LATEST NEWS FROM INDIGENOUS TRAILS
May 2009: Indigenous Trails becomes the first Maori-owned operator in Tauranga to receive "Qualmark" endorsement for "Endorsed Visitor Activity" and "Endorsed Visitor Service".
"Qualmark is New Zealand tourism's official quality agency. It is a government and private sector partnership between Tourism New Zealand and New Zealand Automobile Association. Qualmark licenses professional and trustworthy New Zealand tourism businesses to use the Qualmark 'tourism's official quality mark' to help international and domestic travellers select places to stay, things to do and ways to get around"
February 2009: INDIGENOUS TRAILS WINS POPULAR INDIGENOUS TOURISM AND BIO-DIVERSITY WEB-SITE AWARD
The winner of the popular count 2009 ITBW Award, announced at the Reisepavillion - International Fair for Alternative Travel in Munich, Germany, is Indigenous Trails (New Zealand)
Highlights on the website include the company's policy promoting sustainability, responsible travel and a review of Maori Legends.
Web 2.0 highlights include videos on YouTube and a gallery of photos on Flickr.
Comments by voters
"Indigenous Trails ... embodies the Indigenous values and create connections between the Indigenous people of NZ and all their clients. I still live on these personal interactions and experiences. Another fact that I think really speaks for Indigenous Trails is there Volunteer program. Through this program many young people get an unique insight on how the indigenous people in NZ live and work."
"Indigenous Trails ... The design of web page seems represent well the Maori spiritual and earthy lifestyle projected as part of their tour. Our touring experience with this group was a learning experience with very positive results. Hence this website reminds us of the extra steps taken by this group to make our visit to New Zealand a special and memorable one."
November 2008: INDIGENOUS TOURISM AND BIODIVERSITY WEBSITE AWARD.
Indigenous Trails has been nominated for the international Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award. We are proud to be the only tourism company in the Bay of Plenty who has received this honour. The winner will be announced in February 2009.
December 2007: HOSTING INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CULTURE & YOUTH
Indigenous Trails has secured the exclusive hosting rights for a
General Assembly to be held in
Tauranga Moana in late November 2009. This week long conference will have
Culture and Youth as the main topic of discussion and the attendees will be made up of delegates representing 34 countries around the world.
Since the early days,
Indigenous Trails has a continuous focus on the quadruple bottom line concept – creating
economic, social, environmental AND
cultural benefits through business. All this combined with a hands-on approach to a number of
volunteer youth exchange programmes, makes
Indigenous Trails the ideal partner to host this 2009 General Assembly. For more information, please
contact us.
November 2007: CRUISE SHIP DAY TOURS A SUCCESS!
Indigenous Trails launched its new Cruise Ship Day Tours of Tauranga and Rotorua for the 2007 - 2008 Cruise Ship season on the 6th November 2007 with immediate success. Cruise passengers wanting to experience Cultural Interaction, Nature, Off the beaten track Trails and Educational Tours have been treated with gracious hospitality (manaakitanga) and learned the importance of Maori traditions and custom. Furthermore, they are invited to participate in an Environmental Activity re-generating a native rain forest area through a tree-planting exercise which they then get to name and tag.
October 2007: NEW ADDITION TO INDIGENOUS TRAILS
On Thursday, 4 October 2007, a brand new addition to Indigenous Trails was born at Kiwi Encounter, the unique Kiwi conservation centre at Rainbow Springs Nature Park in Rotorua. Kiwi Pango hatched between 10.30-11.00 weighing 343.1 grams. This Kiwi chick is the offspring from Waiaraku (mother) and Taiahau (father) of Ohope and we are happy to be this little one's adoptive parents.