Environment

Conservation/Charity:
We are committed to putting something back into the New Zealand wilderness and for each client on this trip our local operator contributes $5 per into a Wildlife Research Fund. This fund has contributed to the New Zealand Whale and Dolphin Trust to assist with conservation of Hector's dolphin - one of the rarest marine dolphins in the world, found only in New Zealand waters. These playful dolphins are often seen on our trips and we hope they will still be there in the years to come. There is also the option to have a tree planted on your behalf with the aim of carbon offsetting, re-establishing native species of tree and attracting native birds back to the area.

Activity:
Few vacations have as little detrimental impact on the environment and local residents as a trekking trip. Erosion on and adjacent to popular paths is a growing problem in certain places and therefore our trip leaders encourage clients to stick to advised routes in order to minimise this. We do believe in leaving no more than footprints and have a strict policy with proper disposal of litter. Our staff are trained with environmental stewardship in mind and protective guidelines are then passed on to our clients through briefings in order to keep our impact neutral.

Water:
Water is a really important issue with trekking trips and whilst we must stay hydrated, it is also vital that we have a system for providing clean water without causing lots of waste with plastic bottles. We suggest that instead of repeatedly buying bottled water, guests should use fresh water springs on the way to re-fill a singular container. These springs are clean and are a wonderful resource for reducing plastic waste, or guests can simply re-fill at their accommodation or from the water tanks in our vehicles.

UK Office:
It all starts at home so we have first worked at reducing our carbon footprint in our UK Offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit.

Community

Accommodation & Meals:
The accommodation on this trip is a mixture of hotels, lodges and a majority of cabins- which will help to reduce energy consumption. Many of these housings are part way through or fully completed Qualmark accreditation. Most recently, the YHA Wellington has recieved a gold award for ‘exceeding the highest levels of environmental and social responsibilities’ and representing ‘strong leadership and advocacy.’ There are a mixture of workers here but they are predominantly local to New Zealand and where meals are not provided, we eat locally and spread income to the community.

Group Size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people. The small number also allows us to stay in unique, family-run hotels that cannot benefit from coach tours and other mass tourism due to their limited sizes.