FAQ’s

We do not travel to high elevations on our tours. For example, the highest altitude we reach hiking on our Ultimate South Island Tour is 840 metres (2,754 feet). We stay overnight no higher than 305 metres (1,000 feet) above sea level on any tour.

No previous rafting or kayaking experience is required, as full instruction will be provided. These activities are suitable for beginner and advanced paddlers alike! If you wish to skip either activity we can arrange an optional hike instead.

We travel in comfortable 12 seater or 17 seater Mercedes Sprinter vans, in which each seat has a seatbelt and air conditioning. On larger trips the vehicle tows a luggage trailer.

Moderate. A moderate level of fitness is required for most trips. We mainly hike on well formed trails. We can arrange alternative options on longer hiking days.

Each departure requires a minimum of 6 full paying guests to confirm.

The maximum group size is 16 guests + 2 guides.

The guide ratio is 11 guests to 1 guide, so if a 12th person books on a departure we’ll add a second guide.

Our standard tours do not include alcohol in the trip price. New Zealand has some fantastic wines and some guests may wish to pay a premium to enjoy them. Other guests may want a lower trip price so will likely prefer to not have alcohol included in the trip price. To meet the expectations of every guest (and to keep the trip price down) we have found that making alcohol a discretionary item (is purchased individually and not included in the trip price) is the best policy.

Yes. Accommodation is not cheap in New Zealand, especially when booking rooms at 4 star Hotels and Wilderness Lodges like the ones we provide on our tours. The tour price of our standard trips is based on two people sharing a room. If you are traveling alone or prefer your own room you will be charged a single supplement to offset the full cost of your room.

Yes. If there is another person traveling alone on your trip AND they are willing to share a room, we will do our best to match the two of you together to share a room. If this happens there is no additional room cost per person on top of the normal trip price.

New Zealand has strong labour laws. All employees are required to be paid 2.5 times their normal rate when working on a NZ public holiday such as Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Day, and January 2nd. This accounts to a big increase in guide wages. Many restaurants implement a holiday surcharge to offset this wage increase (or close for the day to avoid paying it). As the demand for accommodation has increased in New Zealand, many hotels have implemented peak season pricing which tops out during public holidays. All these additional costs make operating trips over Christmas and Easter more expensive.