New Zealand Adventure Tours – New Zealand Bike Tours – Hiking New Zealand Vacations
I would say it was a once in a lifetime trip,
but it was so good a person should not only experience it once.
Derek Stratman & Ellen Jennings (Seoul, Korea) April 2003 Rimu
MEET OUR GUIDES:
Gemma van Beek
PHOTO OF THE MONTH:
 Andrew after a bike ride... from Morocco to Paris. |
Andrew Fairfax I started ACTIVE NEW ZEALAND in 1996. I originally trained to be an attorney at Otago University Law School in Dunedin, graduating with a BA in Political Studies and an Honours degree in Law. I discovered after a few months at a major New Zealand commercial law firm that I'm not really interested in life behind a desk, and promptly quit. I then decided to follow my life-long passion for the outdoors, and began working as an adventure guide. After working for other companies for several years, I decided to put into practice all the lessons I learnt working for other people. ACTIVE NEW ZEALAND was the result. I am an enthusiastic pilot, and a keen musician. As ACTIVE NEW ZEALAND has grown, I've carefully selected a small team of guides to lead our trips and had to get used to spending time behind a desk again. But I still get out and drop in on trips as much as possible, and hit the road periodically on my bike to scout out locations for new trips. I'm a great fan of exercise induced endorphins, and I am very proud to lead such a first-class team of adventure travel guides as you'll find running our trips. I am committed to running the best physically active trips you'll ever find in New Zealand, or for that matter, anywhere in the world! |
 Jodi meeting a penguin on the Hollyford Track |
Jodi Narbey When you call us, you’ll most likely reach Jodi, a true Kiwi chick who's passionate about her home country! Having travelled and worked in many beautiful and interesting places in the world, including a long stint in the USA, Jodi knows exactly what it is about New Zealand that makes it so special. Give her a ring any time for a local’s perspective on putting together the perfect adventure vacation in New Zealand! |
 Matty biking in Queenstown |
Matty Yates Matty works with Jodi to help people from around the world plan their trips to New Zealand. Originally hailing from the UK, he came down to New Zealand at the tender age of 18 and spent a few years chasing the winters between New Zealand and North America, snowboarding in places like Banff, Canada and Breckenridge, Colorado, before settling down in Queenstown. When he's not organising trips for people, he can be found enjoying the New Zealand outdoors - hiking, snowboarding, or taking the boat out on Lake Wakatipu for some wakeboarding or fishing. |
 Kate rafting the Colorado River |
Kate Brooker Once you sign up for a trip, Kate will be handling all the details of your trip until you come down. Kate’s the woman to call when you’re ready to pack your bags, need to sort out extra accommodations, or just want a second opinion on which hiking boots to buy. Remember, there are no dumb questions, so fire away! |
 Mary enjoying the Queenstown sunshine! |
Mary Tippett Mary takes care of the logistics that make your trip run smoothly. She has had many interesting roles in her life, from guiding in Africa to helping to organise the Rugby World Cup in England, so her organisational skills have been well honed! She's also a keen hiker and long distance runner which means she loves getting out and guiding the odd trip too! |
Since Andrew ran his first official ACTIVE trip in 1996, a lot of people have found their way to us – both clients and staff. We’ve become very successful, due in no small measure to the dedicated and professional guides who come to us, the interesting clients that our trips seem to attract, and the passion with which we tackle everything we do. We’ve avoided the temptation to grow indiscriminately, preferring to focus on areas we know intimately, and run a first class guiding operation.
Our seasoned operations team are all ACTIVE veterans, working year round in our main office in Queenstown. This constant support ensures that your trip leader has everything he or she needs to make your trip flow as smoothly as humanly possible.
