Guiding 1000 eco tours grants staff at Rotorua Canopy Tours entry into a special club. Photo/Supplied
Guiding 1000 eco tours grants staff at Rotorua Canopy Tours entry into a special club. Photo/Supplied
Most bosses don't thank their staff like Rotorua Canopy Tours director James Fitzgerald.
Guiding 1000 eco-tours has granted staff members entry into an exclusive club where they have been awarded $1000 to set a kiwi free, run a marathon, catch the big one, and hike 125km on Stewart Island.
MrFitzgerald said reaching the '1000 club' milestone is significant and in recognition he hands over $1000 to club members with simple instructions - "go and do something cool that you wouldn't experience otherwise".
The first guide to enter the club, Shane O'Driscoll, has been with the business since it started in 2012.
Mr O'Driscoll's family was given the opportunity to pick up a kiwi chick raised at Kiwi Encounter in Rotorua, named Leslie, and deliver him and the $1,000 donation to Paula Williams at the Project Kiwi Trust in the Coromandel.
"It was extraordinary to be part of; not everybody is allowed to pick up a kiwi chick. The kiwi was packed up in a little courier box, and my daughter Sara got to carry him out which was special," said Mr O'Driscoll.
Shane O'Driscoll with his family and Paula Williams from the Project Kiwi Trust in the Coromandel with little kiwi, Leslie. Photo/Supplied
"Once we arrived in the Coromandel, Leslie got a sniff of his first taste of freedom by poking his beak through a hole in the box straight into the ground. He spent some time with Paula and our family before setting off into the bush; a truly memorable experience."
When Paula mentioned she was heading down to Rotorua the next day to deliver four more eggs to Kiwi Encounter, Mr O'Driscoll and his family offered to do it and Sara got to name one of the unhatched chicks, calling it Patapoto.
Guide Dan Head's experience involved ticking two items off his bucket list - Queenstown and a marathon.
"The Queenstown Marathon was awesome, with heaps of people and perfect weather. I soon realised I hadn't trained enough, but you learn from experience. You have to hit your limits, push through and break yourself to find out what you're capable of," he said.
"How many bosses do something like this? Maybe Google or Facebook, but in New Zealand it's rare. It's awesome to have a progressive boss like James who thanks his staff in such a significant way."
Two other guides, Julian Sietses and Gary Coker, have also entered the club, but are yet to embark on their adventure.
Mr Coker, a mad fisherman, said he planned to venture down to the Tekapo/Twizel canals in the South Island on a trip in September to 'catch the big one' with the hopes of hooking a 40 pound trout.
Mr Sietses planned to go and get lost and bask in solitude by doing the North West Circuit around Stewart Island's northern coast which is a "mud wallowing, entertaining experience" or a 125km challenging hike, depending which way you look at it.
He said Rotorua Canopy Tours had built a strong reputation amongst the tourism industry and it is something the guides worked hard to uphold.
"It's important for us to make sure every tour is an amazing experience and being rewarded $1,000 for our guiding so far is a special way to be thanked."
