Our Team 
Our Tour Experts 
Heroes and Heroines 
Places to stay
Every captivating tailor-made itinerary needs a perfect base. Our team has handpicked this collection of properties to give you luxury options in styles to suit any adventure.
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![Amy snow biking]()
Our Team Steppes Travel is made by the people who work here. Incredible holidays are made possible because of their vast travel experience and the great enthusiasm they bring to their work.
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![William Dalrymple]()
Our Tour Experts We carefully select our experts based on their knowledge, companionship and influence, ensuring that you can travel with the most knowledgeable leaders in the field.
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![Liz Bonnin]()
Heroes and Heroines The people who lead the way when it comes to those things which matter to us: exploration, the environment, women’s empowerment and education.
Christchurch and Kaikoura
The Canterbury landscape covers the northeastern part of New Zealand’s South Island and ranges from miles of silvery beach to the jagged peaks of the Southern Alps.
Big scenery is the order of the day, huge panoramas of ocean or mountains, great sweeps of pastureland and vast skies.
Explore the diverse landscapes and wildlife
The highest point of the region is the highest point of New Zealand, the spectacular Aoraki Mount Cook, standing at 3,754 metres (Aoraki is Maori for Cloud Piercer). At the other end of the scale, the submarine trenches off the coast of Kaikoura are thousands of metres deep, providing an ideal environment for the whales, dolphins and seals that reside there. This is the place in New Zealand to whale watch and swim with dolphins. Between the mountains and the sea, the vast plains are patchworked with the patterns of rural life.
Christchurch
Christchurch is South Islands largest city, and great care has been taken to preserve its colonial heritage. Grand architecture, historic homesteads and charming parks intermingle with the technology and style of modern life. A short drive east of Christchurch leads to the Banks Peninsula and the harbour towns of Akaroa and Lyttelton; the former being the only French settlement in New Zealand.
Experiences
What do you really love doing? We curate your itinerary especially for you.
Idea
New Zealand
Ultimate New Zealand Self-Drive
This 21-day self-drive itinerary offers a fantastic introduction to the great outdoors of New Zealand and covers highlights of both the North and the South Island. Wildlife tours, scenic flights, glacier adventures, overnight cruises and more.
Meet our experts
A passion for travel runs right through every one of our experts - meaning they're always ready with first-hand insight about their specialist countries.
Amy Waters
After my degree in Fine Art I didn’t really know what career I wanted or what path I would take. The only thing I knew is that having spent a summer in America it had given me the desire to explore and see as many places as possible before becoming a grown up and entering the real world. Talk with our experts
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Deborah Brock-Doyle
My first journey for Steppes was in 1999 when I set off to explore Thailand to gather those little details that constitute Steppes Travel’s trademark knowledge. I have since been lucky enough to travel extensively in Southeast Asia, China, the Middle East and India. A few special memories include being joined at dinner by an otter in Laos, proudly being shown an illicit picture of the Dalai Lama in Tibet and diving with manta rays on Christmas day in Indonesia. I’m pretty sure I always leave a country wishing I had done more, seen more, learned more ….. but I also always hope to return … Talk with our experts
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Let’s chat
Speak to our experts
Our team is waiting to help you tailor a trip that will leave you with stories for a lifetime. Call us on
01285 601 784Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo
Enjoy one of New Zealand's most scenic drives towards World Heritage site Aoraki Mt Cook National Park with beautiful mountains and lakes.
Nelson and Marlborough
Marlborough basks in year-round sunshine, providing perfect conditions for walking, mountain biking, sea kayaking and vineyard explorations.
Dunedin and the Catlins
The Otago Peninsula is rich in flora and fauna with diverse wildlife, idyllic fishing villages and rolling green pastures.
South Island West Coast and Glaciers
This strip of the South Island boasts five of New Zealand’s 14 national parks and is a rugged land of wild beaches,…
Queenstown and Wanaka
Today Queenstown and the nearby Fiordland National Park is treasured for its magnificent scenery and adventure opportunities.
Bay of Islands
With a sub-tropical climate, you can enjoy beach and water activities, explore one of the many nature trails, visit the ancient Kauri…
Volcanic Heartland
The centre of New Zealand’s North Island is also the heart of the countries volcanic activity. At its most active some 2000…
Wellington and Martinborough Wine Regions
A fine harbour city and a centre for culture and the arts it is also home to New Zealand’s Parliament, Victoria University…
Hawkes Bay and Napiers Wineries
New Zealand's leading producer of red wines and has the greatest concentration of Art Deco architecture.
Auckland and the Coromandel
Auckland is New Zealand’s largest and most multicultural city and is known as the City of Sails for its fantastic sailing opportunities.
Why Choose Steppes?
Our knowledge and expertise sets us apart. So too our curiosity. A curiosity of the world and of you, and your passions. It is this that drives us to create a journey that is really bespoke to you, all the while ensuring we travel and operate sustainably.
Are you ready to discover extraordinary?
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