Our Story

Family founded

We owe our inception to the progressive minds of Les and his wife, Lady Olive Hutchins, and their passion for the conservation of Aotearoa. In 1954, Les and Olive bought the Manapouri-Doubtful Sound Tourist Company with a dream of sharing the spectacular wilderness of Fiordland with the world. Starting small, the pair took groups of visitors on multiday trips into remote Doubtful Sound. These were the small beginnings of what would eventually become RealNZ.

The birth of NZ conservation

In the early days, Les was motivated and inspired to protect native New Zealand environment from the threat of hydropower expansion, and fought to save Fiordland National Park from the proposed raising of lakes Manapouri and Te Anau. Witnessing the destructive impact this had on nearby Lake Monowai, he and Olive joined the successful Save Manapouri campaign, became ‘Guardians’ of the lake, and took part in what is often referred to as the birth of the conservation movement in New Zealand.

Growing responsibly

Over the years, RealNZ has expanded to add new experiences – in Milford Sound, Te Anau, Cardrona Alpine Resort and more - but took care to ensure that with each new experience came careful and responsible guardianship.

In 1969, Les and Olive made the decision to purchase the TSS Earnslaw Steamship in Queenstown, saving it from being scuppered, and spent the preceding year painstakingly restoring it to its original condition.

Waste minimisation

Our waste reduction journey has been a core focus for years across all our experiences. We recently took significant steps at Cardrona and Treble Cone in becoming waste-free destinations by removing all landfill bins from both resorts.

offering no food and beverage products destined for landfill, encouraging guests to pack-in and pack-out with their own lunches, and educating on recycling, reusable and compost initiatives.

Inspiring the world to fall in love with conservation

For seventy years, we've proudly introduced countless guests to the wonders of some of the world's most remote rainforests and wilderness areas. Time and again, they've shared their newfound appreciation and love for nature and our planet.

As guardians of the National Parks we operate in, we firmly believe that tourism holds the key to educating our guests on the crucial importance of preserving these unique places. Our purpose remains clear and resolute: to share the natural heritage and breathtaking beauty of the region with visitors, just as our founders envisioned.