5 Decisions You Should Make When Planning a River Valley Adventure Holiday

Are the standard summer holiday options not exciting you? You know, heaps of traffic, crowded holiday spots, seemingly a never ending drain on your Credit Card. And at the end of it all, did you actually have any fun?

Have You Considered a River Valley Adventure Holiday?

If you have, or are likely to consider a River Valley Holiday then there are a number of decisions you will need to make.

However before we get into that, lets define what we are talking about, especially whether it is simply planning an adventure activity, or whether it is planning an adventure holiday. This article is about planning a multi day Adventure Holiday at River Valley, rather than a short half day or full day activity.

These decisions you will need to make may be based around the following questions and include:

• How many days do you intend to spend on your River Valley Adventure Holiday?
• Do you require a family orientated trip?
• Is it “hard” adventure you are looking for, or “soft” adventure?
• Are you looking for a Lodge based adventure holiday, or one that involves camping under the stars?
• Is your adventure holiday going to be horse orientated, river orientated, or a mix of both?

Let’s look at each of these questions in turn.

How Many Days Do You Intend to Spend on Your River Valley Adventure Holiday?

Our lives in the 21st Century are so rushed. If you are like me, then every day seems to have more things to do than you can possibly accomplish, and that is even without spending time on facebook!

So in answer to the question – how many days should you spend on a River Valley Adventure Holiday – we would say as long as you can, with an absolute minimum of 2 days, but an optimum of at least four. The greater the number of days you can spend, the more you will get out of the experience.

An experience that will become increasingly relaxing as you soak up some river magic as your raft glides through beautiful canyons, or as you develop a special relationship with a horse.

Do You Require a Family Orientated Adventure Holiday?

Quality time out with your family can be hard to find. A traditional summer holiday can often involve a lot of travel, a lot of distractions, and even a quantity of stress, when what you are really looking for is relaxation, fun and time together.

A number of River Valley Multi Day rafting trips are ideal family adventures and can provide you with the level of fun, relaxation, time out and togetherness that you are looking for. It is a simple holiday of days drifting down a river, with evenings spent camping on a riverbank, sitting around a campfire and reflecting on and enjoying special time together.

Is it “Hard” Adventure or “Soft” Adventure that You are Looking For?

The reality of terms such as “hard” and “soft” adventure is that they mean such different things to different people. An extreme kayaker would probably look at anything other than a death defying rapid as being “soft”.

Our advice is to ignore these terms, and instead think about what you are really after on your adventure. If it is plenty of excitement, then something like a Rangitikei Rush package could be for you as it combines jumping off high places at Mokai Gravity Canyon along with a Grade 5 rafting trip.

If it is the excitement of a Grade 5 rafting trip and relaxation, then you should look at a River Wild Mountain High package that includes horse trekking, rafting, great food, deluxe accommodation and a massage.

If your perfect holiday is about learning, then look at a Two Day Home on the Range package that centres around learning some of the basics of Natural Horsemanship and developing a close relationship with your horse.

If it is really about time out and relaxation, then look at one of our multi day river trips that travel downstream from River Valley Lodge. Even if it is excitement you think you may want, you may be surprised at what a great experience a so called “soft” adventure can be.

Are you looking for a Lodge Based Adventure Holiday, or One That Involves Camping Under the Stars?

We struggle to understand why camping holidays have such a bad rap. People often tell us that they would never go on a camping holiday. They must have had some negative experiences as children, as you will find that raft supported camping in the 21st century is very much about relaxation and creature comforts.

However, camping is not for everyone and that is where River Valley Lodge can offer a variety of accommodation and meal options. The Lodge is also the perfect base to stay when you are taking part in a horse orientated holiday.

If you are looking for a “journey” style holiday mixed with Lodge accommodation, then consider either a Lodge to Lodge Raft or Horse based package that involves staying at different Lodges each night.

Is Your River Valley Adventure Holiday Going to be Horse Orientated, River Orientated, or a Mix of Both?

We think that deciding whether to have a horse orientated, river orientated, or multi activity style holiday may be the hardest decision of all.

So often we hear people say – I’ve done rafting, or I’ve done horse trekking. Of course we believe that all you have done is tasted a very small sip from a bottle of wine from a very large wine rack.

Maybe the first time round you should do some sampling from a multi activity holiday, find what you really like, and then come back next time and experience in greater depth the thing that really did it for you.

5 Decisions To Make

By choosing a River Valley Adventure Holiday this summer, you can forget about the hassle of crowded holiday spots, busy roads, and constantly hitting your Credit Card.

By taking some time to think through and decide what exactly you are after with your River Valley Adventure Holiday, you will be far more likely to gain the great experience that this type of holiday can reward you with.

If you are still not sure, then contact one of our team at 0800 248666 or email – thelodge@rivervalley.co.nz – they can give you some good advice.

See you at River Valley this summer.

Brian Megaw