Aotearoa New Zealand is known for its epic wilderness walks and accessible wildlife experiences, and The Coromandel has some of the best. For the many families who haven't grown up with access to our big outdoors, it is completely unfamiliar territory. International visitors especially, with limited time, are sometimes unsure how to arrange a New Zealand nature experience and plan a trip, but they desperately want to venture out on to our tracks and trails and engage with our unique wild environments while they are here.
So that's what our mission is really, to guide people into our nature in a way that gives them a sense of wonder and adventure while making them feel confident and safe and giving them a good taste of Kiwi culture and natural heritage. That includes Māori history, gold mining tales, thousand-year-old trees and yes, a beach with hot water seeping up through the sand. It is all small group and private touring, and we really customise each day to fit in with folk's interests and comfort. It's a very personal experience walking side by side along a forest path and people feel comfortable having in-depth conversations that are not so easy across a table for example. Not that we are lecturing people mind you, we want them to have fun, but you'd be surprised at what they want to know, and what they will tell you. A large cave wētā always gets a good reaction! And we know the best cafes too.
Rose and I are both park rangers, we've worked in other places outside of New Zealand, and environmental conservation in its broadest form is our life purpose. Well, and cycling, but that's another story!
We know that when people make a connection with our native wildlife, they start to care about it, and that's when we can get traction on protecting our biodiversity. We operate and maintain ten AT220 self-setting predator traps in partnership with the Department of Conservation in the forest around Broken Hills and Puketui campground, one of the areas we operate our tours. Since October 2022 these traps have caught over 70 possums and an unknown number of rats (I would think in the hundreds). It can be a bit gory but if clients are interested I will show them a trap when we are up there. We don't gloss over the negative effects of introduced species, plants too.
Kiwi Dundee Adventures is one of New Zealand's oldest guiding companies. Although we haven't owned it from the start, we've been able to add our knowledge of heritage and biodiversity to create new stories to tell on the familiar routes, plus we have some new ones.
We do get repeat clients which is always super rewarding and we love showing them new things on their return. Word of mouth is huge for us, and guests end up feeling like extended family really.
We have changed things a bit in the "quiet" years (let's call them that) when international visitors could not get here. We have always offered multi-day tours out of Auckland in addition to day tours from Coromandel-based accommodation, Nature and Coast being a popular one. Now, we find ourselves travelling more widely, to Hobbiton, Rotorua and beyond. Which is great, and we love getting out in the bush and sharing other great spots in the north island, although we always like to include some walks and explorations on our home turf in Hauraki Coromandel too. 
Ed: Kiwi Dundee Adventures Tours offer the opportunity to discover the real New Zealand, on trails and in places that Kiwis love, but are not on the tourist routes. As one of Aotearoa New Zealand's top guiding companies, the team offers small group and private customised tours and walks in Hauraki, the Coromandel peninsula, and wider New Zealand. Spectacular scenery is guaranteed, with guides sharing their knowledge of nature and history, and some local tales along the way.
