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Private and Custom tours...
Would you like something different from our scheduled cycling, hiking or multi-activity tours? Adventure South has 20 years of experience in creating special and custom made tours. Over the last few seasons we have run a variety of special departures including -
- A group of friends cycling in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam
- A bush walking club from Port McQuarrie, Australia on a hiking tour of the West Coast
- Japanese cyclists raising awareness of the environment on an Earth Ride in New Zealand
- A bespoke up-market cycling tour for a group of American celebrities & business moguls
- A group of tandem Riders on their second tour of the Deep South
- Californian film students on a hiking adventure in the Southern Alps.
If you are planning a special tour for your family, cycling or sports club, school, work place or group of friends, have a read through the information below and contact us at : guide@advsouth.co.nz
“We had a fantastic experience in New Zealand. Bas and Rossco were personable, more then knowledgeable and worked tirelessley to give us a good time. It was the best bicycle trip I have been on and I have been on many! Belive me, we will talk to friends in our cycling communities about our experience with Adventure South and hope to travel with you again in the near future" - Edith Baxter, Bicycle Adventure Club custom tour, Feb 2012
“ All contacts with Adventure south were good, informative, friendly and all requests for information were answered promptly. This helped a lot in building the trust that we were dealing with a professional operation. Our tour guide, Tim was excellent and greatly assisted the enjoyment of the trip “ - Jim L’Estrange, Australia, Organiser, Custom Cycling tour, March 2012
“Anyone thinking of taking a trip with these guys. Don't hesitate. They are so helpful and encouraging in all situations. Will certainly chose them next time around, and there will be a next time even if it's just an excuse to eat the great food. Thanks heaps.” - Jeanette O’Brien, Australia, Snowshoe Tour, August 2012
 Japan Custom Cycle Tours - 2011/2012 In October 2011, 22 Bicycle Adventure Club riders from the USA circuited Kyushu Island in Southern Japan and in May 2012 a group of 12 returning clients, cycled with Geoff & Shelley on our new Noto Peninsula & Gifu tour. You can see photos from this tour on our facebook page.
The roads in Japan are ideal with very little traffic, good shoulders and rural footpaths that are ideal to ride on, plus there are some wonderful dedicated bike trails. Combine this with the courteous local drivers, plus some spectacular coastal routes and you have a recipe for cycling success. Japan is a wonderful country for cycle touring & by travelling as a group we are able to offer some competitive rates.
Japan is a long country from top to bottom, the islands of Hokkaido in the north, and Kyushu & Shikoku in the south are all far enough away, to be unaffected by the recent tragic earthquake & tsunami in Honshu. By travelling to and spending money in Japan you are helping the country get back on its feet and back to normal.
“The tour was a brilliant mix of great cycling, cultural activities, wonderful food & good accommodation.” - Mary Mullane, Australia, Noto-Gifu Tour, May 2012
“I appreciate as always the energy & tireless efforts of Ayaka & Kennichi, keep everything going the same!” - Arthur Fadden, Australia, Noto-Gifu Tour, May 2012
"I loved this tour, the cycling is superb, the people are wonderful, the scenery is spectacular. The 'secrets' of Hokkaido were certainly revealed on this tour." - Carol Anderson, USA, Bicycling Adventure Club, Hokkaido Custom Cycle Tour, July 2010
 Tandems East & Bicycle Adventure Club Return to New Zealand
Tandems East & Bicycle Adventure Club Return to New Zealand Our great friends from Tandems East in New Jersey returned in January 2012 for the fifth time, to ride their Tandems on a repeat of their very successful Deep South tour of 2008. Coincidentally the Bicycle Adventure Club from the USA are also returned to New Zealand for the fifth time in February, also to ride with us in the deep south of the South Island. The empty roads & spectacular scenery combined with quality lodgings & great southern food make this a wonderful cycling destination and a great option for private tours.
"I can’t imagine how the trip could be any better. The guides certainly made the trip memorable & I would come back just because of them.” - Jacques Smith, USA, BAC Deep South tour, Feb 2012.
“Thanks for a fabulous tour, it was much more than we expected. The guides, Baz and Craig, were fantastic.” - Steve & Roni Swain, USA, Tandems East tour, Jan 2012
Custom Cycle Tours for serious riders
Over recent years we have hosted several groups of riders who want to challenge themselves by riding good distances as well as enjoying the spectacular New Zealand scenery and the benefit of a fully supported tour. These cyclists have been pleasantly surprised to realize the cost effectiveness of travelling in a group and have certainly enjoyed the support of our specialist long distance cycling guides.
“Just wanted to thank Bas for making this trip especially enjoyable. His patience, knowledge of the area & sense of humor made for many specialist moments.” - Jill Wiesman, USA, BAC tour, Feb 2012
“We had a great time and think that you guys, and Craig, did a great job of organizing the ride and taking care of logistics during the days so that we could focus on cycling.” – Jenny Sutton, Hong Kong, Custom Serious Cycling Tour, May 2011
 Molesworth tour popular for groups
Our Molesworth Cycle Tour is a great option for groups of friends to cycle together, in a remote and mythical part of New Zealand. Last summer we had several private groups enjoying this tour and already demand is strong for the 2012/13 season. It is important to remember that we have a limited time frame for travelling through the Molesworth & our unique accommodation options (a boutique winery and shearers quarters on a high country Merino farm) need to be booked well in advance.
“Geoff, many thanks for an amazingly successful and enjoyable trip through the Molesworth. The feedback from all of our group has been overwhelmingly positive and we all feel that the trip was very special and highly memorable. Rosie and I feel it ranks right up there with the very best things we have ever done. We really enjoyed the expert, friendly and professional guidance from you and Shelly.” - Roger Parr, New Zealand, Molesworth Special Group, March 2012
 Vietnam Custom Tours
The Vietnamese economy is based on the US dollar and due to the weakened USD it is a great time to travel there right now - as a custom group we can provide you with a good price based on the current exchange rate. We can also incorporate added value for your Vietnamese tour with extra travel throughout the country, based around your Mekong Delta Cycle Tour or Limestone Landscapes Cycle tour with us.
“We had a blast! Adventure South has got a great thing going in Vietnam! Our guide Binh was fantastic! I don’t think any other tour would have been as good. The best parts for me were the “off the beaten track” experiences.….and being at “grass roots” we certainly got to experience & eat things you wouldn’t normally.”- Tracey Murphy, New Zealand, Private Mekong Delta tour, May 2012
“A good balance of cycling, activities and free time- it was an absolutely fantastic experience. Great to be looked after totally by the guides – its such a treat not to have to think when you are on holiday.” - Joanne Brownie, new Zealand, Limestone Landscapes private tour, September, 2011
School & Charity Groups ride the Otago Rail Trail
The Otago Rail Trail is perfect for a budget custom tour as it presents a challenge to complete the distance, while offering some unique quality character lodgings at good prices. This season we have a father & son group from Knox Grammer School in Sydney returning to ride the trail with us for a third time as well as charity fund raising groups. This season we have also developed our Otago Rail Trail Gold and Otago Rail Trail Family tours as on demand custom group options. It is important to remember that this is a very popular trail with limited group accommodation options, so if you are looking for a good challenge for your school, family, friends or charity group we advise you to book soon.
“Our guide Pip, was excellent. She was never flustered, she was always open to side trip suggestions & managed a group like ours with ease” - Bren Dorman, New Zealand, Private Otago rail trail tour, Feb 2012.
“My girlfriends and I were in NZ last week and cycled the rail trail with Adventure South and had a wonderful time. Lots of fun! lots of cycling....chatting...sightseeing....met some lovely people...ate some yummy food...drank some delicious wines. Our two non cycling grannies were with us as well and they also had a great time and were very well looked after. Rossco and Nick were our tour guides and very much helped make the trip the great holiday that it was. So....thank you again!!” - the Aussie girls, Tamara, Helen, Kerry, Sylvia and Anna (Glenda and Jacqui), Otago Rail Trail, April 2012
“I have been meaning to write to convey to you how well the cycle tour went. Our driver/guide Geoff was really fantastic, good humored, helpful, informative about the area and just a nice guy. All round we were more than satisfied with customer service from Adventure South commencing from the day of our initial enquiry.” - Denise and Doug Beard, Australia, Otago Rail Trail, March 2011.
 Adventure South goes North
Last summer we hosted three private groups on a series of tours in Northland, New Zealand in February and March 2012. The unseasonal weather at times made these trips challenging for our guides & clients but everybody still had a great time. We are heading north again this summer in search of the normally stable autumn weather in this incredibly scenic part of New Zealand. We still have room for another group to ride with us up north so please get in touch if this is of interest to you?
“Craigs preparation, expertise, personality and willingness to be flexible was a highlight. Cycling was a fabulous way to tour this part of New Zealand – we adored the Bay of Islands.” - Judy Engall, Australia, Northland Custom tour, March 2012.
“Bas and Craig were really fantastic. The innovation, resourcefulness and flexibility in handling extreme weather conditions was incredible. They determined to give us the best holiday under the circumstances, even if this meant blowing the budget!!! I would certainly tour with Adventure South again.” - Kate Girdwood, Australia, Northland Custom Tour, March 2012.
 Special Custom Hiking and Multi-Activity Tours Not everyone can fit into our scheduled tours – due to either time or interest constraints. Over the years we have also organized a vast array of hiking and multi-activity specials. In recent years we hosted private tours for,...
- A group of French hikers on a 19 day tour
- Some hardy hikers from the Biblimun Foundation in West Australia, walked the challenging Hump Ridge tack in Fiordland
- A group from the Port MacQuarrie Bushwalkers club enjoying a hiking journey with us along the West Coast of the South Island
- A family group from the USA on a private North Island multi-activity Encounter tour
- check out this great short documentary from Mathew Blake of Chapman University, California, made on the custom film students hiking tour and featuring our guide Stefan telling his tale - “Ready for the Mountains”
Any of our scheduled Hiking or Encounter departures are suitable for private groups at dates of your choice so please get in touch with us to discuss options.
“The week we spent with Alison was fantastic. She is a wonderful guide, and we all enjoyed her company as well as her expertise in handling our group. Nothing was too much trouble to her and she expertly adapted our itinerary to suit the weather or our phyical capabilities. We were all sad when the week was over and will miss Alison's cheery chatter, ready smile and jokes, as well as the wealth of interesting information she had at her fingertips. Thank you and all the other Adventure South staff who had a part in organising our tour. It will be a truly memorable experience.” – Linda Lawrence, Australia, Hiking custom tour, Nov, 2011.
“Stefan was the perfect guide – very knowledgeable, patient with the never-ending questions, friendly & helpful. Your country is breathtakingly friendly & very tourist-friendly.” - Julie Fagan, USA, Private family tour, Jan 2012
Whether you are a school group looking for an educational experience, a hiking club looking for some challenging walking or a family group looking for a school holiday break we can help you create the tour of a lifetime. If you have a group and want us to develop an itinerary with you, please contact us now at guide@advsouth.co.nz
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