WHY CHOOSE SIDETRACKS WOMEN

Let's start with some feedback from our clients

I just love the planning, the structure, and the guidance done by your company. I love being able to turn up, do as I'm told and follow the group :-) All the hard work is done for me, so I get to enjoy the adventures more - it's totally stress free and relaxing. I can count on eating great food, sleeping in good accommodation, and experiencing great adventures, and all with like-minded women. Even when the biking has been more technical than I am used to, I have felt safe with the guidance of the tour leaders. Thank you Team Sidetracks Women. I'm now planning my 5th & 6th hiking and biking tours with you.

Barbara McElligott

This trip was run like a well-oiled machine. Loved biking every kilometre of it. Was impressed with the information given each night of what we were to expect for the conditions of the track the following day. The meals were excellent, the accommodation was fantastic, and it was a treat to come round the corner to see the picnic table set up each day, best sandwiches ever 😋. Guides were lovely. Looking forward to another trip next year …. You guys rock!

Hilary Coatham

Experts in New Zealand

We have been guiding hiking and cycling tours in our own backyard, the stunning Aotearoa / New Zealand, for over 25 years. We know all the tricks to make your trip the best one it can be.

Sidetracks specialises in women tours. We are a women-owned and women-run tour company based in Christchurch and we love hiking, biking, kayaking and discovering all our beautiful and remote corners in New Zealand.

If you love the outdoors and want to explore the magic of the New Zealand's wild nature, but don’t want to do it on your own or don’t have a friend to travel with, join us and enjoy the company of other like-minded women on one of our guided hiking and cycling tours.

The women joining us come from different backgrounds, marital status, lifestyles and ages. But they all share a love of adventure, a desire to get something more out of life and are invigorated by hanging out in nature. So it doesn't matter whether you are 30 or 70 plus, you just need to have a healthy degree of fitness to enjoy our tours. And we can help you with your fitness if needed - you don't have to be a marathon runner!

With over 25 years experience travelling up and down the country, we have found places in New Zealand that are never visited by larger tour companies. We have discovered local, hidden gems, which we would love to visit with you. Some of these places are on private properties. Their owners are happy to share with us their wonderful slice of New Zealand. We promise your guided hiking or cycling tour with us will be memorable, adventurous and special. Let us take care of all the details, whilst you enjoy an off-track adventure in beautiful scenery and wonderful company.

We are also about making the wonderful landscapes of New Zealand more accessible and affordable. Our prices are attractive, reasonable, and our small, friendly women-only tour groups make it easy for you to come on your own, or with a friend.

I found Angelika a great leader. She kept us informed what to expect on each day. Wonderful encouragement when thought I would never get to the top of the hills. Very informative about plants. Food, snacks were wonderful. Everything ran smoothly and on time. Great for getting the group to interact with each other.I found Angelika a great leader. She kept us informed what to expect on each day. Wonderful encouragement when thought I would never get to the top of the hills. Very informative about plants. Food, snacks were wonderful. Everything ran smoothly and on time. Great for getting the group to interact with each other.

Libby Owen

Solo Adventures with a Team

Wanting to try out a guided hiking or cycling tour, but have no one to do it with? At Sidetracks Women we offer women-only tours and support you with a ready-made, all-women group and experienced women tour leaders to help you make the most of your adventure.

Multi-day guided hiking, cycling and multi-activities trips lead to new experiences in many ways, new adventures, new passions. But often it’s not easy to get started if you are on your own. To experience new adventures in a small group on an organised tour means sharing the load in many ways. It’s safer, it’s more fun, you are shown the best spots and introduced to hidden gems, and it’s a great way to make new friends. Why not just relax - let us do the organising.

We have oodles of experience and love to take care of all the details for you. Our women-only tours are designed to encourage good company, good laughs and good conversations. From the choice of activities to the accommodation, to the food - it is all better in the company of like-minded people, and that’s what we are all about. You won’t be able to resist joining in or making friendships that last much longer than just a few days.

I enjoyed the entire experience, so it is difficult to say what I enjoyed the most. I enjoyed the walking (most of the time!), the amazing scenery in the mountains and in Queen Charlotte Sound. I enjoyed the boat trips, the history and the food, but most of all I loved the company of the other women and the conversation and friendship. It was very uplifting to meet and interact with other like-minded and wonderful women and to know that the world is OK with such amazing people in it.

Jenny Sheat

Comfort & Charm

Our accommodation is all about comfort and charm. It’s about amazing locations and breathtaking views of our beautiful New Zealand. It's about quirky details and unforgettable company. We prefer to stay in carefully chosen and comfortable places every woman can enjoy and share.

Having a space that allows us to hang together, and talk and laugh, about the day’s adventures is important to us.

We stay in farmhouses, track huts, holiday homes, cottages and sometimes small apartments in motels or holiday parks. Basically nowhere with a minibar!

All our chosen accommodations are fabulous places to stay and help us to keep down the costs, meaning you spend your hard-earned cash on more adventures and activities!

Enjoy the adventure of a multi-day hiking tour without worrying about a heavy backpack!

All our guided tours are designed for you to only walk with a daypack and enjoy the freedom of movement this brings. Your luggage will be waiting for you at your next accommodation each night.

I enjoyed everything about both trips and came home feeling like I had had a real, fun-filled holiday.
Your organization and attention to detail make all the difference to the enjoyment level of your clients. Also the meals are brilliant and you have sourced very good, comfortable accommodation.

Marilyn Sisam

Food Delicious Food

Through years of adventuring in New Zealand, we have perfected the art of preparing delicious food no matter where we are.

After a day's walk or cycling, nothing beats sitting around a table with delicious home-cooked food, sipping a glass or cup of your favourite beverage, and having a good yarn.

Meal times reflect the social nature of Sidetracks Women tours, with everyone pitching in to help prepare what’s on the menu, and tidy up afterwards.

We supply all the ingredients for shared meals, so whether you’re overnighting in a musterer's hut deep in the high country or relaxing in a stunning cabin overlooking the ocean, we guarantee you will want for nothing.

Although most meals are included on the tour, where possible there will be opportunities to enjoy local cuisine by visiting a fantastic café or restaurant.

Great healthy food and plenty of it. Lots of variety. Not at all repetitive. Fresh fruit and great salads Yum. Coffee sachets a new experience but a good solution to remote situations. Fantastic sandwiches!! Variety, good quality carbs. Excellent breakfasts. Loved all of it.

Liz Bentley

Great Reasons for Booking Early

Secure your space on the tour you would love to go on and lock in your preferred date. Some of our next season tours are already selling fast, so if you've got a particular date in mind or are interested in a single room upgrade, bear in mind options might be limited if you leave it too late. Single rooms are often only available in limited numbers, so we highly recommend early reservations.
Take advantage of low airfares, which 'Early Birds' can often secure. We recommend 'flexirefund' fares, which are fully refundable before you travel and have no change fees.
Safe yourself from the disappointment of your desired tour being no longer an option.
Have you heard of the German saying, "Anticipation is the greatest pleasure?". It basically means that planning a holiday can make you happy even before the trip has begun … so why not expand your anticipatory joy by booking as early as possible!

Some reasons for booking early you may never have considered:

Each of our tours requires a minimum number of participants. Early bookings allow us to guarantee a trip earlier.
New Zealand borders are open again, and many accommodation providers are experiencing very high demand. And why should they keep rooms on hold when they can get firm bookings from international travellers? It means we have to confirm or otherwise return reserved quotas, whether for accommodation, Ebikes or exclusive reservations for a walking track - sometimes as early as 60 days before the tour date.
Ebikes are becoming increasingly popular, and demand often exceeds supply - especially in high season. Booking early helps us ensure there will be enough Ebikes available for us.
Many Great Walks have only very limited spaces available. Therefore, private walks such as Banks Peninsula Track, Kaikoura Coastal Track and Island Hills Station Track are also much more in demand and book up quickly.

With all these great reasons to book early, why not get in touch with us now?

How well run the tour was. I was there to enjoy myself and not have to worry about the next meal, where I was going to stay or having to carry my luggage. It was all sorted for me and I loved every minute of it. Loved the time spent with like-minded others. It was fun.

Lois Mehlhopt

We care …

about people, nature, the environment. You will find this at the core of everything we do.

To us, this means we:

are committed to safe and responsible travel, ie all on tour are required to be free of Covid symptoms in the last three days before tour start
keep our groups small enough to minimise impact and maximise connection
allow time to travel ‘slow’ enough to take it all in
take special care of all animals, air, water, soil and waste wherever we go
prefer to work with other small, New Zealand owned or family-led businesses
pay fair wages and fair prices to our suppliers
are always aware of the connection between nature, body, mind, exercise and stress relief
aim for you to take home rest and relaxation, new horizons and lasting memories.

Angelika and Susanna were both excellent sources of local information and cycling instruction. I really appreciated the mini seminar on bike maintenance. There was a terrific variety of meals and the food was delicious. There was a real demonstrated duty of care especially for riders who were anxious about the more challenging parts of the trip. I had a fantastic trip and learned some new things. What more could I ask?

Denise Fuentes