Glowing Adventures: light on the land

Glowing Adventures Cave
Glowing Adventures Cave

Glowing Adventures is a boutique family-owned caving business in Waitomo in New Zealand’s North Island.

Located on farmland which has been owned by the same family for over a hundred years, the company offers an authentic caving experience in one of only two cave systems classified as ‘of international significance’ by the New Zealand Department of Conservation. 

With such a strong family connection to the area, Stefan and Michelle Boddie and their team have made a commitment to support the people and the land around them, and ensure it’s protected for future generations.  

Sustainability vision 

The Boddies’ vision is to provide an authentic 'off the beaten tourist track' visitor experience and generate enough income to plant the entire property and leave the legacy of a native forest for future generations. 

Certified Climate Positive 

After being inspired by a talk on carbon neutrality at a Discussing Tourism event, the Boddies decided to investigate the process for their business. They researched a number of options before settling on ekos. “Ekos were very supportive and the process was easy,” says Michelle. They measured all the carbon emissions from their day-to-day operations, including electricity, waste, freight, and company vehicles. They then purchased carbon credits from a certified New Zealand conservation project to offset 120% of their footprint, making them Climate Positive. In future years Michelle and Stefan hope to use the reforestation from their own land towards offsetting their footprint. 

“The whole certification process was completed in two weeks. Figuring out energy relating to deliveries was the hardest part of the certification process,” says Michelle. “All our groceries and supplies are delivered and we had to estimate the weight of each delivery. The team at ekos were so helpful and responsive when we needed guidance.” 

Ecological restoration 

Stefan and Michelle note the irony that they are restoring the native forest that was originally cleared for farming by their great great grandfather. They’ve worked closely with the Waikato Regional Council on reforestation, with planting teams adding thousands of native seedlings to the edges of the forest. A recent council survey of the bush established its significance as a home to native bats, lizards and other indigenous flora and fauna. 

Predator control 

The Glowing Adventures team started pest control in mid 2017 with the support of Council. Using Good Nature traps, they caught 30 possums and 30 rats within the first two months, and continue to catch possums, rats and sometimes the odd stoat, resulting in a notable increase of native birdlife into the area. 

Restoring waterways 

In addition to restoring the forest and eradicating predators, the Glowing Adventures team are protecting the waterways on their property that flows into the Waipa River, with fencing to keep stock out. They’ve received support from Council, as the limestone formations on the property are part of what is thought to be the largest underground river system in the region, and possibly New Zealand. 

Waste management 

Glowing Adventures does not require a lot of supplies but some things are ordered online and come from overseas. Michelle says they seek out suppliers who use recyclable packaging and always source locally where they can. 

Visitor satisfaction 

Glowing Adventures is rated the number one Waitomo attraction on TripAdvisor as a result of constant glowing reviews. Michelle explains: “Being number one in Waitomo was a goal we set when we first opened our doors back in 2015, so this was a very important achievement for us”. They encourage visitors to post reviews on social media, monitor feedback and make a point of personally responding to comments. 

Tiaki and education 

By explaining the hundred-year family connection to the land, Glowing Adventures staff impress on their visitors how important it is to protect and preserve it. The Tiaki Promise is featured on their website, and tour guides talk about how visitors can help play a part in looking after the land. Customers learn about the history of the land, and the increase in native birdlife since the restoration of the bush began. They learn the difference between the recent forest, where pasture has been replanted, and more established areas of bush. 

Community support 

With a 60-year family connection to St John, Glowing Adventures provides support in the form of donations and fundraising activities to their local branch. In the month of May 2019 they donated $5 per customer that visited them. “It was a small gesture, but as a family business, giving back to the local community is something we feel strongly about.” They have decided to work closely with the central region fundraising manager at St John’s and make this an annual event to support the charity. 

Productivity 

With the majority of their visitors coming from offshore, Glowing Adventures experiences seasonal fluctuations. Two full-time staff are employed in winter and four staff over summer. The business is considering how to mitigate the effects of low season and possibly attract more domestic visitors. They work closely with their local RTO (Hamilton & Waikato Tourism) on campaigns to address seasonality. 

Where to from here – next steps 

“We know we’re lighter on this land than any generation before us,” says Michelle. “It’s a challenge as a small business to show significant change when our environmental impact is already relatively low. We don’t have things like disposable cups for example – every visitor gets a cuppa in a real cup – so there’s not a lot of single-use waste to address.”  

In 2020 Glowing Adventures will plant 10,000 more native trees in collaboration with the Waikato Regional Council. They will continue with pest control and waterway fencing programmes. Educating their visitors about the environment and plans to enhance and protect it will be a strong focus. They’ve identified small things they can do to improve, such as looking at ways to manage the minimal amount of waste generated. They’re monitoring power usage and working out smart ways to reduce it. Sustainability initiatives have been added into the agenda of monthly staff meetings. “Making a point of talking about sustainability at team meetings means we can share ideas about other ways we can make changes,” says Michelle. 

“When we started this company nearly four years ago we were very focused on the logistics and safety aspects. We imagined an amazing caving adventure that recreated all the fun our family had exploring the caves as kids. Once we achieved that we turned our attention to ensuring long term business sustainability. The New Zealand Tourism Sustainability Commitment has been an invaluable tool, giving us a framework to improve many key aspects of the business. We’re now confident that we’ll leave our little slice of New Zealand paradise in the best possible way we can.” 

Sustainability goals and commitments 

Glowing Adventures is meeting or working towards all 14 of the TSC Business Commitments. 

Find about more about Glowing Adventures' Sustainability Initiatives.