Adventure Guide Program - New Zealand

Outdoor Guide Training & Industry experience

This 12 week program is broken into 3 x 1 month modules that focus on different key areas to build your repertoire of skills and experience. Your time will be split between intensive practical and theoretical training, gaining world-recognised guiding qualifications, plus industry experience in the adventure tourism industry. All this will give you the best entry into the adventure industry possible, or skillset for becoming a confident outdoor adventurer.

This NZ program gains participants the following guiding qualifications:

Hiking

PLUS
Climbing or
Sea Kayaking (June & September intakes)

You'll also get:

Pre-hospital Emergency Care Qualification
Swift Water Rescue Safety Level 1
Pure Exploration Certificate of Guiding

NOTE OUR JUNE INTAKE + 1 OF THE SEPTEMBER INTAKES ARE BASED IN NELSON.
June - August is New Zealand’s winter. We have chosen to run our NZ programs in the stunning Nelson region over this time, as it is less affected by snow and freezing temperatures Queenstown receives at that time. Nelson is a stunning region with beautiful native bush, high mountains and golden sand beaches. We offer sea kayaking as an activity and qualification to those on this awesome intake.

PROGRAM INFO

While this is an Adventure Guide Program, it's not all about the outdoors and outdoor pursuits. There will be cultural activities and exchange; sightseeing and touring; personal development; community and social events; free time and plenty of opportunity for exploration.

Whether you are looking for a stepping stone into the adventure tourism career pathway as a guide, or just an awesome educational opportunity to live and work in the most amazing places on earth, the Pure Exploration Adventure Guide Program is an epic, constructive, and rewarding way to spend 3 months in New Zealand!

You’ll love arriving into Queenstown – it’s a great place for hiking mountains, swimming in lakes and rivers, pub crawls, live music, locals food and drink specials, frisbee golf and fireside chats. Queenstown is filled with an exciting mix of backpackers, ski seasonnaires, outdoor enthusiasts and local legends.

If you’re heading to Nelson, a lovely chilled small town beach culture awaits you, reggae music, sunshine, golden sand beaches and friendly faces!

Includes

12 week adventure tourism training and qualification program based in Queenstown, New Zealand
12 weeks accommodation and 8 weeks most meals (the last 4 weeks self-catered)
Employer networking opportunities and paid work placements available
All technical equipment, program related transport & travel
Qualified & experienced technical instructors
Pure Exploration Certificate of Adventure Guiding
2 x NZ Outdoor instructor association leader qualifications (hiking + rock climbing or Sea Kayaking)
Pre-hospital emergency care qualification
Swift Water River Rescue Level 1 Certificate
Modules on guiding and leadership skills, critical incident management & technical skills
Live, learn, socialise and join the thriving resort community of Queenstown

Prerequisites

English Language Fluency
Be 18 years or older at time of commencement
Moderate fitness is recommended. All professional development and training is provided
Have a passion for travel, adventure, & tourism
A desire to accept challenges, a thirst for knowledge, a love of outdoor activities or for our natural environment
Be a social team player that enjoys helping others discover adventure!

Note spaces on this program are extremely limited! Most of our candidates apply 8-12 months in advance of start date.

Reviews

Becoming an adventure guide in NZ

Cyril Delteil, France

September 2017 Coming from France I was worried about my English, but being here everyday and speaking with native speakers means my English has improved so much, alongside my outdoor skills.

Exciting & Adventurous Times!

Dana Ester - Florida, USA

September 2017 "If you're considering this program, just go for it! I've always wanted to come to NZ, this course was the perfect opportunity to come here but also further my adventure career goals. If you push yourself, this course will help you get where you want to go."

Climbing, exploring, loving NZ

Michel Affkerback, Germany

September 2017 The highlight of the course so far for me is learning to climb multi-pitch by myself, or with a friend, and knowing what to do. If you are into the outdoors and thinking of becoming a guide, do this course! It's based in beautiful New Zealand and you'll learn a lot.

STRUCTURE

A diverse and exciting program designed to keep everyone interested and busy throughout their stay, balancing plenty of action, learning, social and free time.

WEEKS 1 - 4: INTRO TO ADVENTURE SKILLS

INTRODUCTION TO ADVENTURE SKILLS & LEADERSHIP

HIKING, CLIMBING, SEA KAYAKING & GUIDING

Time for an introduction to the disciplines that will become your bread and butter for the next eight weeks. You’ll get an in-depth briefing and training on hiking and guiding, giving you the core skills needed for the training ahead. Not to mention exploring some stunning local sights along the way!

You’ll begin developing technical skills in navigation and bush walking. We’ll build on your existing knowledge of equipment, weather, and nutrition, then introduce you to essential training in group management, risk analysis, and leadership.

An example of the types of locations you'll go - season, weather and program dependent:

QUEENSTOWN
WANAKA
MT COOK NATIONAL PARK
FIORDLAND NATIONAL PARK (Queenstown program)
MT ASPIRING NATIONAL PARK
KAHURANGI NATIONAL PARK (Nelson program)
ABEL TASMAN NATIONAL PARK (Nelson program)

WEEKS 5 – 8: GET TECHNICAL

BECOME AN EXPERT

At this point of the program, we take it up a notch. It’s time to test your limits and push those new skills. We take you to a few more challenging locations where you’ll have to pull together as a team to get through, and where you’ll really start to see the value in ensuring processes are followed and back-up plans are in place!

At the end of this module, you will have received training to satisfy NZOIA leader qualifications in two disciplines in total (Hiking PLUS Climbing or Sea-kayaking).

Please note our Sea kayaking is only available on our Nelson based programs

WHAT YOU'LL GAIN:
Advanced guiding skills
Hiking core skills
Outdoor survival techniques
Sea Kayaking OR Rock climbing experience
Swift water rescue training
PHEC first aid training

WEEKS 9 – 12: CLIENT DAYS & ASSESSMENT

The final month of your program

Complete your training with two safety certificates

Pre-hospital emergency certificate
Swift White Water Rescue Level 1

Then jump right into guiding!
You’ll be placed with various clients over these final weeks for some real-world experience, to satisfy log book requirements, giving each of you a minimum of 5 client days as lead or assistant hiking or climbing/kayaking guides. This experience will also look awesome on your CV.

Exams
Finally, crunch time! Buckle down and consolidate your learning in preparation for your NZOIA assessments.

WHAT YOU'LL GAIN:

Pure Exploration Certificate in Adventure Guiding
NZOIA Leader Guide Qualifications - Hiking
NZOIA Leader Guide Qualifications - Climbing OR NZOIA Leader Guide Qualifications - Sea Kayak
Swift White Water Rescue Level 1
Pre-hospital emergency care certificate
Crucial experience leading clients in an adventure tourism setting

WEEKLY BREAKDOWN

Each week will include*

4 days of Technical Training
1 day of Self-Directed Learning
1 day for Classroom Learning
1 day for Admin or as Free Day

*The order of days will change each week and as your training progresses. This is simply a general outline.

WHAT'S NEXT?

If you're keen to maximise your time with us, you might want to consider the following paid add-ons...

Guaranteed* work placement position - NZD$1,500
If you pass your assessments, and have demonstrated a great attitude and potential for guiding, this is when we support your preparation and assist you in being placed into your paid work!

Other Pure Ex Programs
We have a number of exciting programs in a range of countries that you may be keen to experience. These include:

Expedition Leader Program - For those keen to push their skills in high alpine regions, and begin to specialise in altitude and advanced technical hiking. A global course that finishes in the Himalayas.

Adventure Guide Program - Patagonia - Explore this incredible region with our crew and become an outdoor guru.

NOTES

This is a sample itinerary. Modules may occur in a different order due to weather conditions or scheduling requirements

*Guaranteed work placement positions are available as a paid add-on to your course fee, paid in full along with your course fee. We will assist you wherever possible in obtaining employment post course, on the conditions that you have passed your relevant assessments, hold a Working Holiday Visa in New Zealand, and have demonstrated a good attitude. You will be placed with one of our partner companies.