Company History and Mission Active Downunder is an award winning New Zealand Travel Company formed in 2002 by Jane Turner, a native New Zealander, originally from Wellington. Jane formed the company to combine an expert, firsthand knowledge of her beautiful native country with her passion for travel, culture and the outdoors. Active Downunder is dedicated to developing unique, well-rounded, custom itineraries for clients with a desire to step off the beaten path and get to know the extraordinary people and places of New Zealand.
Our Style At Active Downunder, we deal directly with suppliers in New Zealand, and have formed personal relationships with many of those lodges, bed & breakfasts and small businesses that will be part of your travel experience. Whenever possible, we choose to work with hosted properties (smaller and more intimate than a typical hotel). These include boutique hotels, wilderness-style lodges and high-end bed and breakfasts. Often we combine several accommodation styles over the course of an itinerary to give our clients variety. We visit, meet and hand-pick these small properties, many of which are situated in unique locations, and always with fabulous hosts. The larger travel companies do not bother with these "hidden treasures" because many have as few as three or four rooms – not very accommodating for those big bus tours!
Regular trips back to New Zealand allow us to maintain tight-knit relationships with our suppliers, and to keep abreast of new developments so that we can continually offer our clients the best possible experiences during their trip. Don’t be surprised if you land in New Zealand and find that some of your hosts refer to us on a first name basis!
Awards Active Downunder has gained many accolades in the Tourism Industry which include: 2007 Condé Nast Traveler Recommended Travel Specialist for New Zealand 2006 New Zealand Travel and Tourism Awards Winner ~ Best New Zealand On-line Content Award 2006 American Chamber of Commerce-UPS Success and Innovation Awards Winner ~ Contribution to Tourism
Jane Turner: Owner - Founder Jane originally hails from Wellington, New Zealand and is of Maori descent. She has been based in the US for twelve years, after living in both the UK and Japan. She is well-traveled, and that along with her passion for the outdoors prompted her to guide walking tours in New Zealand for several years. During that time, she walked all of the major guided tracks in New Zealand, and gained an understanding of what makes for a well-rounded vacation in her home country. A background in marketing and entrepreneurial endeavors combined with her extensive experience on the ground set the stage for Jane to start Active Downunder in 2002.
Jane travels back to New Zealand 3-4 times each year, attending trade shows, scouting new experiences and accommodations, spending time with the people who are hosting our clients, and of course trying out new restaurants and local wines! Jane’s interests include triathlons, running, kayaking, hiking (tramping as the Kiwis call it!) and skiing. An adventurous Kiwi, she has bungy-jumped several times in New Zealand, and she believes in investing in experiences, not things.
Dana Vaughn: Dana grew up in Boston and then spent four years at Tulane University where she received her undergraduate degree in Marketing. She began her career in email/website design and development during the height of the Internet boom in Boston, working at an agency servicing Fortune 500 companies such as AT&T and Bank of America.
A move to San Diego in 2003 led Dana to a fortuitous career shift into the travel industry, one of the best decisions she ever made! Her favorite thing about her job is the daily opportunity to delve into other cultures, work with colleagues internationally, and assist people in planning one of life’s most enjoyable experiences – a vacation to a far-corner of the world. In her spare time Dana enjoys reading, running, cycling, cooking and spoiling her 18-year old cat, Streak.
