Having been set up as a VIP luxury travel company, our task is to find and keep finding special people and places which we believe define New Zealand to any visitor. We have been at this task for a number of years and now have an extensive and varied line-up which has delighted many travellers and locals alike. When we explain to locals what we do for our foreign travellers, they are also usually enthused and excited. This is not tired, re-hashed tourism “product” - these are good, fresh, authentic experiences.
The founder of the company, Jean-Michel Jefferson, spent many years travelling remote parts of North Africa and the Middle East - meeting Berber jewellery makers in hilltop towns in the Atlas mountains, fishing with handlines from an Arab dhow, and eating the catch on deck, sitting with influential locals in their majlis and discussing the political situation. This is the sort of thing we try and recreate for our travellers - real experiences and real meetings with interesting characters in memorable settings - this is what stays in the memory a lot longer than a good value hotel suite or a cheap airfare.
We cannot list here all our special people and places as it would be a never-ending task. But here are a few, to give you a feel as to our style and philosophy:
· Maori Welcome. Most peoples' experience of a Maori welcome is a hackneyed “show” given to between 20 and 200 visitors several times a day. The visitors are unknown to the Maori and vice versa. In Maori culture, a welcome and a meeting is all about knowledge, and not really about flax skirts and grimacing faces. The standard product has substituted form for substance. In the Maori world, the welcoming process is actually a process of getting to know your visitor - first of all by ensuring they do not come with aggressive intent, and then understanding where they come from and why they are here. Correctly undertaken (as it is every day in Maori communities) it is a wonderful, enriching ceremony. We have access to Maori who can perform this properly for our guests - either as part of a wonderful historical re-enactment in the Bay of Islands of the initial contact between missionaries and Hongi Hika's fierce Nga Puhi tribe; or in a modern but timeless Maori community on 90-Mile Beach - our own marae who gave us permission to use the name “Ahipara” where you will be welcomed for real and stay for a traditional meal, Te Rarawa style.
· There is more to the Maori world than the welcome. Our marae at Ahipara will also take visitors who can live with the community and participate in traditional activities - from carving and weaving through to fishing and meal preparation. We have access to Maori around New Zealand who can provide a unique insight into this country - both ancient and modern - from a remote beach walk in Auckland to hikes around Taupo, the Bay of Islands, East Cape or the Marlborough Sounds. Waka (outrigger canoe) rides, cave visits, carver visits, horseriding, hunting, even some special time with the foremost Maori shipbuilder for a select few.
· Special activity providers. As everyone knows, some activity providers are better than others. Some are also very good at repeat, volume activities. Our focus is elsewhere - on those who can connect our guests to their activity and to New Zealand - those who can provide high quality personalized service. These range from a quad bike operator on 300ft sand dunes, to a lovely classic launch in Auckland Harbour, to a helicopter flight over the Southern Alps, to a remote jetboat operator and so on. We only recommend people who we know are good.
· Not commercially available. This is a difficult category as almost everyone is commercially available - perhaps this would be better termed “not obviously available” or “usually has a day-job”. We have contracted the likes of Olympic gold medallist windsurfer Bruce Kendall, Badminton equestrian Ginny Loisel, New Zealand no.1 tennis player Dan Willman, top TV gardener and chef Tony Murrell, and a host of others from wine marketers to Special Forces operatives who teach our clients how to track in the deep rainforest.
These activities can either be planned into an itinerary which becomes a tour of New Zealand or a part of New Zealand. This tour can incorporate scenery, wine and food and transport as standard, and then a mix of our favourite activities and people as appropriate to the client.
After about a year in business we realised that what we were doing was putting together a series of events for our clients. We took this strand of thought and developed some events for corporate clients which brought our freshness and creativity to that sector. Successes to date include:
· 35 executives rally driving in top specification cars on New Zealand rally circuit, mass scenic helicopter transfer, and formation simulated divebombing with 6 1930s Harvard 2-seat aircraft.
· A pub crawl with a difference - we put one of our people undercover in each of four bars and the delegates had to “spot the spook” - we had a barman, bounder, lady with a child and grumpy boozer
· A corporate group of 30 enjoying Christmas drinks at the iconic Karekare surf club (on the beach where The Piano was filmed), incorporating some canyoning, lamb on a spit and hot smoked salmon and salads served on tables with white tablecloths
· Land yachting and riding chariots from Xena in the surf, driven by the original stunt doubles from Xena, Warrior Princess, in full costume. This was followed by a clifftop sunset meal.
· A 300-person event where we themed a steam train Soviet 1940s, complete with posters and original uniforms and weapons and mini-skirted ladies in Soviet uniforms and boots serving vodka shots. We hijacked the train and escorted the guests at gunpoint to the “partisans camp” in a marquee where we had gypsy musicians and dancers and plenty of food and booze.
· A group of 12 young ladies going through a confidence building day with special forces operatives where they abseiled down a 55-metre waterfall
So, what we do for our clients is create special days - from a simple tour of Auckland (or not so simple if you take a Maori guide or an architect with you), through to mini-events and complex larger events. For our tourists we focus heavily on discovering New Zealand through its people, activities and places. For our corporates, depending on their needs, we can also do this or go for something themed.
