New Zealand SUP Expedition

To make it easier to understand what’s in store for a trip, we rate our trips on a 0-4 Fitness Rating.

This trip is a Level 3: A good level of fitness is required to enjoy this highly active trip. We will have two very long paddle days, we’ll explore the island by foot and by SUP and as this is an expedition style trip, there will be plenty to do around camp!

We may also have a SUP portage on expedition (this is where you carry your SUP across land to reach another waterway). If this is the case, we will work as a team during this, but a good level of fitness and knowledge that you can carry your own 10’6 SUP either by yourself or with the help of another person will ensure you are prepared for this experience.

To make it easier to understand what’s in store for a trip, we rate our trips on a 0-4 SUP Ability Rating.

This trip is a Level 2-3 - Intermediate Paddlers - You should understand how to utilise hinging to increase the power in your stroke (if you’re not sure what this means, get in touch!) and have the stamina to paddle over 10km. Upon booking into these trips we will include some trip training ideas in your 'Trip Notes' guide so that you can ensure you feel comfortable attending the trip. As always, you’re welcome to switch between standing, kneeling and sitting on these trips, however due to the distances we need to cover on this trip, we recommend standing for the majority of the paddle to get maximum power and glide from each stroke (we will have water/rest breaks every hour). Prior to this trip you should have experienced paddling 3 hours in one go and be comfortable being on the water for a full day.

With all outdoor based trips and retreats, the final itinerary is always weather dependent (with paddle boarding in particular being wind dependent). The weather forecast will be monitored daily (and in many circumstances hourly) by your instructors, and our itinerary will be adjusted each day to make the most of the forecast. If the wind is looking challenging for our paddles we will aim to find an area that may be protected so that we can still take to the water in a safe manner, however our route and distance may be reduced. If the conditions look unsafe to paddle for the whole weekend, your Host will find alternative activities for you to do however please note, as this is an expedition style trip, we will still be camping and in our remote expedition location even if it’s raining.

For our expedition, if we cannot paddle directly to our camp on Day 1, we will be taken to our camp by boat and may find alternative activities to do such as local hikes.

We ask you to understand that we cannot offer a refund if the itinerary is different to your expectations or any itineraries referenced on the She SUPs website.

If we need to change an activity due to the weather or other forces outside of our control, you can guarantee that our team will be working hard to ensure you still have an action-packed weekend.

On this trip Alternative Windy Weather activities may include: bush walks, wine tasting, a yoga class, visiting local tourist destinations, kayaking tour, a boat trip to other locations which may be more sheltered for paddling.

Camping and expedition style paddling is ALWAYS an adventure!

We never know if it will be hot, cold, rainy or sunny! However, whatever the weather, you can rest assured that your team of guides and host will take great care of you.

Upon booking this adventure you will receive a detailed packing list of what to bring, and we will have a discussion of how and what to pack for camp before we leave our accomodation in Wanaka.

We will be in a very remote (and beautiful!) area of Wanaka, with limited to no phone signal. Your guides will have radios to keep in touch with our base support throughout the adventure, however your personal phones may not always work for sending or receiving calls - so enjoy the opportunity to disconnect!

At camp there is a camp table, small shelter and a long-drop style toilet. That’s it!

There are no showers or flushing toilets, however we will take daily swims in the lake if we want to feel cleaner and the long-drop toilets are normally well looked after. If we have rain at camp, our local team will set up some extra tarps to provide more shelter for the group.

This camp spot is extremely special and we don’t share it’s location publicly in order to protect it. However if we have a clear night you will be blown away by the stars and the peace and quiet of sleeping somewhere so remote!

She SUPs Trips are open to all women (and non-binary individuals) over the age of 18. Typically most guests are between the ages of 25 - 70, but there is no maximum age limit.

When we’re out exploring on our trips, age becomes irrelevant as the whole group always bonds over their shared experiences and love of the outdoors regardless of the year they were born!

If you would like to request a payment plan for this trip, please email hello@shesups.com.au AFTER you have secured your spot.

One of the She SUPs team will then be in touch with a proposed plan where your final balance will be split into 3 individual payments which are to be paid on set dates over the months leading up to the trip.

Please note; your number of individual payments and the dates those payments are due will depend on how close to the trip you have booked your spot.

You will receive individual invoices for each payment by email and will be expected to pay each invoice within 10 days.

The trip will start in Queenstown at 10am on Sunday morning.

Most guests prefer to fly in the day before the trip to ensure they have a relaxing start to their trip and are ready to be collected at the meet time.

For those flying in the night before, we can pick you up from your hotel/accomodation if you are based in central Queenstown. Otherwise, we will ask that you meet us either in central Queenstown or at Queenstown airport. Exact meet times will be discussed and finalised via the Trip WhatsApp group.

If your flight is delayed and you miss our pick up time on Day 1, you may be required to make your own way to Wanaka. You should have holiday insurance to cover the cost of this.

This trip finishes around 1pm on the final day (Friday). We will be doing two drops to finish the trip, one in central Queenstown and one at the airport. If you are booking a flight that day, we recommend booking a flight after 3.30pm in case of any delays in our itinerary which may be outside of our control.

Go for it! Staying on before or after a trip is always an awesome way to make the most out of visiting an area.

Please note, the She SUPs team does not have the capacity to support you in finding accomodation before or after a trip, but you’re welcome to ask for suggestions from others in the trip WhatsApp group or even pal up with someone from the trip to share a room.

Here are some extra activities which you may like to explore if you want to add a day or two onto your trip:

• Multiple hikes/ guided hikes (Here are a couple of guided walks from central Queenstown)

• Bungy Jump/ Swings/ other

• Queenstown Luge

• Queenstown Gondola

• TSS Earnslaw Lake Cruise

• Shotover Jet Boat Experience

She SUPs aims to offer a mix of shared and private rooms on each trip.

Many light sleepers or snorers choose to book a private room.

We offer shared rooms as a way of making trips more affordable and accessible to all. All shared rooms feature individual beds for each individual so you will never be required to a share a bed.

For many women, sharing a room with others is a new experience (or something they haven’t experienced since their teens!) But fear not, 9 times out of 10, it’s absolutely fine as an adult too.

If you’re a light sleeper and sharing a room, please let us know before arrival so we are aware. You host will have ear plugs in case of snorers, and we advise that you bring anything else that may help you sleep better such as your favourite pillow, an eye mask, a heat pack, lavender oil, chamomile tea etc.

After hosting hundreds of women on our trips, we have found that some guests don’t sleep very well on the first night as they are often subconsciously apprehensive about the weekend. But once they relax into the retreat and we’re keeping active every day, they sleep soundly every night! Please keep your host notified of your sleep patterns if you’re not getting much sleep. There will be plenty of nap opportunities during the day time too.

Please note: for the expedition part of the trip, you are welcome to bring your own 1-2 person tent if you don’t want to share with another person. Please let us know if you are opting to do this at time of booking.

We do our best to cater for all dietary requirements where possible however please note, complex dietary requirements such as FODMAP diets and no garlic or onion diets are not able to be catered for during the two camp dinners when on our SUP expedition.

Please share with us all requirements, allergies and intolerance’s at time of booking so we can take these into consideration and contact you if need be to discuss more.

It’s also important to note that we don’t have access to commercial dish washer at our SUP camp and therefore for celiacs, we can’t completely eliminate any risk of cross-contamination. We advise that you keep hold of your cutlery and plate in you tent for the whole weekend to avoid it being mixed up with other plates and risk cross-contamination.

We do not have control over restaurants or cafes we visit during the trip, so please inform waitstaff of your allergies and intolerances at the time of visiting.

If you have complicated dietary requirements or are concerned about food, you are welcome to email the She SUPs team at hello@shesups.com.au (once you have confirmed your booking) to ask to see a rough plan of the trip menu prior to the trip so we can ensure you’ll be comfortable with what’s offered. Please note; the final trip menu may not be available until 1-2 weeks before the trip.

We hope you do not need to cancel your trip, however, if cancellation takes place the following will apply.

We hope you do not need to cancel your trip, however, if cancellation takes place the following will apply. 

Cancellation of a booking by you must be made in writing. It is up to you to cancel your booking. We will not regard a booking as cancelled unless and until written notice is received by She SUPs.  

For overseas trips (Philippines & New Zealand) commencing after June 2024, the following applies:

• If you cancel 61 or more days notice before the trip. You will receive a refund minus your non-refundable deposit. 

• If you cancel within 60 days of your departure date, your non-refundable deposit and balance payment will be forfeited (zero refund).

Please be aware that if you cancel your trip once it commences or you do not attend, you forfeit your non-refundable deposit and balance payment.  

Late arrival may also result in a forfeited fee. We may reduce, transfer or waive the loss of fee for any reason at our sole discretion. 

You must have adequate travel insurance that covers you for cancellation.

Please familiarise yourself with our full terms and conditions here.

You should have adequate travel insurance that covers you for cancellation.

Any transfers to other Trips are at our sole discretion and are subject to numbers and availability. Any transfer requests received within 45 days notice before the trip will result in the $350 non-refundable deposit being forfeited and not transferred to the new trip.

To the extent permitted by law, any refunds are at our absolute discretion. We do not provide refunds for your change of mind, or where you failed to provide us with adequate information. On occasion we may permit you to transfer to another Trip.

Please see our full cancellation policy here.