infonews.co.nz
INDEX
TOURISM

Ziptrek's locals' day came up tops for local and global organisations

Monday 5 November 2012, 12:24PM

By Ziptrek Ecotours

457 views

First Ziptrek Kea tour of the day. (L to R) Tom Rhodes, Sarah Wilkinson, Richard Shenton, Steve Spencer, Leanne O'Brien, Matthew Brendan Pavletich, Tomas Whelan Henderson, Alexandra Sevier, Douglas Henderson, Olivia Whelan Henderson, Hayley Smith.
First Ziptrek Kea tour of the day. (L to R) Tom Rhodes, Sarah Wilkinson, Richard Shenton, Steve Spencer, Leanne O'Brien, Matthew Brendan Pavletich, Tomas Whelan Henderson, Alexandra Sevier, Douglas Henderson, Olivia Whelan Henderson, Hayley Smith. Credit: Ziptrek Ecotours
Ziptrek Ecotours' staff members Brad Saville and Taylor Oakeshott enjoying a busy locals day.
Ziptrek Ecotours' staff members Brad Saville and Taylor Oakeshott enjoying a busy locals day. Credit: Ziptrek Ecotours

QUEENSTOWN

Multi-award-winning Queenstown-based tourism company Ziptrek Ecotours helped locals take to the trees this Saturday, (November 3) all for two good causes.

The locals’ day was a huge success with all tours booked out days in advance. The ‘locals’ price of just $33 for the Kea 6-line or Moa 4-line tour benefitted global and local organisations Kiva.org and the Kiwi & Birdlife Park.

The guests on the day were able to choose which of the organisations to donate the $10 to, or decide to split it, and Ziptrek was pleased to be able to raise $2350 in total.

In keeping with the company’s ethos of supporting local and global organisations as part of their own sustainable business practice, the chosen beneficiaries this year were global social charity Kiva.org, a ‘micro loan’ organisation that helps empower people out of poverty, and local environmental organisation Kiwi & Birdlife Park.  

Kiwi & Birdlife Park director Paul Wilson said he was “thrilled” that Ziptrek had chosen to support them this year.

“The money raised will be going towards our juvenile tuatara enclosure upgrade, which we’re hoping to open in 2013,” he said.

Ziptrek Ecotours director Trent Yeo said the company was “extremely proud” to be helping another local community organization through its locals' day.

“It is not just the economic value for organisations but partnership and exposure that can be mutually gained.  Another successful day in the forest, with many locals getting behind us and supporting the things we care about,” he said.

“It was our biggest day since we launched the Kea 6-line tour, the world’s steepest tree-to tree zipline, in 2010, so as a result we were thrilled to be able to donate money for the great causes of ancient reptiles and global entrepreneurship.”

The Kiwi Birdlife Park is devoted to helping conserve New Zealand’s native fauna through captive breeding and advocacy, education, research, rehabilitation and by providing a sanctuary for free-roaming native wildlife.

Kiva is a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging online transparency and the increasing phenomenon of microfinance, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world, which in turn gets paid forward into another loan.