Although the number of tours operating drops away over the winter we still manage to be kept busy here at the office.  The winter is also an opportunity for the head office team to take some leave. 

Glenys Erskine is not only going to be enjoying some warmth in Samoa for a few weeks she is also donating two weeks of her time over there to assist in building homes for those who lost their homes in the tsunamis in late 2009. 

Andre Booth is taking his partner and 7 month old son on a tour of the upper North Island. A great chance for his Canadian partner to see more of our beautiful country.

Mark Brabyn is off to Samoa with his family for some relaxation in the sunshine.

Daniel & Anne Murphy are taking their children to Australia to visit family who have jumped the ditch and made Australia their home.

Travel for everyone in the office this winter, but hiking still features on everyone’s agenda. Five of the Hiking New Zealand team explored the Two Thumb region, when they hiked from Mesoptamia Station over the hills to Lake Tekapo. Photos of this hike can be viewed on our Facebook page. This region has just recently opened to the public and now administered by the Department of Conservation.

New website launched - we are absolutely thrilled with the final version of the site, not only does it look fantastic it is easy to navigate and able to be translated with ease. It has been an exceptionally large task as we have kept the work within our Hiking NZ community. Gregor Brabyn, Mark’s brother, has built the site for us. It has been fabulous having Greg build the site as he worked in the business in a full time role for a couple of years so has an intricate understanding of our clients.

GST – the government announced an increase in GST (Goods and Service Tax) of 2.5% to come into effect on the 1st of October 2010. This has meant many tour prices have increased. However, there is always a silver a lining and in this case there is the chance to save 2.5% on some tours if booked and paid in full before the 30th of September. Check our specials page to see where savings can be made.

It was a great pleasure for Hiking New Zealand to have a genuine West Coast born and bred guide in our offering of guides this season and fingers crossed for the next few seasons too.  In New Zealand anyone from the West Coast of the South Island is “affectionately” referred to as a “Coaster”. No other region in NZ celebrates its individuality and regional identity quite as much as the West Coast. On the coast the pioneer past lurks just below the surface of modern day life. Sophy actually left the coast about six years ago for overseas travel, and spent about six years living and working abroad, mainly working in the profession of White Water Rafting. Rafting took Sophy to Turkey, Morocco, Switzerland, Zambia and Zimbabwe, not to mention stints working on New Zealand rivers as well. In 2008 Sophy took a break from the rafting and along with her friend, organised a three month self-supported expedition on horseback through the Indian Himalaya region. This was a journey of epic proportions, and we have all enjoyed hearing the great yarns (told in true Coaster style) about stroppy horses, saddle sores, over zealous Indian men and even leading a horse down a wrought iron spiral staircase to get to some grazing! 

Sophy is now residing in Christchurch and studying for a degree in law and political science.  I nearly forgot to mention that like a lot of Coasters, Sophy has a real passion for wild foods, and backed up by plenty of experience working as a chef means Sophy has a real talent for whipping up authentic and delicious meals. If you are lucky enough to get Sophy as your guide, see if you can get her to do the Mountain Oysters with a side of Sautéed Huhu grubs. Weka kebabs are strictly off the menu, even if they do steal your socks! 

At the end of each summer we take our Hiking New Zealand team away to celebrate another season. We have stayed at some fantastic venues- Hanmer Springs, Akaroa, Diamond Harbour, but this year is going to be a difficult destination to top. We took our guides, head office team and partners to Shearwater Lodge on the Kaikoura Wilderness Hike.

We could not have asked for better weather over the weekend. From the moment the vans left Christchurch on Friday morning until our return on Sunday evening the weather was perfect. The drive to the start of the track 40 minutes north of Kaikoura allowed the team to catch up, as many of the guides do not get to see the other guides during the season as their guiding timetables have them scattered throughout the country.

We were met by our Kaikoura Wilderness Walk guide, Lance, at the farm woolshed. As Lance talked about the hiking we would get to enjoy over the next three days Nicky, the owner, highlighted some of the fantastic initiatives they have introduced to operate a remote luxury lodge that is off the grid in terms of electricity and miles from day-to-day amenities and facilities. It was great to start walking and the pleasant mix of bush and forest had everyone enthused about the weekend. As we reached Totara Saddle we rounded the corner to be greeted by a welcoming Nicky and beautifully laid out picnic table with refreshments, fruit and cake. After a refreshing break we continued on our walk and deer spotting. We certainly saw our share of wild deer and wondered weather venison would be on the menu. As we started the walk after lunch Shearwater Lodge did not come into view until after 5pm. The sight of this stunning lodge just beckoned us as we looked over and saw the deck bathed in the last of the day’s sunshine. The setting for this lodge could not be more outstanding, towering mountains are the backdrop with steep scree slopes giving way to lush bush.

Arriving at the lodge did not disappoint us; refreshments on the deck gave us all a chance to appreciate where we were. The rooms are well-appointed and there was not too much squabbling as to who would take the staff quarters seeing we exceeded the number of guest rooms. An evening sitting in front of the open fire place being swallowed by the luxurious leather couches was rounded off perfectly with local wines.

The following morning we headed up to Surveyor’s Peak where we gazed at the panoramic views. We were a hard group to get moving again despite hiking being our profession. With a calm sea and towering mountains we all found a spot and on the rocks and enjoyed the warmth of the sun. The return journey to the lodge included a fantastic scree run. Those with questionable knees took it a little slower but those of us yet to know the pain of a knee injury gave ourselves over to gravity and speed and zig-zagged as fast as we could down the slope whooping and yahooing!

The Sunday saw the group divide with some making the most of the opportunity to summit the legendary "Te Ao Whekere" or "World of the Gods" peak. Te Ao Wherkere is the highest peak in the Seaward Kaikoura range at 2,590m. It was a big day for that group but the photos and general banter proved it was worth it. Those of us not so game or with commitments back in Christchurch enjoyed a leisurely morning at the lodge and gentle stroll back down to the vehicles walking on different tracks to those we took on the first day.

It was the perfect way to finish off another enjoyable and successful season. The guides make the trips and we are incredibly lucky here at Hiking New Zealand to have a superb bunch of people in the team.