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Rainforest, Volcanoes and Maori culture.

The centre of the North Island is where we like to introduce our clients to Maori culture - deep, rich, humourous and accepting. Against a backdrop of geothermal sites, rainforest, mountains and rivers. Quite a few adventure activities are available here - excellent hiking, cycling, horse riding, rafting. And the fishing and hunting are world class.

This is the main geothermal belt of New Zealand and can be experienced on foot (live calderas), by helicopter, float plane and so on.  And the many lakes, themselves often the issue of volcanic activity.  And of course the fertile soil and vegetation one would expect.  White Island is currently off the menu, pending review.

From the iconic Huka Lodge, long the front runner of New Zealand's luxury lodges, through to boutique lodges, fishing lodges and private houses, there is a wide variety of places to stay.  And the wilderness activities are high grade, although we would counsel against hiking the Tongariro Crossing in high season - as we say "Great Walks, Great Marketing, Great Crowds".   

For us though, the main drawcard here is Maori culture.  We have been working hard with the locals for over a decade to help preserve their culture and present it to high end clients in a fresh and unforced way, alive and exciting.  This sort of experience is often what people remark upon after their trips, not the bling.   

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