Our Locations

For over 50 years Real Journeys has been sharing the natural beauty and history of Fiordland National Park and Queenstown with visitors. 

View our interactive map of our region.

Milford Sound

Dramatic in all its moods, Milford Sound is simply inspiring.  The fiord is New Zealand’s most popular tourism destination.  Visitors (450,000 a year) come to see its sheer cliffs, cascading waterfalls and iconic Mitre Peak.

Milford Sound is a spectacular location and a unique place to work.  Subsidised accommodation is provided at the Real Journeys Village where up to 40 staff members live.  There is a café at Milford Lodge and a local pub.  Te Anau, the closest town, is 119km away.

Fiordland is one of the world’s wettest regions and Milford Sound, surrounded by Fiordland’s highest mountains, is the wettest area, averaging 6,000mm a year.  This makes for some spectacular waterfalls.  The climate is temperate, although Milford is noted for its abrupt weather changes.  In summer, temperatures can rise to 25 degrees Celsius and in winter, snow falls on the valley floors.

At Milford, Real Journeys operates three daytime cruise vessels and three overnight cruise vessels.  Staff also work at the Milford Visitor Terminal.

Staff say: “The incredible weather patterns are amazing in the middle of a huge storm and then how beautiful it is in the sunshine too” and  “Sharing this spectacular place with people from all over the world and getting to know them while out on deck on a beautiful day is very rewarding.”

Manapouri

Lake Manapouri is renowned for its beauty and the small peaceful town of Manapouri sits on the lakeshore, with a population of around 300-400.  These numbers increase dramatically during the summer due to the number of holiday homes in the area.  Facilities in the town include a pub, dairy, service station and even a covered swimming pool.   The town serves as a great base for tramping and fishing.  The larger town of Te Anau, with all its amenities, is 20km away.

Visitors to Doubtful Sound or the Manapouri power station on the West Arm of the lake, depart from the Real Journeys Visitor Centre, which has its own café, at Pearl Harbour, Manapouri.

Staff say: “Visitors often ask how we can work without being distracted by the stunning views.  I think that sums up how lucky we are.”

Doubtful Sound

The untouched wilderness of Doubtful Sound is a popular destination for Real Journeys' clients.  Travellers have the opportunity to see a wonderful combination of wilderness rainforest, vertical moss gardens and wildlife – dolphins, seals and in season, penguins.  Getting to Doubtful Sound is an adventure in itself.  On the trip passengers make a complete east to west crossing of New Zealand’s largest national park travelling across beautiful Lake Manapouri to West Arm and then by coach along a remote alpine road across Wilmot Pass and down into Deep Cove where they board the cruise vessel.

Doubtful Sound is remote and has only one resident, the manager of the Deep Cove Hostel.  Real Journeys operates an overnight cruise vessel and a daytime cruise vessel in Doubtful Sound, a fleet of coaches at West Arm and three vessels at Pearl Harbour, Manapouri, from where passengers cross Lake Manapouri to West Arm.  Staff working on daytime cruises make the journey to and from Manapouri.

Staff say: "It's an incredible setting for a work place - it's such a beautiful and tranquil place."

Te Anau

Te Anau is an attractive town on the shores of beautiful Lake Te Anau with Mt Luxmore and the Murchison Mountains providing a spectacular backdrop.  Te Anau is the gateway to Milford Sound, which is a two-hour drive away.  Te Anau has the usual amenities, including supermarkets, cafes, bars and a cinema.

Real Journeys head office is based in Te Anau, as is the administration centre for the company. The accounts, IT and central reservations departments are located here.  We also operate vessels to transport visitors across Lake Te Anau to the Te Anau Glowworm Caves and to the start of the Milford Track.  Visitors to Milford Sound or the Te Anau Glowworm Caves depart from the Real Journeys Visitor Centre located on the lakefront.

Staff say: “The clients I deal with and my workmates are the most important aspect of my job. Rostered shifts give you lifestyle flexibility and the variety of work is challenging and rewarding.”

Queenstown and Walter Peak

Queenstown is a sophisticated alpine resort tucked into a picturesque bay on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. Dwarfed by the surrounding mountains, there are amazing views in all directions.  There’s also buzz in the downtown area where you’ll find a lively café/bar scene and some excellent shopping.  There’s also plenty to do, from bungy jumping to wine trails, jet boating to tramping, dining out to skiing - the tricky part is trying to fit everything in.

The Real Journeys Visitor Centre on Queenstown’s Steamer Wharf is the departure point for cruises aboard the vintage steamship TSS Earnslaw which crosses Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak High Country Farm on its western shore.  Here travellers can disembark to enjoy a farm tour, a barbecue lunch, or evening dining at the Colonel’s Homestead restaurant. Some positions require employees to live at our staff accommodation at Walter Peak; others either commute, or work onboard the TSS Earnslaw from Queenstown.  Coach connections to Manapouri, Te Anau and Milford also leave from our Queenstown Visitor Centre. The sales and marketing department is also located in Queenstown.

Staff say: “Queenstown is an amazing place to work, and offers the lifestyle I could only dream of in the city. We have stunning scenery, outdoor living and the buzz and activity of a lively ever-growing town.”

Bluff

The Area Operations and Sales office for Stewart Island Experience is based at Bluff on the foreshore adjacent to the Ferry Terminal.

Bluff has an interesting history and has the distinction of being the oldest town in New Zealand.  It is Southland's major port with annual imports and exports of about 1.7 million tonnes.  Bluff also supports a large fishing fleet and is home to the well-known delicacy, the Bluff oyster. Nearby, at Tiwai Point there is one of the largest aluminium smelters in the world, powered by electricity from the Manapouri Underground Power Station.

While Bluff is a small town, it has several good restaurants, some fabulous walks, a museum, supermarket and half a dozen pubs. Invercargill, 25 minutes away by car, is New Zealand's southernmost city with wide streets, fine heritage buildings, excellent shopping and sports facilities, not to mention warm and friendly locals. It has lively eateries, restaurants and some late night entertainment.

Stewart Island

A one-hour ferry crossing from Bluff lies Stewart Island. The island has a land area of nearly 2,000 square kilometres, 85% of which constitutes the Rakiura National Park. The main settlement, Oban, is situated at Halfmoon Bay and is home to approximately 400 residents and to Stewart Island Experience.

Stewart Island Experience operates the ferry service between Bluff and Oban, offers Village and Bays Tours by small mini-coach, Guided Walks and Paterson Inlet Cruises that visit Ulva Island, a renowned bird sanctuary. We also hire rental cars, motor scooters and mountain bikes and run the Wharfside Cafe. Stewart Island Experience is wholly owned subsidiary of Real Journeys.

Real Journeys also owns and operates Stewart Island Lodge, an upmarket five-room lodge providing premium accommodation on the island.

There is a range of facilities on the island, including a library, police station, volunteer fire brigade, general store and a museum, with the pub being the centre of social life. There are a number of places to eat from cafes to a la carte dining. For sporting enthusiasts, the island offers an amazing natural environment both on sea (fishing, kayaking, and diving) and land (tramping and climbing). There is also the local community centre which houses a modern gym, squash court and even a sauna.

We offer subsidised accommodation at Oban for staff.