Company Background

In the early 1950s an enthusiastic but relatively inexperienced young couple, Les and Olive Hutchins, set out to establish a tourism business in a remote area of Fiordland.

Company founders - Les and Olive Hutchins

After a lot of hard work and persistence, Les and Olive’s vision of sharing the spectacular wilderness of Manapouri and Doubtful Sound with others became a reality. Their fledging company was called the Manapouri-Doubtful Sound Tourist Company. They developed a four day excursion that included a Lake Manapouri cruise, a trek over Wilmot Pass to lodge accommodation at Deep Cove and a cruise on Doubtful Sound. By all accounts those early tourists thoroughly enjoyed their adventure into the heart of Fiordland National Park.

For Les and Olive the early years were fraught with challenges, including the cessation of the Doubtful Sound excursions in the early 1960s due to the construction of the Manapouri Power Station. During this time Les and Olive were also tireless campaigners in preventing Lakes Manapouri and Te Anau from being raised for the power station. By the mid 1960s the fledging tourism company was again beginning to spread its wings acquiring Fiordland Travel Ltd with its Te Anau Glowworm Caves and Milford Track lake transport operations. The company became known as Fiordland Travel Ltd at that time. More developments in their business were to follow with the resumption of excursions to Doubtful Sound, the establishment of cruises on world famous Milford Sound and the purchase of the vintage steamship TSS Earnslaw in Queenstown.

Les and Olive Hutchins, pioneers in the New Zealand tourism industry, laid the foundations of what is now a very successful tourism company. In October 2002 excursions owned by Fiordland Travel Ltd commenced operation under the brand Real Journeys. In June 2004, the company celebrated 50 years of operation.

Les Hutchins had a lifetime interest and involvement in Fiordland National Park and conservation issues. His contribution to this special part of New Zealand continues through the Leslie Hutchins Conservation Foundation (established in 1994).  Les passed away on 19 December 2003 at the age of 79.

Real Journeys Today

Milford Wanderer, Milford Sound

From these modest beginnings Real Journeys continues to grow and today we offer a range of quality tourism, sightseeing and adventure excursions for visitors to Fiordland National Park and Queenstown.

At the same time the company remains a privately owned family business under the leadership of Dave Hawkey (CEO) and guided by a board of directors. The company has operational bases in Te Anau, Milford, Manapouri, Queenstown, Bluff and Stewart Island.

The company’s excursions in Fiordland include daytime and overnight cruises in Milford and Doubtful Sounds and visits to the Te Anau Glowworm Caves. There are daily coach connections to these locations from Queenstown and Te Anau. In the winter months we offer longer Discovery Cruises (5-7 days) along the Fiordland and Stewart Island coastlines. 

In Queenstown, we offer cruises on the vintage steamship TSS Earnslaw and visits to Walter Peak High Country Farm for a taste of New Zealand’s rural life (farm tours, horse treks, heritage tours, barbecue lunches and evening dining). From Queenstown we offer flightseeing options to and from Milford Sound to link up with our daytime and overnight cruises.

The range of excursions is further enhanced through Real Journeys' alliances with other tourism operators, including Queenstown Rafting (50% joint ownership) and Black Cat Cruises (50% joint ownership).

Stewart Island Experience is a wholly owned subsidiary of Real Journeys Ltd with operational bases at Bluff and Stewart Island.  In addition to the ferry service between Bluff and Stewart Island, the company operates coach connections to and from Bluff, and a range of island excursions. These include Paterson Inlet Cruises that visit the renowned wildlife sanctuary of Ulva Island, Village and Bays Tours and Underwater Explorer Cruises on the Mollymawk, a semi-submersible. Rental cars, motor scooters and mountain bikes are also available for hire.

Real Journeys also owns and operates Stewart Island Lodge, which provides premium accommodation on Stewart Island.

Our Philosophy

At Real Journeys, we feel privileged to operate in a spectacular part of New Zealand and believe we have a moral responsibility to protect our natural heritage. Today, we are involved in a number of award-winning initiatives to safeguard the environment.

Real Journeys has always had a strong conservation ethos. Les Hutchins, the company’s founder, had a lifelong interest and involvement in conservation in Fiordland National Park.   His contribution to this special part of New Zealand continues through the Leslie Hutchins Conservation Foundation established in 1994. The Les Hutchins Foundation fulfils two of Les Hutchins wishes – that as many people as possible experience the magnificent Fiordland wilderness and that the wildlife and environment are protected for future generations to enjoy.

Through our Doubtful Sound operation, Real Journeys contributes over $50,000 per year to the Leslie Hutchins Conservation Foundation via a $1 passenger levy. Projects funded include: tracks and interpretation signage, outdoor education camps, weed eradication and protection programmes for endangered birds.

Company projects:

In Milford Sound, Real Journeys employees check and maintain lines of stoat and rat traps and monitoring of endangered local bird populations.  The success of this operation has seen bird life return to the area in pleasing numbers. 

As one of the major sponsors of the Fiordland Coastal Clean Up, we provide the Milford Wanderer, which is used as a floating base for accommodation, meals and logistical support during the clean up.      
 
Real Journeys’ passengers are also encouraged to get directly involved in conservation.  During the winter months the company runs 5-7 day Discovery Cruises around the coast of Fiordland and Stewart Island.  As part of these cruises, Real Journeys facilitates an on-board auction, raising money for a relevant conservation project in one of these areas.  To date, $10,000 has been raised, contributing towards projects like the bird transfers from Breaksea Island onto Anchor Island.

Real Journeys also works closely with the Department of Conservation and provides sponsorship for:

Harlequin Gecko: Real Journeys is contributing $40,000  over five years to assist the Department of Conservation in studying this rare Stewart Island gecko.

Whio/Blue Duck: Real Journeys contributes approximately $10,000 per annum towards the Whio Blue duck recovery programme.  The funding assists survey work and a recovery programme which involves removing eggs from the first hatch, then rearing in captivity, and re-releasing back into the wild.

Pekapeka/Native Bat: Real Journeys contributes $10 from the ticket price of every Te Anau Glowworm Caves excursion booked through the Kepler Track online booking system to the Department of Conservation's pekapeka research programme.

Real Journeys CEO - Dave Hawkey

Enjoy Our Hospitality

Fiordland, Queenstown and Stewart Island offers something that is becoming more and more rare; true wilderness which you can discover in total comfort and style with Real Journeys. We’ve been sharing the areas natural beauty and history with visitors for 50 years and no one knows it better. Now we invite you to experience it with us.