We are trying Hard to keep New Zealand Beautiful

First Light Travel acknowledges our responsibility to undertake a journey toward reducing our environmental footprint. We are dedicated to making meaningful changes through various initiatives. In addition to our carbon offset program, we have appointed Danielle Mueth as our Sustainability Manager. Danielle brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in sustainability practices and will be crucial in driving our sustainability initiatives forward. 

The 8th of April 2024 marked another successful tree planting day, as part of our Carbon Offsetting efforts at First Light Travel. Once again we joined in to support the Arrowtown Community (and the Arrowtown Choppers) with their planting day, and planted an impressive total of 3,000 seedling beech trees. With over 150 enthusiastic volunteers from the local community, the task was completed in just over three hours. It was heartening to see so many happy faces coming down the hill afterward.

With offices in Queenstown and Arrowtown, it was an obvious fit for us to support the Arrowtown Choppers, a community-driven environmental volunteer group. This dedicated group focuses on removing wilding pines above Arrowtown, the 'Choppers' also reintroduce native Beech, Ribbonwood, and Totara trees to enhance local biodiversity. We proudly sponsor the Arrowtown Community Nursery, providing funding and native tree seedlings to support their vital mission.

In 2015, Robert Lange, in an extraordinary act of generosity, placed four QEII National Trust protective covenants, over 90% of his land, which comprises four former high-country sheep stations between Wanaka and Arrowtown this is now collectively known as Mahu Whenua.

This was a fantastic day out with great weather and plenty of happy faces! The event saw an impressive turnout of volunteers, all eager to make a difference. In just over two hours, 2,500 trees were planted, transforming the landscape and contributing significantly to the local ecosystem. The spirit of camaraderie was palpable as people of all ages worked together.

We're dedicated to preserving New Zealand's environment for future generations by reducing our impact today. Recognizing global concerns like climate change and biodiversity loss, we work to minimize our footprint and that of our guests. Discover how we're offsetting carbon emissions and contributing to New Zealand's natural beauty!

Last Friday, armed with gardening gloves and good intentions, our office team stepped away from their desks and onto a tree planting site on Coronet Face (just below one of our ski fields - Coronet Peak) to help plant 6000 juvenile beech trees in support of our local volunteer organisation, Arrowtown Choppers.

The Arrowtown Choppers are a volunteer group dedicated to the removing of wilding pines above Arrowtown, and replanting with New Zealand native Beech, Ribbonwood and Totara, to enhance the biodiversity of the area and we love them! To Date 17,000 trees have been planted over 7 years and volunteer numbers as high as ever, it is making a huge difference to the region!

Without large scale funding and control within twenty years 20% of New Zealand will be covered with wilding pines. As wilding conifers spread across our landscapes they: reduce the numbers of plants and animals that are only found in New Zealand.

New Zealand has been described by National Geographic as a 'world in miniature'. New Zealand is a land of incredible natural wonders with a unique ecosystem featuring many species found only on these islands - and we want to keep it that way!