Wilderness
News
Newsletter of Hiking New Zealand - No. 10 - July 2002
In this newsletter
We are in the process of changing the name we operate under from New Zealand Nature Safaris to Hiking New Zealand. The new name better reflects the focus of our trips. We've been using it on our website (www.HikingNewZealand.com) for a while and it seems to make it easier for people to find us. Those of us who have been with the company for some time are quite fond of Nature Safaris so we'll hang on to it for a while yet, using both names until the new name becomes well known.
And Some Great New Trips!
We've got some great new trips planned for next season - another 10 day safari in the South Island that we've called the 'Eastern Epic' and a 5½ day trip in the 'Far North'. These are replacing our four day hikes which were always less popular than the longer safaris. We're also taking bookings for some other wonderful trips in New Zealand which are run by other operators. We're calling these 'Great Journeys' to distinguish them from the trips we run ourselves. The Great Journeys are a bit different from our safaris - they use accommodation instead of camping, meals are cooked for you, prices include accommodation and some or all of the meals, and of course they are more expensive. Read on for more about the new trips...
Eastern
Epic
Another fantastic 10 day safari in the South Island, this time starting
in Christchurch and taking in the Kaikoura Coast, Marlborough Sounds,
Nelson Lakes National Park, Kahurangi National Park and finishing back
in Christchurch. The trip includes 3 overnight hikes and opportunities
to go whale watching, sea kayaking, rafting and wine-tasting. One of the
hikes visits Mt Owen, a bizarre marble mountain where scenes from Lord
of the Rings were filmed. As with our other trips, there's great mountain
and coastal scenery, wildlife, challenging hiking, new friends and lots
of fun.
Far
North
A shorter trip (5½ days) in the north of the North Island, starting and
ending in Auckland. This is the warmest part of New Zealand and has fabulous
unpopulated beaches, making it a relaxing way to start or finish your
New Zealand holiday. It includes one overnight hike, optional sea kayaking
and horse riding, awesome sand-dunes at 90 mile beach, Kauri forests and
lots of time on the beautiful beaches with snorkeling gear and boogie
boards included.
Introducing the Great Journeys...
Ball Pass
This 3 day trip in Mt Cook National Park takes you up into the snow and provides the chance to learn some basic mountaineering skills like how to use an ice axe and crampons. The mind-blowing scenery includes New Zealands highest mountains and longest glacier.
Milford and Routeburn Tracks
Guided walks on these famous tracks take you through spectacular scenery in Fiordland and Aspiring National Parks. The trips include comfortable fully-catered accommodation in the wilderness with hot showers, flush toilets and electricity!
Mountain Bike Safari
A challenging 10 day mountain biking adventure from Christchurch to Queenstown - a mixture of off-road and road riding through some of the South Islands most picturesque landscapes, including the incomparable Milford Sound.
South Island Adventure
An action-packed 2 week tour of the South Island combining hiking, cycling and sea kayaking. An unforgettable way to experience some of New Zealand's most special places including Milford Sound, Mt Cook, the West Coast, Marlborough Sounds and Kaikoura.
You can make a booking on line through our website, by emailing us, or by phone. We have freephone numbers from Australia and New Zealand. Our contact details are given at the end of this newsletter.
Lord of the Rings
The release of The Fellowship of the Ring has presented New Zealand landscapes to the world as never before. Many fans of the movie are keen to see the beautiful places where the filming took place. We are happy to tell you that our safaris include some of these special places. The opening battle was filmed in the barren landscapes of Tongariro NP which we visit on the North Island 'Rainforest to Volcanoes' safari. Mt Owen, on the new Eastern Epic trip, is a bizarre landscape of marble sculptured by rainwater. This is the place the fellowship found themselves in when they emerged from Moria. The beautiful background scenery for Rivendell came from one of the limestone canyons in Paparoa National Park which we visit on the West Coast Wilderness safari, The final scenes of the movie were in beech forest near Queenstown. Of course, due to the post-production special effects, some of the scenes include features not present in the real places, making the locations harder to recognize. We are looking forward to seeing which of our favourite places are shown in the next two movies. New Zealand was chosen for filming these movies because we have such a range of contrasting landscapes within a relatively small area, many of them wild and beautiful in different ways. And of course, this is what makes New Zealand such a fantastic place to visit.
New Zealand's beautiful unspoiled natural environment is very important to us. Not only does the success of our trips depend on it, but we all love to get out there in the wilderness for our own adventures. We are also concerned with looking after urban environments, in fact, the entire planet. We have always tried to run our safaris and our business in an environmentally sensitive manner, and to encourage our clients to appreciate and care about the environment. For example, our trailers are now equipped with bins for storing recyclable materials (eg. beer bottles, plastic drink bottles, cans) until we can dispose of them appropriately, and we recycle paper in the office. We also donate a substantial sum (6%of our profit) to support conservation research on the endangered native Hectors dolphin. To further enhance our environmental performance we have affiliated with Green Globe 21. This organisation is setting standards for environmental performance in the Tourism Industry. We are currently in the process of Green Globe 'benchmarking' - this involves calculating such things as the amount of fossil fuels, electricity and water we use and how much rubbish we dispose of in landfills. It encourages us to look closely at the way we operate and figure out ways of improving our environmental performance. When we have shown that we are operating at or above 'benchmark' standard, we will be able to use a Green Globe logo to let our clients know that they are dealing with an environmentally sensitive company. For more info about Green Globe 21 see www.ggasiapacific.com.au
Native Reforestation Project
Our company's base is located on a steep hillside above Lyttelton, the port town of Christchurch. It has nearly an acre of land with a big parking area for all those vans and trailers. Most of the land area is grassy slopes with some trees, mostly native, scattered around. We have a project underway to plant loads more native plants, creating our own small area of native bush. This is partly because we love the native plants - they remind us of great days in the wilderness - and also to play our part in reforestation of Banks Peninsula. Most of the Peninsula was cleared of forest to make way for farming, but attempts are now being made to restore the natural ecosystems. Areas of the Peninsula, both public and private land, are being allowed to regenerate naturally, while others are being assisted through planting programmes. Increasing the area of native forest provides more food and habitat for native birds allowing their populations to flourish. We already have a resident bellbird who comes to feed on nectar when our flaxes are in flower, and sings its thanks with sweet notes from the top of a nearby tree. Hopefully we'll have a few more of them around soon.
Hectors Dolphin Research
In 1998 New Zealand Nature Safaris set up the NZ Wildlife Research Fund to which we donate $10 for each person who does one of our safaris. The fund has provided $32,000 to support conservation research on the Hectors dolphin, an endangered species found only around New Zealand. Last August, Mark and Margaret volunteered to spend a week assisting with this research, and of course, getting a closer look at the dolphins. We contacted Deanna Clement and Sam Dufresne, PhD students at Otago University, who spend their field seasons based in a tiny house near Akaroa, on Banks Peninsula (near Christchurch). Their research concerns the dolphin populations in the waters of the Banks Peninsula Marine Mammal Sanctuary. Deanna is studying the distribution of Hectors dolphins in relation to oceanographic conditions. She is trying to determine what sort of water the dolphins like to be in by measuring such things as the temperature, depth, and cloudiness of the water, and by recording the presence and numbers of dolphins. She has discovered that during winter the majority of the population is actually outside the boundaries of the sanctuary. Sam uses photo identification to study the size, movements and survival rates of the Banks Peninsula population. He is hoping to establish whether the Sanctuary is large enough to sustain population growth, as well as discovering more about the life history of Hectors dolphin.
A typical day as a research slave was spent on a small aluminium boat in the seas around Banks Peninsula. When working on Deanna's project, we'd follow transect lines, stopping at intervals to lower the oceanographic sampling equipment over the side, then winching it back in as it sampled the water column below. We'd also record any dolphins seen, as well as the sea conditions and visibility at the time. For Sam's research, we'd follow a different set of transects, recording the numbers and location of any dolphins seen, while Sam attempted to photograph them. The photography was made easier by the friendly nature of the dolphins who, when in the mood, would swim close to the boat, surfing the bow waves, and leaping into the air. The most memorable moments of the week were when a group of 14 Hectors dolphins came to play around the boat for quite a while. Their high-spirited leaping at the front of the boat, and frantic attempts to race us, are unforgettable. If you'd like to know more about these projects, check out http://nzwhaledolphintrust.tripod.com/home/
Top 5 Books and Movies
Remember the questionnaires we ask you to fill out at the end of a safari? For those who did North Island trips and recent South Island trips, the final question asked for the name of your favourite book and movie. You may have wondered why we ask that. Well its quite simple really, we'd like to know which books and movies are too good to miss! As a way of thanking you for providing that information we're going to share the results with you.
This seasons top 5 books:
1. Lord of the Rings
2. Touching the Void
3. The Alchemist
4. Harry Potter
5. Tuesdays with Morrie
And top 5 movies:
1. Shawshank Redemption
2. Lord of the Rings
3. Matrix
4. Life is Beautiful
5. Amelie
I have to agree that those are 5 great movies, but it appears that I have some reading to catch up on! Thanks for your recommendations.
Stan has been guiding our safaris for two years now and he's still going strong! He loves guiding because he enjoys getting to know new people and likes to spend time in the great New Zealand outdoors. He relishes the challenges of working with people and feels he has learnt a lot about himself through guiding. The drawbacks of the job are the time spent away from his wife, Shona and his home.
Stan and Shona live on a farm on the outskirts of Christchurch. Their place is called Piwakawaka, that's the Maori name for the fantail, a small bird frequently seen in our forests. They have an idyllic rural lifestyle - they grow their own organic vegetables, keep free range chickens, have fruit trees and a big strawberry patch. Eating healthy organic food is important to them, so as well as growing their own food crops, they have set up an organic co-op to enable them to buy organic food at a reasonable price. This involves buying in bulk and selling smaller quantities on to friends and neighbours. When Stan is guiding a trip he brings along some of that good organic food to use in the group meals - that's a bonus for those of you who get Stan as your guide.
When Stan isn't guiding he entertains himself with sea kayaking, cycling, home renovations and climbing trees. He highly recommends the Norfolk pines at Sumner beach, but warns that they are a bit bendy near the top, especially in windy weather.
The chief guide has an important role at Hiking New Zealand - responsibility for hiring, training, rostering and nurturing guides and making sure vehicles, trailers and all the equipment are in good shape when they go out on a trip. Our chief guide during the last year, Dave van Beek, has left us now to pursue a long-time dream of outdoor instruction. Its sad to lose a valued member of the team but always good to see a friend attaining his goals. Hopefully we'll be able to lure him back to guide a safari now and then.
And of course, there's a new chief guide to welcome. Dan Murphy has been guiding our trips for a couple of years and has previous experience in a management role in the tourism industry. He grew up on a farm in the North Island, did a Diploma in Agriculture, and worked as a shepherd and as a conservation worker for the Department of Conservation. Later he spent a few years overseas, working in Canada and the UK, and travelling extensively in Ireland, North Africa, the Middle East, Spain and Central America. He guided walking tours in Spain for a couple of years and managed a lodge there. Dan has been passionate about tramping and the outdoors all his life and he is a welcome addition to the management team at Hiking New Zealand.
Incidentally, Dave and Dan recently sea kayaked around Banks Peninsula, from Akaroa all the way to Sumner. That took four days of steady paddling along a rugged coastline with steep cliffs plunging into the sea. There are quite a few bays to duck into if the going gets rough or if its time to take a break but also some long sections where there is nowhere to land. There's usually a significant swell out there too. Anyway the guys had a great time although there's a rumour that Dan nearly capsized on the home straight.
Tourism Awards
We've been successful in the New Zealand Tourism Awards during the last two years, being judged New Zealands Best Adventure Operator last year. Entering the Awards makes us take a good look at the way we run the business so its a valuable process to go through, and its very exciting to receive the recognition that winning an Award gives us. We have entered again this year and are finalists in the Eco-tourism category. The winners will be announced in August so we have our fingers crossed.
Finally...
We are always keen to hear from people who have done safaris and those who would like to. Any ideas about the types of trips you would like to do, information we should be providing, what to include in our newsletters, etc. And if you want further information about any of our trips, we'd love to hear from you by email or phone.
Cheers,
Margaret, Michelle, Dan, Malcolm and Mark.