Committed to Conservation
Our philosophy is to ensure our incredible natural environment is improved for future generations.
Native Planting
In 2012 we teamed up with Wanaka’s Te Kakano Aotearoa Trust a community based, non-profit native plant nursery and the Queenstown Lakes District Council to replant native trees/shrubs along a very special section of Lake Wanaka’s shoreline- the Mt Aspiring lookout at Glendhu Bay.
Every person that takes part in an experience with us helps with this ongoing project as we donate a percentage of earnings to purchasing native trees which we plant out once a year. Everyone that comes to Wanaka is touched by it’s natural beauty, this is a chance for those that choose to travel with us to give something back to the Wanaka community.
To date we have planted more than 450 trees in our project area. Most of the trees we have planted are Red Beech which were common around the lake edges of Lake Wanaka in pre-human times. . When planted, they are about 1m tall, many are now 8-10m tall.
It makes us very proud to say that we are responsible for the best example of regenerating beech forest on the shore of Lake Wanaka today.
We pass by our planting area on each safari so everyone gets to see exactly where their support is going.
We have been involved in predator control since 2016 when we joined the The Matukituki Animal Pest Control Project, an initiative to provide a more strategic, coordinated and integrated approach to animal predator control within the Matukituki Valley Catchment, near Wanaka. We also received support from the Longview Environmental Trust who provided our stoat traps.
The project covers an area of 40,000 ha and comprises 4 local conservation trusts, Department of Conservation, several landowners and tourism operators looking after more than 2000 traps. The key primary objectives for the project are to protect the lower and mid altitude important ecosystems, so as to sustain a healthy environment and to maintain and increase the population of the significant native species within those ecosystems, with the focus on avi fauna. Our contribution of 32 traps are located on our Wild Hills Safari and Wanaka High Country Walk route
We are responsible for clearing and re-baiting traps which we undertake with our guests on every safari serving as a great “hands-on” platform to educate people to the plight of our native birds. A further commitment to the Kaitiakitanga or guardianship of NZ as a whole
A big thank you from our local native birds, to all our guests over the past 3 years. You have collectively ensured there are 48 fewer pests in the wild. If you were not booking our safaris, we wouldn’t be up here doing this great mahi for our environment. Let’s keep up this great work. Thank you.