Water Rafting New Zealand

Hidden Valleys is one of New Zealand's premium providers of multi-day water rafting trips in the South Island of New Zealand: your enjoyment in New Zealand's great outdoors is guaranteed.

Our Focus is:

Wilderness water rafting
Dennistoun Pass Main-Divide crossing and raft out
Rangitata Valley & Mesopotamia Station hiking and fishing
(short itinerary)
Hosting special interest groups

Discover the secret places of
New Zealand with the special people
from Hidden Valleys

The Hidden Valleys' team loves their work because they have a passion for providing you with the best quality outdoor experiences New Zealand has to offer. As New Zealanders, they love to share the beauty and excitement of their country with everybody. They share the same values, enthusiasm and commitment to bringing you New Zealand at its best. Sharing New Zealand in all its wonder is their world - what they know and what they love.

Read about Grant South (Southy) and the close knit Hidden Valley's team...

About Us

Meet Grant 'Southy' South

As owner/operator of Hidden Valleys New Zealand Limited, Southy's been guiding for more years than he cares to mention, but we've been counting and it's over fifteen. In addition to New Zealand, he's filled up his rafting resume in such far off locations as Nepal, Turkey, Australia and the United States. He's even guided on the White Nile in Uganda! He was captain of the 2000 New Zealand men's rafting team - these guys were the Australasian champs and came in third in the world championships held on the Zambesi River in Africa. He knows rafting is about having fun, but he takes the job and safety seriously - he's a national assessor and one of only two registrars for the New Zealand Rafting industry. He was previously Chairperson of the New Zealand Rafting Association for 5 years.

Bob McLachlan
(a.k.a. Big Water Bob)

Everybody loves Bob and he's basically unruffable, even in the most challenging situations. Bob, like Southy, has spent fifteen years in the international and New Zealand rafting industry and was on the 2000 team as team guide with Southy. He's guided in Norway, USA and in Nepal, where he earned his name Big Water Bob. Not one to sit still for long, Bob's also had plenty of years guiding adventure trips in New Zealand, so knows all the great spots that you as visitors are keen to visit. A tower of strength in the outdoors, he's one of the most cheerful guys you'll ever meet.

Nic Twaddle

Nic has been back with Hidden Valleys since the end of the 07-08 season having tired of selling orange juice for Charlie’s he decided to get back to the outdoors! Originally a kayaker Nic first worked for Hidden Valleys in 2004 after a stint in Japan honing his rafting skills. Nic is Southy’s cousin and has been living on site helping out with all things Hidden Valleys. In the 2009 winter Nic kept his eye in by working in Switzerland for 6 weeks. Nic is a great addition to the Hidden Valleys team with a broad background of outdoors experience including guiding or instructing, tramping, kayaking, surfing and rafting over the last 10 years. Nic also helped make the documentary African Odyssey www.africanodyssey.co.nz about their adventures from Cape Town to London by motorbike.

Al Moore

Al is our mountain goat. He's a qualified mountain guide and has a wealth of mountaineering experience. He's climbed many of New Zealand's highest and is very hands on in the outdoor training of people in both Mountain and river running through New Zealand's Polytech and Canterbury Mountaineering club. He's got years of river work experience too and is currently on the New Zealand Rafting Association's Executive Committee. So on a mountain pass trip like the Dennistoun, where we hike in and raft out, Al's our man.

Sam Coulter
(a.k.a. Sam I Can)

As the nickname suggests, Sam can do it: in fact, there's not much he can’t do! With a need to keep some youth in the team, Sam at age 25 is it, but for all that, Sam's got an old head on young shoulders: wise beyond his years, we reckon. At 17, he won a scholarship to train as a rafting guide with Rangitata Rafts, where he excelled and within the year, was commercially guiding on the grade 4/5 section of the river. Soon after, he became a senior guide and trip leader. After 5 years guiding, Sam was eligible to be an industry assessor, having been nominated by his peers. We think it doesn't get much better than this. Sam has also spent time guiding in Italy and the USA and is currently completing his
helicopter pilot training; a great man all round to have on board.

Sarah Peddie

No team would be complete without a good woman. Sarah is our good woman; none better, and few as good. Sarah is what you would describe as a good Kiwi girl. Brought up in rural New Zealand, working hard, she’s combined a great work ethic and fantastic values with a love and enthusiasm for the great New Zealand outdoors' environment. With a two year outdoor education course on the South Island's rugged West Coast and a great set of base skills, Sarah began her career as a guide in the commercial environment. Her skills have been in strong demand and Sarah has become a real role model for women keen on the outdoors. With experience guiding multi-day trips on the Salmon River in Idaho and also the Grand Canyon, we're as delighted as our clients are to have Sarah with us.

The Hidden Valleys' Guarantee

We take time and effort to create personal itineraries to suit our guests' interests and budget. We do our best to ensure our guests' comfort with the best accommodation we can provide. In the unlikely event you are unhappy with any aspect of our service we will endeavour to do everything within our power to put it right.

	To us, trips feel like we're out doing the things we love with a group of good friends and that's exactly how it is with Hidden Valleys.
	Regards, Grant South (Southy)