Hiking New Zealand and AFCA are teaming up to take you to explore the Secrets of the South in New Zealand.  Take a journey to secret locations where rare wildlife play and exquisite scenery takes over. Enjoy the serenity of beautiful mountain ranges, crystal clear lakes and calm fiords while hiking, kayaking, cycling and camping through the deep south.

Teams with 4 to 10 hikers will experience a journey that takes them through various climate zones as you hike into the rugged mountains of Fiordland National Park to beautiful alpine lakes with stunning mountain views. You’ll kayak beneath massive sea cliffs in Milford Sound while watching out for basking seals and leaping dolphins. Explore the spectacular Catlins coast, with beautiful beaches, luxuriant rainforest, fossilized trees, and rare species of sea lions, dolphins and penguins. Hike up the rocky slopes of the Ohau Range and look down on turquoise glacial lakes. Gaze in awe at the contorted forms of glaciers and the snow-capped peaks of Aoraki / Mount Cook. Explore the remarkable (but extinct) volcanic topography of Mount Somers with its waterfalls and narrow canyons. How do we describe this adventure?  One word: amazing.

Each climber raises $6,000 with approximately $4,000 going directly to AFCA’s programs. Each climber makes an enormous impact on the lives of children affected and/or infected by AIDS while they travel to a place that is out of this world.

Climb Up: New Zealand should be on everyone’s bucket list!  Check out the list of current teams and register for a climb.  If none of the current dates suits your needs, please do reach out to us at info@AFCAids.org and we’ll do our best to organize a team around your preferred dates. We’ll sure do our best!

Check out some great opportunities to travel to New Zealand while supporting the programs of AFCA’s partners in sub-Saharan Africa and having a fabulous cultural experience.

Dates available:

January 27, 2020 – February 5, 2020

Your adventure starts on Day 1 and end on Day 11.  Therefore, you will need to secure lodging in Queensland, so your guide can meet you on your start date at 8am at the pre-determined location (see itinerary).  You will also need a place to stay when you finish the trek in Christchurch, so make sure you make reservations before leaving home. Suggestions for where to find accommodation can be found on our tips page.

STEP ONE: THE APPLICATION

Download the application by clicking here or fill in a registration form directly online by clicking on the team you wish to join in the list below.

Complete the application and submit it by email, fax or by mail. Be sure to make your application as complete as possible and include the dates you’d like to travel to New Zealand.

Available dates are:

November 20-30, 2018
December 18-28, 2018
December 25, 2018 – January 4, 2019

If you have a group of people who’d like to travel together, but who’d like to go on dates other than the dates mentioned above, contact us and we’ll do our best to accommodate you. You’ll need a minimum of 4 people to form a team.

After your application is submitted along with a $500 deposit, you will be part of the team.

STEP TWO: PAY YOUR DEPOSIT

Upon submitting your application, you’ll need to pay your $500 deposit with 14 days to AFCA for the application to be complete. This deposit is non-refundable and non-transferrable.

You may submit this $500 deposit either online or by mailing a check or money order.

Checks and money orders must be made payable to AFCA and mailed to:

American Foundation for Children with AIDS
1520 Greening Lane
Harrisburg, PA 17110

Please ensure you add a sticky note to the back of your check/money order, with your name and ‘New Zealand’.

To pay your deposit online, please go to your team page which can be found via the links on this page:

November 20-30, 2018
December 18-28, 2018
December 25, 2018 – January 4, 2019

After you have made your deposit, you are officially on the team! You will be hiking into the rugged mountains of Fiordland National Park and much more.

Take a journey to secret locations where rare wildlife play and exquisite scenery takes over. Enjoy the serenity of beautiful mountain ranges, crystal clear lakes and calm fiords while hiking, kayaking, cycling and camping through the deep south. Hike into the rugged mountains of Fiordland National Park to beautiful alpine lakes with stunning mountain views. You’ll kayak beneath massive sea cliffs in Milford Sound while watching out for basking seals and leaping dolphins. Explore the spectacular Catlins coast, with beautiful beaches, luxuriant rainforests, fossilised trees, Hooker sea lions, dolphins and penguins. Hike up the rocky slopes of the Ohau Range and look down on turquoise glacial lakes. Gaze in awe at the contorted forms of glaciers and the snow capped peaks of Aoraki/Mount Cook. Explore the remarkable (but extinct) volcanic topography of Mount Somers with its waterfalls and narrow canyons.

DOWNLOAD DETAILED ITINERARY

New Zealand’s weather is changeable and extremely cold weather can be experienced at any time of year, especially in the mountains. Huts/camps vary in altitude from sea level to over 1000 metres. It is necessary to have warm clothing. Jeans are not suitable for hiking.

Essential Items

  • Hiking boots – broken in and comfortable. Waterproof
  • Backpack with minimum of 60 litre capacity
  • 3-season sleeping bag
  • Waterproof raincoat (gore-tex or similar)
  • Warm fleece/wool sweatshirt/jersey
  • Shorts for hiking
  • Polypro/thermals – top and long johns
  • Good hiking socks
  • Warm hat or balaclava
  • Sunscreen
  • Sunglasses
  • Water bottle (two? – 1 litre each)
  • Spare shoes or sandals
  • Flashlight/headlamp
  • Insect repellent (sandflies like foreign blood!)
  • Spare set of clothes
  • Gloves/mittens

Optional items (but highly recommended): Gaiters, binoculars, earplugs, walking poles, camera, day pack.

SuppliedTherm-a-rest sleeping mats, tents, backpack liner (plastic bag), cooking equipment, plates/cutlery, first aid kit, safety equipment and maps.

Luggage: There is an allowance of 120 litres per person (one large pack plus one day pack). You may be required to forward excess luggage if you exceed this. If you can’t easily carry all your gear without falling over, then you have too much! Any gear you do not need while hiking can be locked in the custom-built trailer.

Equipment Rentals: You may rent high-quality hiking equipment for use on your trip. Please let us know if you will be renting anything so we can hook you up with Hiking New Zealand to make the arrangements.  Requests for rental equipment must be made at least 20 days before the departure date.

 Hire gear

11 day trip (NZ$)

  Backpack (60 litres)

$50

  Sleeping bag

$50

  Fleece jacket

$20

  Thermal top and bottoms

$20

  Raincoat

$40

  Full set (all of above)

$140

  Gaiters

$20

  Walking pole

$20 each

Thank you again for committing to helping children served by the American Foundation for Children with AIDS (AFCA)!  Our Payment Policies and Procedures guide applies to everybody who commits to a Climb Up New Zealand So Kids Can Grow Up (CUNZ) fundraising trip, so please read this carefully.

We hope the following guide proves helpful for those of you who are fund raising the financial support necessary to make your trip a reality.  Be sure to review the information here before beginning your fundraising efforts. These guidelines are in place to ensure that you have the opportunity to join others in the mission of AFCA to help provide medicine to children in Africa affected and infected by HIV/AIDS.

DEPOSIT AND BALANCE

Once you have applied for a CUNZ team, you must confirm your place on the team by submitting a non-refundable and non-transferable deposit of $500 within 14 days to AFCA. The balance of trip payment (trip cost minus the $500 deposit) is due no later than 90 days prior to departure.

Note: if you are part of a “closed group” (church, corporate, civic club or other group that is not recruiting team members outside your organization), please confirm the deposit amount with your team leader, and understand that it is non-refundable.

SUBMITTING PAYMENTS

All payments toward your trip must be made in U.S. dollars to AFCA and designated to CUNZ program (see the “coding donations” section). Payments may be submitted by personal check, money order, MasterCard, Visa, or American Express. Your trip payment covers your lodging, food, ground transportation, orientation materials, your climbing fees, and a donation to AFCA’s programs. Not covered are: costs of passports and visas; excess baggage charges; immunizations; travel insurance; international airfare; airport departure taxes; sightseeing, kayaking; bike ride; or meals not listed in each itinerary; laundry; communication charges; and gratuities.

You or your donors may submit funds by credit card via your personalized fundraising page created on AFCA’s website or by telephone by calling AFCA at (888) 683-8323. You can create your personalized fundraising page as indicated in the section ‘Funding your trip’ below.  Participants and donors who submit funds by credit card will receive an automatic e-mail acknowledgment.

Checks and money orders must be made payable to AFCA and mailed to:

AFCA
1520 Greening Lane
Harrisburg PA 17110

Your deposit and any payments you submit toward the cost of your trip will automatically be credited toward satisfying your financial obligation only when coded as per the coding donation section below.

CODING DONATIONS

For a donation to be credited toward your trip, your name and “New Zealand” must be written on a sticky note and submitted with payment to the AFCA office on your behalf.

Online credit card payments should be made either via the ‘Pay Deposit’ button on your team webpage or via your individual fundraising webpage on AFCA’s website. This is a very simple process. See below for more details.

FUNDING YOUR TRIP

Fundraising web page – You can create a personalized fundraising page, by going to http://www.afcaids.org/climb/new-zealand/teams and click on ‘Apply Online’ for your specific team. Click on ‘Register/Create Fundraising Page’ > ‘Individual’ and then, the option to create your fundraising page. The web site quickly and easily directs you through the creation of your own web page where you can then direct your donors. If you apply to join a team using the online registration form, your fundraising page will be created automatically during the registration process. You can then direct potential donors to your web page where they can learn more about AFCA and your specific trip. This is a GREAT way to get the word out! Contact AFCA for more details.

Matching gifts – Contact your company’s matching gift officer prior to submitting a matching-gift form. Not all companies’ matching-gift policies allow for the matching of participation fees. If applying for matching gifts, notify AFCA.

Note: Matching gift funds may only be used to offset the final balance owed if they are received by AFCA at least 30 days before the trip departure.

Tax deductibility – Funding raised toward the cost of a CUNZ trip also includes the cost of food, lodging, climbing fees and land transportation during the trip. A portion of the required trip payment supports the charitable purpose of AFCA.  Depending on the participant’s country of origin, this trip’s cost may or may not be tax-deductible. Please consult a tax adviser concerning your specific situation.

Acknowledging donations – All donors who contribute via check or money order payable to AFCA or who make a credit card donation designated to a CUNZ climber are sent acknowledgment letters by AFCA. Those who donate on line (via a personalized web page or via the link “Donate Now” on AFCA’s website) receive a prompt e-mail confirmation that the donation was received.  Checks should not be made payable directly to you.

Funds raised in addition to the published trip cost – One of the stated purposes of the CUNZ program is to raise funds for children in Africa who are impacted by the AIDS pandemic. To remain consistent with our mission, AFCA is not able to roll additional funds over to a future CUNZ trip. AFCA will use any additional funding that you raise towards the children we support.

Fundraising for airfare – Funds raised in excess of the trip cost may not be used to cover all or part of a CUNZ team participant’s airfare. However, we recognize that some people may want to raise money for their airfare. Please do this on your own and not through AFCA.  Participants may still be able to claim their airfare as a tax-deductible expense even if the funds are paid directly from the participant to a vendor, as long as the trip is in pursuit of a charitable purpose. Team members will need to contact a tax adviser concerning their specific situation.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Due to the nature of the government fees and operators’ permits, AFCA must adhere to a strict refund policy.

For all trip cancellations received more than 90 days prior to departure, the $500 deposit is forfeited. For cancellations 45-89 days prior, the fee is 50% of the total trip price; 45 days prior or less, 100% of total trip price.

If you feel there is a chance that you may need to cancel a trip, we recommend that you purchase trip cancellation insurance.

~ If AFCA must cancel – We will make every effort to conduct the trip as scheduled; however if AFCA must cancel, we will attempt to place you on another team. If that is not possible, you may receive a full refund. AFCA cannot compensate participants for the cost of unusable airfare or any other expenses resulting from the cancellation.

AFCA will contact you to explain how to claim your refund if we must cancel your team’s trip.

~ Delay’s en route – If delays occur en route, or missed or cancelled flights cause you to miss your rendezvous with the team, AFCA staff will do everything possible to assist you in connecting with the team. However, AFCA cannot be responsible for an expenses incurred due to flight problems.

THANK YOU!

Once again, we appreciate your dedication to AFCA’s mission and your willingness to participate in a Climb up New Zealand trip. Thank you for complying with AFCA’s Payment Policies and Procedures guidelines and please let us know if we can be of any additional help.

Wild nights” vs nights in civilization….This adventure is a combination of “wild nights”, which is the nights where you are truly in the wilderness, staying in backcountry huts or camping in locations that may be several hours walk from the nearest road or populated area versus nights in civilization where you may stay in cabins, lodges or camp by the vehicle at Department of Conservation campsites. Some of these locations may still be relatively remote and in the wilderness but they can be reached by the vehicle.

Huts – New Zealand has an excellent network of backcountry huts and you will stay in huts on several nights. They are equipped with mattresses, running water and an outside toilet. Cooking is done on a portable stove. Huts are only accessible on foot and shared with other hikers. You also have the option of camping near the hut if that is your preference.

Camping – You will camp in a range of campsites, on the “wild nights” you may camp under natural rock shelters, on remote beaches or even sleep out under the stars! On the non “wild nights” you will camp near the vehicle in Department of Conservation campsites. If the weather is not great for camping, such as very wet, stormy or cold conditions, your guide will seek out alternative accommodation, eg lodge, cabin or crib.

Lodges – You will stay in lodge type accommodation on some of the nights, the lodges are often conveniently located near the start or end of a hike and have multi-share and sometimes twin/double rooms.

Cabins/Cribs – some nights may be spent in private cribs (summer house) or cabins at a campground. Staying in the cribs is a real authentic New Zealand experience and you may even start to feel like a kiwi on holiday!

Bathroom facilities -on the wild nights there will be long drop (pit) toilets. There will be rivers or lakes nearby for washing, and sometimes there is even natural hot pools! The safaris are set up so after a couple of nights of “roughing it” in the wilderness, you will stay somewhere where you can enjoy a shower and a few home comforts (including laundry facilities) before the next foray into the wild!

Participants are required to find their own accommodation before and after their trip.

  1. Queenstown is where the adventure begins. Links to suggested lodging can be found here: http://www.hikingnewzealand.com/accomus.htm#queenstown
  2. Christchurch is where the adventure ends.  Links to suggested lodging can found here: http://www.hikingnewzealand.com/accomus.htm#christchurch
  3. Another great site to learn more about NZ, to find out about visas, weather, culture, etc, is: http://www.newzealand.com/

Each climber must raise a minimum of $6,000 (air fare is NOT included) in order to participate in this event. This cost covers transportation from Queenstown i-SITE Visitor Center; drop off at end of the event in Christchurch, lodging during the 11 day adventure as described in the itinerary, food while on the event (except for dinner on day 6); guide (not tips); water; snacks; and a $4,000 donation to AFCA’s work in Sub-Saharan Africa. Not included are: air fare (international), dinner on day 6, passport, visas, vaccinations, alcoholic beverages, tips, laundry, souvenirs, and anything not mentioned in the itinerary provided.

Fundraising can be a bit daunting, but you shouldn’t let that stop you from being part ofClimb Up: New Zealand.  We are here to help you with brainstorming and to answer any questions you have. Please contact us at tweaver@AFCAids.org with questions but also check out our fundraising tips. Maybe one or two of them will help you get on your way to your fundraising goal.

STEPS TO SUCCESSFULLY FUNDRAISE:

  1. Make a list of everyone that you know – friends, family, co-workers, professors, wedding guests, spouses/significant other’s family, people you do regular business with—dentists, doctors, gas stations, stores you regularly frequent, coffee shops, insurance agents, bakeries, brokers, gyms, anyone.
  2. Prioritize – put the people you know best first. Remember, people give to people. By asking the people you know best first, you will have success and it will make you more confident in asking those you don’t know too well.
  3. Download the sample letter and press release or create your own. Personalize it…make it exciting by printing it on brightly colored paper.
  4. Be specific. People like to know what is expected of them. If you know someone can only give $5 then ask them for $5. If someone can give $50, ask them for $50. By asking for a specific amount, you will be more effective.
  5. Keep track – get a 9×12 envelope and keep a record of everyone who has given you money and the amount and keep this record in the envelope along with the forms and checks. If someone gives you cash, deposit it to your account and write a check for that amount. Never send cash through the mail.Mail checks and the record form ahead of time to:American Foundation for Children with AIDS
    1520 Greening Lane
    Harrisburg, PA 17110
  6. Get the word out. You can hand people the letter, you can email it or you can mail it to them. To ensure that people will return the form with a check at a higher rate of return, put an extra size 9 self-addressed stamped envelope in the letter with your address on the outside.To create an online fundraising page go to a teams page

November 20-30, 2018
December 18-28, 2018
December 25, 2018 – January 4, 2019

  1. Click on ‘Register/Create Fundraising Page’ > ‘Individual’ and then, the option to create your fundraising page. The web site quickly and easily directs you through the creation of your own web page where you can then direct your donors. If you apply to join a team using the online registration form, your fundraising page will be created automatically during the registration process. You can then direct potential donors to your web page where they can learn more about AFCA and your specific trip. This is a GREAT way to get the word out!
  2. Emphasize charity. American Foundation for Children with AIDS is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization so all donations you receive are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Make sure that checks are made out to the AFCA and make sure you keep track of who gives you cash and their addresses so we can send them a thank you note.
  3. Give thanks. It is important for you to personally thank your donors. AFCA will send a formal thank you to donors by mail.

You are ready to go! Keep remembering that you are asking people to help make a difference in the lives of others. Remind people that by giving a dollar a day, less than what they would spend on a cup of coffee, they can save a child’s life.

Please note: Funds raised toward the cost of a New Zealand climb cover guiding fees, food, lodging, park fees, and in-country transportation during the trip. Only a portion of your payment supports the charitable purpose of AFCA’s programs. Depending on your country of origin, the trip’s cost may or may not be tax-deductible. Please consult a tax adviser concerning your specific situation.

Fundraising for airfare: Funds raised in excess of the trip cost will not be used to cover all or part of a participant’s airfare. However, we recognize that some people may want to raise money for their airfare. Please feel free to do so on your own. If paid out of pocket, participants may still be able to claim their airfare as a tax-deductible expense even if the funds are paid directly form the participant to a vendor, as long as the trip is in pursuit of a charitable purpose. Participants will need to contact a tax adviser concerning their specific situation.

READY TO GET STARTED?

We make getting started is easy and will be here for you every step of the way.

Questions? Contact us at anytime!

You can either join an existing team or if you have a group of 4 or more people you can choose and form your own team!

STEP ONE: THE APPLICATION
STEP TWO: PAY YOUR DEPOSIT

TIME UNTIL THE NEXT NEW ZEALAND CLIMB UP