What's In A Name? On every river throughout the world where rafting, canoeing and kayaking takes place, rapids have been named. These names, the origins of which have sometimes been lost, often tell a story of an incident, while others are named after a natural rock or water feature. These stories offer glimpses into [...]
Does Anyone Really Care? I recently read some disturbing comments made by Sudima Hotels director Les Morgan. These were published in the tourism trade newsletter, Inside Tourism. He had been asked if his company had addressed sustainability issues. His reply was that first, the business had to be sustainable economically. He then went on [...]
A Whole Viewpoint of Combating Climate Change Imbalance in one element effects other related elements. This would seem to be self-evident, however when we look at our response to the unfolding climate and ecological dramas that beset us it does not appear obvious at all. New Zealand has committed to planting one billion trees [...]
A River Rescue Workshop Going white-water rafting and not sure what safety systems are in place? Read on! You may not know it, but New Zealand has one of the most highly regulated white-water rafting industries in the world. This level of regulation seeks to ensure that people going rafting are [...]
Building a Community? That healthy communities, and recognition of the interconnectedness of communities, is critical as we go on as a human civilisation I would have thought is a given. But first, let me make it clear that when I say communities I mean all communities, both human and non-human. As far as this [...]
Back On The Horse Since the earliest days of River Valley, horse trekking experiences have been an integral part of the overall River Valley offerings, with the first treks offered in the late 1980s. Over this time the culture and practices of offering these rides has changed a good deal. This has [...]
The Bigger, Better, Vegetable Garden If you have either visited River Valley in recent years, or been following us online, you will know that a strong part of our ethic is attempting to be a regenerative business. A business that has a primary aim to benefit the land, nature, local community, family, [...]
Customer Feedback Award for Accommodation of the Year This is a time of year when I really struggle to discipline myself to write. As I sit here in my office and look outside, the garden with a myriad of brightly coloured flowers and the lush green of the lawn are glowing in beautiful spring [...]
Extreme Weather Events In what increasingly appears to be the new order of things, last week (4th & 5th September 2018) the Ruahine Range on the central North Island of New Zealand was hit by another weather bomb. Originally the weather forecast only mentioned snow to 800m or 900m. This spring snowfall was only [...]
Whio Whio Picture in your mind a land, the last major habitable land mass on earth that had not been settled by human beings. These forest covered islands had been isolated for millions of years. They were geologically young, part of the Pacific ring of fire, with volcanoes and earthquakes bringing land up from [...]
