Experience the New Zealand We Know And Love
Personally hosted journeys through the real rhythm of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Gentle Adventures is a more personal and connected way to experience Aotearoa New Zealand.
The places we share with you aren’t picked from a tourism brochure. They are our places - places and experiences that we visit and revisit time and time again.
Over the years, while hosting and travelling alongside our guests, we started to notice something. What people remembered most wasn’t the packed itinerary or the polished tourist performance. It was the feeling.
The slower pace.
The genuine conversations.
The personal connection.
The feeling of being welcomed in, rather than just passing through.
That’s what slowly shaped the idea behind Gentle Adventures.
We’ve created journeys that feel more grounded, more relaxed, and more connected to the real rhythm of New Zealand, combining stunning landscapes, authentic Māori cultural connection, thoughtful hosting, and time to properly enjoy where you are.
A gentler yet still adventurous way to experience New Zealand.
Experience the New Zealand we love
New Zealand is naturally beautiful.
Stunning coastlines, native forests, geothermal landscapes, islands, mountains, and places that leave people speechless are never far away.
The amazing part comes easily here.
But underneath that is another layer of New Zealand that many visitors never get to experience.
A quieter layer.
A more personal layer.
The places, people, stories, and moments that only reveal themselves through local connection, trust, time, and invitation.
If you search deeply enough, you can find it.
Alongside some of New Zealand’s iconic experiences — cultural performances, storytelling, geothermal destinations, and the places people travel across the world to see — Gentle Adventures also opens the door to a more personal side of the country.
Through longstanding local relationships, guests will have the opportunity to spend time within Māori communities on ancestral land, sharing in everyday moments, conversations, food, stories, and experiences that most travellers would never ordinarily encounter.
For us, that’s where some of the most meaningful experiences happen.
The Gentle Adventures approach is about slowing things down and experiencing places properly.
That might mean relaxed e-bike rides along the Bay of Plenty coastline, gentle walks through native forest, exploring islands, soaking in premium geothermal bathing, sharing meals together, or sitting down for kōrero conversations with people whose connection to the land and sea runs deep.
From Auckland and the Coromandel through to Rotorua, Tauranga, and the wider Bay of Plenty, our journeys are shaped around places we genuinely know and continue to return to ourselves.
Not just places to visit but places with meaning, history, connection, and story.
For us, it’s the combination of both worlds, the iconic experiences people hope to see, alongside the personal experiences they never expected, that creates a deeper understanding of New Zealand and the culture that continues to shape it today.
Sharing the New Zealand we know and love, beyond the usual path.
Personally Hosted
Kia ora.
We are Maru and Greer, the owners and personal hosts of Gentle Adventures.
Over the years, we have hosted many international groups and friends and found ourselves continually bringing them back to the same places we love and enjoy ourselves.
What mattered most was never rushing.
It was the slower moments.
Shared kai.
Local conversations.
Special access.
That gradually became the foundation for Gentle Adventures.
We travel alongside our guests throughout the entire journey, personally hosting each experience, and sharing the places and relationships we value ourselves.
Along the way, trusted locals with deep whakapapa connections share their stories, culture, humour, and perspective in a way that feels natural, personal, and real. In exchange, we share the economic benefits through meaningful employment in rural New Zealand.
Gentle Adventures is intentionally small, personal, and locally hosted from beginning to end - mai i te timatanga ki te whakamutunga.
Ngā manaakitanga.
Indicative Pricing
Our journeys are designed as premium, all-inclusive experiences.
From NZD $6,500 per person, excluding flights (7–12 days, accommodation, transport, main meals, and hosted experiences included)
Final pricing will vary depending on itinerary and group size.
Begin Your Journey
Small-group journeys personally hosted by Maru and Greer.
Receive early access to upcoming journeys and personal updates from Maru and Greer.
Tiaki Promise
Gentle Adventures supports the spirit of the Tiaki Promise — caring for people, place, and culture while travelling through New Zealand.
