Early Spring Musings

By Brian | August 21, 2020

Early Spring Musings While not officially Spring yet, today, Spring is here. Early daffodils are adding a splash of colour to the green of pastures. The grass is growing, but surprisingly wanting some rain. Who would have thought we would ever say that at the end of a Taihape winter? There are a few lambs [...]

Find Me a River, The Ultimate Family Holiday

By Brian | August 15, 2020

Find Me a River, The Ultimate Family Holiday This summer, picture you and the family on a river. Multi-day river trips have long been a favourite family vacation at many destinations overseas. These types of trips vary from just a couple of nights out, to epic adventures that can last 20 days or more, such [...]

The Ancient Art of Tree Crops

By Brian | August 7, 2020

The Ancient Art of Tree Crops Every winter, we plant trees. These days not hundreds of plants, we have run out of space, but rather specific trees for specific purposes. In the last few days, we finished planting a hillside with Thornless Honey Locust trees – (Gleditsia Triacanthos f.Inermis) along with a handful of White [...]

8 Billion Humans are Totally Reliant on Healthy Ecosystems

By Brian | July 14, 2020

8 Billion Humans are Totally Reliant on Healthy Ecosystems I came across this concept the other day, can’t remember where, but it immediately made an impression on me. It goes like this. All of us, close on 8 billion human beings on this planet, rely on healthy ecosystems to survive. We rely on healthy ecosystems [...]

More Than Navel Gazing

By Brian | July 6, 2020

More than Navel Gazing 80% - 90% of our customers at River Valley, before Covid-19 were from overseas. That is a significant statistic when you are planning on how to survive with the current closure of borders. Added to this is the question of no one knowing when they are likely to reopen. In answer [...]

Spring 2020. The Return of the Weekend Warrior

By Brian | June 29, 2020

Spring 2020. The Return of the Weekend Warrior 1988 and the rafting season was pumping. Well, pumping (busy) that is, for that time and place. Set out below is what a typical week looked like for a rafting and adventure lodge business in those times: Monday – housekeeping, cleaning up after the weekend Tuesday – [...]

Where People Work, Mistakes are Made

By Brian | June 20, 2020

Where People Work, Mistakes are Made A recent couple of cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand, following almost a month of no new cases, just goes to show how vulnerable any country is to further outbreaks of the virus. As you would expect there are plenty of recriminations going round about how this happened. When [...]

A Return to Localism? Beyond the Local Farmers Market

By Brian | June 15, 2020

A Return to Localism? Beyond the Local Farmers Market I, for one, welcome the current emphasis, due to the close of international borders, on shopping and travelling locally. I have long been interested in strong communities and having economic benefit them rather than ending in the hands of corporates or heading offshore. But how far [...]

The Folly of Back to Normal

By Brian | June 5, 2020

The Folly of Back to Normal Turn on the TV, listen to the radio, or read somewhat anything from some mainstream commentator regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, and the talk will invariably come to “getting back to normal”. And secretly, or not so secretly that is what most of us desire. We want our lives to [...]

Transforming a Tourism Business Post COVID-19. What Needs to Change?

By Brian | May 29, 2020

Transforming a Tourism Business Post COVID-19. What Needs to Change? River Valley, our adventure company and Lodge, has a long history. It all started way back in the early 1980s at the back of the family farm. The farm boundaries the Rangitikei River, 32kms east of the central North Island town of Taihape. One particularly [...]

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