New Zealand Backpacker Travel - Adventure off the beaten track

NEW ZEALAND BACKPACKER ADVENTURE TRAVEL

Activities with Stray

WHAT YOU GET

+ Full access to remote beaches: like Cathedral Cove (for its walks and scenery) and Hot Water Beach (for its hot pools); by staying beside the beach in Hahei between these two great attractions.

+ Unique locations: such as Raglan’s world famous but remote surf and arts area; by going out of our way to get there and staying in an amazing lodge in the bush.

+ Real Maori Culture: with a unique overnight cultural stay at a Marae, a specially developed guided walk at Whakarewarewa Historic Maori Thermal Village and our totally unique ‘run by locals’ East Cape trip.

+ Walks: by going out of our way. For example, the Tongariro Crossing (which Lonely Planet rates as our best one day walk); by taking you to the start of the track, picking you up at the end and then staying the night in the National Park.

+ Local culture: such as on the South Island’s West Coast; by staying in an old gold miners pub and offering unusual alternative activities ranging from gem grabbing to making your own bone carving with a local.

+ Better access to National Parks: by staying closer to them. For example we stay right at the edge of the Abel Tasman National Park instead of in Nelson so you can have the best access possible to our natural playgrounds.

+ Amazing wildlife and rugged scenery: such as found on Stewart Island; by going to the bottom of New Zealand and working in with the local ferry operator to give everyone (including our driver/guide) the chance of going there.

These are the things that blow travellers away which no one else truly offers. We go off the beaten track to link alternative attractions and take the time during the travel days to do them, so you don’t have to break your journey, buy side trips or do some mainstream “made for tourists” activity just to try and experience the things you want.

IT’S REAL

Stray is the most highly regarded and fastest growing travel network because we offer adventurous travellers more of what they want - down to earth real New Zealand. The key difference is that you really can realistically do the things that we list in our brochure and on this website.

Many of the things that we identify on our trips we have to go out of our way and take the time to do. For example, you will rarely want to take the time to jump off a service just to swim in a tidal hot pool (particularly when it’s in the middle of nowhere).

It amazes us that we have to say this but be wary of brochures that indicate that they do things (like the Tongariro Crossing) without saying how they do so (where they really only do a short alternative walk or require you to buy a transfer with another operator). Be aware also that you simply can’t access much of what we think is the best stuff in New Zealand by using public transport – it simply doesn't go there.

SAVE MONEY

Save by getting further off the beaten track.

Firstly, you save because we go to out of the way places that you’d want to visit like the Coromandel, Raglan and the Abel Tasman, so you don’t have to buy extra side trips.

We save you time, by picking you up and dropping you off at your accommodation; and by our extensive knowledge of where and what the best things in New Zealand are (so you’re not wasting time trying to find them yourself!)

We get you deals on the activities over the routes so you can afford to do more; but the less obvious way that you save heaps is because we go off the beaten track and do down to earth things with locals.

There are always free options – but even where there are pay activities like the Maori cultural experience we offer in Rotorua, you’ll find it is about $50 cheaper than the mainstream offerings (and we believe better as well!)