New Zealand Eco Tours

Our Responsible Tourism Statement...

Welcome to Hiking New Zealand, and thank-you for being a responsible and environmentally conscious traveller! If you weren’t you would not have taken the simple step of reading our statement. Our whole business is based around our natural environment, our rivers, mountains, lakes, coastlines, forests and wildlife. These are our assets and our futures depend on them. No doubt you will have high expectations of what you are going to see and experience in New Zealand and we want to ensure that those expectations are met and exceeded, not just now but in the future too. Your children and grandchildren (and generations to come) should also be able to experience that raw and pristine beauty that New Zealand has to offer. To this end we have developed our own environmental plan and welcome your support for this initiative.

Our Story will give you an idea of how we began. Our founding objectives were all about getting people out into the wilderness, to learn, be inspired, and have fun and to foster greater environmental awareness.

Environmental Guidelines we follow when hiking in the wilderness. These guidelines have been modelled on the environmental care code promoted by The Department of Conservation.

New Zealand Wildlife Fund enables you to put something back into preserving some of the unique and endangered creatures that live in New Zealand.

Trees for Trampers in an ideal world we would all be out there in our spare time planting trees, to restore our native habitats, encourage bird life, beautify our neighbourhoods and soak up carbon emissions but in reality, life gets busy and you may not get these opportunities, to make it easier we will plant a tree on your behalf in return for a small donation.

Our environmental plan also includes a multitude of other procedures that are implemented both in our office and out in the field. All these are aimed at reducing our consumption of resources and non renewable energy sources and reusing and recycling instead of sending to the landfill.
We will continue to promote hiking as a tourism activity as we firmly believe that the benefits are far reaching, the environmental effects are low and very much outweighed by the fact that the preservation of our natural world depends on getting people from all walks of like out there to experience it. That way we can all know how much there is to lose, and doing nothing is not an option.

Hiking New Zealand's Environmental Guidelines

We believe in the old adage of leaving nothing behind, but footprints to keep our tours in New Zealand as eco friendly as possible. By following the guidelines below, we can help ensure that generations to come will enjoy New Zealand eco tours:

Protect plants and animals - Treat New Zealand's forests and birds with care and respect. They are unique and often rare.

Remove rubbish - Litter is unattractive, harmful to wildlife and can increase vermin and disease. Plan your trips to reduce rubbish and carry out what you carry in.

Bury toilet waste - In areas without toilet facilities, bury your toilet waste in a shallow hole well away from waterways, tracks, campsites and huts. This helps to stop the spread of Giardia.

Keep streams and lakes clean - When cleaning and washing, take the water and wash well away from the water source.
Because soaps and detergents are harmful to water-life, drain used water into the soil which acts as a filter. If you suspect the water may be contaminated, boil it for at least three minutes, filter it, or chemically treat it.

Take care with fires - Portable fuel stoves are less harmful to the environment and are more efficient than fires. If you do use a fire, keep it small, use only dead wood, and make sure it is out by dousing it with water and checking the ashes before leaving.

Camp carefully - When camping, leave no trace of your visit.

Keep to the track - By keeping to the track, where one exists, you lessen the chance of damaging fragile plants.

Consider others - People enjoy the back country and rural areas for many reasons. Be considerate to other visitors who also have a right to enjoy the natural environment.

Respect our cultural heritage - Many places in New Zealand have a spiritual and historical significance. Treat these places with consideration and respect.

Enjoy your visit - Enjoy your outdoors experience. Take a last look before leaving an area; will the next visitor know that you have been there?

"Guidelines for New Zealand eco tours from Hiking New Zealand."