TRAVEL New Zealand. Your way.

Rivers. Trails. Coastlines. Vineyards. Culture. Scenery. One New Zealand trip, built for you.

Real experience.
Local Connection.

A smiling man with dark wavy hair and a mustache, wearing a black T-shirt, standing outdoors with lush green tropical plants in the background.

Meet Your Travel Guide & Founder: Nathan Stead. After studying Outdoor Education in the South Island, I built my guiding career on iconic rivers like the Rangitīkei and Kaituna, while developing a lifelong connection to the ocean and the communities around it.

Every year, I’m still out there - rafting, surfing, kayaking, hiking - strengthening my knowledge of Aotearoa and the relationships that anchor every 41 South journey.

I’ve guided overseas in Canada, Nepal, and Morocco… surfed coastlines from Indonesia to Mexico… but nothing compares to home.

Qualifications

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10 years guiding worldwide
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Senior 4/5 Raft Guide
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Outdoor First Aid & CPR
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NZRA River Rescue 
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Maritime NZ Skippers Licence
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Passenger Endorsed Drivers Licence
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One helluva guide 
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Meet Nathan

experience New Zealand
with 41 South

Same local knowledge. Same care in the planning.

Two very different ways to travel.

Self-Led Adventures

Your itinerary. Your pace. Built by us.
Drive yourself.

Explore Self-Led

Guided AdventureS

Nathan beside you, start to finish. We build it. We guide it. Together.

Explore Fully Guided

We've spent years on the rivers, trails and roads.

We’ve sat at tables with the people who make this country what it is.

A VIP service that’s been earned. It comes with every trip.

Three real trips show you what that looks like.

Years on the ground.
Deeply connected.

EXPLORE the journeys

Take a Friend, Partner or a Group on an Adventure

Three hikers on a rocky mountain trail with snow-covered peaks in the background.

A group of four women enjoying a picnic outdoors in a wooded area with trees and greenery. They are sitting and standing around tree stumps, holding glasses of red wine, and engaging in conversation and laughter. One woman is standing, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, a gray sweater, and ripped jeans, with platform shoes. The others are seated, dressed casually, and holding wine glasses. The setting appears to be a sunny, cheerful gathering.

View from the back of a boat showing a mountain town and harbor, with two bicycles at the bottom of the image and a building overhead.

Four people wearing helmets and life jackets are paddling a yellow inflatable raft on a river with rocky banks and flowing water.

NEW ZEALAND HOT SPOTS

Hiking & back-country trails: half-day walks to multi-day missions. Walk into places most visitors never reach.
Biking: coastal rides, back-country single track, and heli-accessed mountain biking. A suitable ride for everyone in the group.
Day & multi-day rafting: heli-accessed rivers and wilderness expeditions, the adventure capital of the world.
Surf: coastal roads, private coaching. Waves matched to your ability
Vineyards & food: Otago’s wineries. The worlds best.
Culture & place: the stories and people that make New Zealand

This isn't a menu to tick boxes on. It's the raw material we shape into your trip.
Whether that's a full-send week for an adventurous crew, or a couple who just want to drive, stop often, and see the country.

How It Works

Enquire: tell us what you're chasing

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Talk it through: a real conversation with Nathan

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Proposal: a draft itinerary, built around you

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Refine: we adjust it together

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Confirmed: booked, pre-trip info sent

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The trip: self-led or guided, exactly as planned

Flowchart illustrating the process of planning a trip, with steps including Enquire, Talk it through, Proposal, Refine, Confirmed, and The trip.

Group of people white water rafting on a rocky river. They are wearing helmets and life jackets, paddling through the river's rapids.

Testimonial

Nathan’s down to earth approach to life makes you feel you’re in the right hands.

Our family felt safe, cared for and our kids loved the opportunities he gave them. We all had so much fun together.

- Rob & Katrina

Start planning

Meet Nathan

THE BLOG | 41 SOUTH

A man surfing on a wave with a scenic background of green hills and partly cloudy sky.

Why surfing is the best way to see a country

READY TO BOOK YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE. NZ AWAITS.

Contact 41 South to begin planning your journey.

YOUR ADVENTURE BEGINS HERE

Follow the Journey

Surf, rivers, stories, and life between adventures.