New Zealand South Island self drive tour

Planet

When we travel, we have a responsibility to make sure that the countries we visit are left in the same or better state than we found them. With this in mind, our itinerary features hotels, tours and transportation means which minimize the impact on the environment. We choose suppliers who are dedicated to preserving the environment by minimizing their impact on the surroundings and so we have carefully hand-selected properties with this in mind.

Aligned with our responsible travel values, we have also selected tours which provide up-close encounters with native wildlife, without impacting the animals in their natural habitat. Included within this itinerary in Akaroa, a place known for its pristine, abundant dolphin population. Black Cat Cruises, provides a portion of every ticket goes to researching and educating people about the Hector's dolphins. It comes as no surprise that Akaroa is renowned for its high conversation and community values. We have carefully selected a visit to this spectacular destination in support of the active effort to protect the life and land.

We support a charity which encourages guests to take three items of litter from the beach when they visit, to help keep our oceans clean by reducing waste and pollution. We also encourage our guests to travel via low carbon transport to minimize their impact on the surroundings.

People

Within this itinerary we have included properties that are locally owned and operated like French Bay House in Akaroa. Boutique accommodations like this have small numbers of guests who can be catered for specifically, reducing excess waste. Not only does this create a more personalized and unique experience, our guests are minimizing their impact on the environment whilst they travel. Our guests are therefore, enjoying nature and their surrounds without impacting the natural beauty of the region and knowing that they are travelling responsibly.

We promise to have a positive effect on the local communities encountered on this journey. We have used a number of measures to ensure that travelers are helping the local community to thrive, spreading the tourism income to those met along the journey. We promise to support the community through the use of local guides and active encouragement to visit local producers, craft makers and cultural attractions, within this itinerary a highlight is the local guiding in Kaikoura. The boat guides’ expert knowledge of the local region is astounding, and their enthusiasm is infectious, there is plenty to learn about how they are playing their part in protecting and maintaining the natural beauty of the area.