.
• Comfortable accommodation for the entire period you are with us. We can also organize accommodation for you if you want to arrive earlier or leave later.
• All your meals, except in Queenstown where we’ve found people prefer to check out the wide range of restaurants. Alcohol is not generally included, although we do spring for a few drinks here and there!
• All hiking described in the itinerary, except optional extra activities, such as the scenic helicopter flight from Milford Sound to Queenstown. We have estimated the rates for optional extra activities operated by local activity operators in US dollars, including all required equipment, but these rates may vary according to the USD/NZD exchange rate of the day. There are many optional activities available at extra cost, particularly in Queenstown. None of these activities are compulsory, and nor will your trip seem less awesome if you do the cheap or free options. Although some people enjoy sampling fishing, wine tours, horse trekking, jet boating and so on, others prefer to focus more on the hiking, which is of course the reason you’re coming to New Zealand in the first place!
NOT INCLUDED:
This is your holiday, and we are serious about not nickel-and-diming you! You’ll have a few meals and drinks to cover, extra activities if you choose them, and you’ll probably feel like tipping your guides at the end of a fabulous time, but you won’t be pulling out your wallet every few minutes on your ACTIVE NEW ZEALAND trip!
GEAR LIST:
Click here to see a copy of the Manuka Gear List
The Manuka is a backcountry wilderness trip. You’ll be staying in the highest level of accommodations available in the remote places we take you. While it features more creature comforts than some of our other trips, it’s not a scenic tour of the luxury hotels of the South Island. We prefer to stay in comfortable bed and breakfasts, lodges and apartments. Rooming is based on twin-share, although single rooms are available on request. Rooming on the Milford Track Guided Walk is in 4-6 bed bunk rooms – again private rooms are available on request. As there's a variety of accommodations on this trip, most places will have ensuite bathrooms and one or two will have shared bathrooms, so we may ask you to share a bathroom with other group members on occasion.
RECOMMENDED FLIGHTS:
If you’re flying in on the first day of the trip, or out on the last day, we recommend arriving in Christchurch by about 9 - 10.30am on Monday, and departing from Christchurch after 2.30 - 4pm on Sunday. Other flight times may also be possible – if you are considering alternative flight times please let us know.
PICK UP INFORMATION:
On the first day of the trip we can either pick you up from the Heritage Hotel in Christchurch at 10.30am or at the Christchurch domestic airport in front of the information desk at 11am.
DROP OFF INFORMATION:
On the last day of the trip we can drop you off at the Christchurch airport in time for the flights above, or anywhere in central Christchurch in mid-late afternoon.
TRIP DIRECTION:
To keep our group sizes down, we run the Manuka trip in two different directions around the South Island - northbound (refers to initial direction of travel from Christchurch) and southbound. This itinerary happens to be written up in the northbound format. We also run the Manuka starting and ending in Queenstown. Whichever trip you take, you'll do all the activities we've mentioned, just in a different order. The Manuka is a product of many years of evolution and fine-tuning – it works well whichever way you do it!
FITNESS:
You must have a reasonable level of fitness to enjoy yourself. The level of fitness required on this trip is lower than on some of our other trips, but you should be in the habit of doing at least some exercise. You don’t have to be young and extremely fit – age and experience is not important, but it is important that you enjoy walking and hiking. This trip is not a passive scenic tour of New Zealand.
EXPERIENCE:
You don’t have to have any outdoor experience at all to take our trips. We’re offering trips that allow you to make the most of New Zealand’s incredible wilderness. Our experienced guides are highly trained, knowledgeable and will look after you! You don’t have to carry a heavy pack. All we ask is that you are energetic and in reasonable shape and we guarantee you’ll have an incredible time. We manage the level of commitment to suit your experience, and we have an impeccable safety record. We also hold all relevant government licenses and permits.
FLEXIBILITY:
Because of the off-the-beaten-path and non-commercial nature of some of our lodgings on this trip, we sometimes need to stay in different lodgings than specified in the itinerary. When we do this the daily activities don’t change and we use accommodations of a similar level.
INCLUDED:
The trip fare is US$3799 + 12.5% NZ government taxes. We quote all prices in US dollars, so our guests from all over the world can more easily relate prices to their own currencies. You can also join for shorter periods of time, at a pro-rated fare. The trip fare includes just about everything, specifically:
• All guiding services. We have two guides per trip, a lead guide/driver and a co-guide who is responsible for meals and accommodations. This means we can really make sure you have a great time! We operate with small groups and we don’t hesitate to offer a second departure when our trips start getting full.
• Comfortable accommodation for the entire period you are with us. We can also organize accommodation for you if you want to arrive earlier or leave later.
• All your meals, except in Queenstown where we’ve found people prefer to check out the wide range of restaurants. Alcohol is not generally included, although we do spring for a few drinks here and there!
• All hiking described in the itinerary, except optional extra activities, such as the scenic helicopter flight from Milford Sound to Queenstown. We have estimated the rates for optional extra activities operated by local activity operators in US dollars, including all required equipment, but these rates may vary according to the USD/NZD exchange rate of the day. There are many optional activities available at extra cost, particularly in Queenstown. None of these activities are compulsory, and nor will your trip seem less awesome if you do the cheap or free options. Although some people enjoy sampling fishing, wine tours, horse trekking, jet boating and so on, others prefer to focus more on the hiking, which is of course the reason you’re coming to New Zealand in the first place!
NOT INCLUDED:
This is your holiday, and we are serious about not nickel-and-diming you! You’ll have a few meals and drinks to cover, extra activities if you choose them, and you’ll probably feel like tipping your guides at the end of a fabulous time, but you won’t be pulling out your wallet every few minutes on your ACTIVE NEW ZEALAND trip!
GEAR LIST:
Click here to see a copy of the Manuka Gear List
