Adventure Guide Program | Queenstown, New Zealand

If you're on the fence about taking the course, do it. It's an incredible experience that will either A) give you a new skillset or B) teach you a lot about yourself. Even if you don't end up working in the industry, the memories and stories you'll have make it worth it.

All the climbing, especially around Wānaka. I got to develop and learn skills I’ve been wanting to know for a while like building anchors and setting up climbs for myself and my friends. Spending time in the outdoors and disconnecting with from social media was also a highlight.

Honestly the best way to explore Aotearoa/New Zealand. You learn so much about the local environment and gain new skills along the way. Met a bunch of amazing people that are now friends for life. I had never rock climbed before this program and now have the confidence to climb myself and skills to take friends out climbing. I came into the program looking for a career change and this has opened up so many doors within the industry.

It's really nice to see New Zealand in an other perspective than the tourist eye. Being able to travel around and do some climbing and tramping as a local. Having great connections with people because you are living all your emotions with them and 24/7.

I had only ever been climbing indoors before, this was my first time outdoors and it was amazing, it was definitely a highlight for me. Besides climbing. - Meeting everyone else was amazing! So many different people with a shared “passion” for the outdoors.

My favourite part of the program was meeting and getting to know others from all over the world and watching them grow and succeed at new skills. I loved seeing people be happy in the outdoors and create great memories together, even in challenging times.

The experience was everything I could have hoped for. I learned a ton, had a blast, did awesome things in incredible places and made lifelong friends. We got to see some truly awesome places and really get to enjoy time as a group playing games at camp and on the trail, having plenty of fun conversations and doing epic stuff.

The Pure Exploration Adventure Guide Program in Queenstown, New Zealand is an amazing program! I learned so much and had so much fun! And I've already been offered employment in the adventure guiding industry!

The best part of the Adventure Guide Program in New Zealand was doing every activity (hiking, rock climbing, pack rafting, and general exploring) with each other and sharing the same experiences, you learn a lot and meet awesome people.

Staying in New Zealand for these 3 months has been the best choice of my life. I've had a complete career change. Spending all of this time in the outdoors has made me very appreciative of the nature around us especially in these trying times of the world.

Stoked I can go home and take friends outdoors safely and teach them how to properly belay and climb. Also the instructors in the program planned great trips and were professional throughout the program.

This program with Pure Exploration is fantastic for so many reasons. Whether you are trying to get a foothold in the adventure tourism industry, or just need a reset/break in your life, come out and explore NZ!

The best part of the program was they picked really cool places each week to see, whether it was hiking or climbing. They accommodated me with some Lord of the Rings sites as well. Excellent at teaching & guiding from the program instructors too.

Epic three months and made loads of friends! I would recommend the Adventure Guide Program to anyone looking to get into guiding or looking to up skill in rock climbing and hiking outdoors. It was awesome getting to use the skills we have learnt to send some hard climbs!

I would recommend the adventure guide program to everyone who wants to get started in the outdoors. Whether it is for work or for the personal experience. I learned so much about how to be in the outdoors safely. It gave me the confidence to go on hikes on my own or take people with me, knowing that I got the skills to keep the group safe.

Best part of the program in New Zealand would be seeing and experiencing new places within New Zealand and getting to learn more about the culture. Getting to meet new people and experience these things with them.

The Adventure Guide Program not only equipped me with the technical skills for rock climbing and hiking, it also greatly helped me in my personal development and growth, my confidence in these activities, as well as working with others and as a team with my coursemates and instructors.

The Queenstown Adventure Guide Program was literally life changing! Not only was it a ton of fun, but we learned a lot, setting us up nicely to jump right into a job in the outdoor adventure industry. I’m leaving the program with bush leader and rock leader qualifications and an awesome new group of friends.

Pure Exploration provides a great opportunity to be introduced to Queensland, New Zealand and learn new outdoor skills. The community that developed cooking and living together these months has been great.

Wow, what an intense three months it has been! I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Pure Exploration Adventure Guiding course, feeling more and more competent in hiking and rock climbing and of course getting to know our little family of 'Fancy Worms' (best group name ever!) better and better. Visiting some of the most beautiful spots together has been wonderful and it has definitely made me want to explore New Zealand more! This program has pushed my boundaries, from the busy weeks to the challenging hikes and I am excited to continue to my adventures with all this experience in my backpack. Thanks Pure Ex and Fancy Worms for a great time!

I really enjoyed my time in Queenstown and with Pure Exploration. I learned a ton and felt like I was pushed out of my comfort zone throughout the program but never felt like I was panicking or anything was unsafe. Lots of new experiences and some really awesome people. Definitely recommend trying out the program but it is pretty action packed so just be prepared for that.

I had an amazing time on my adventure guide program in Queenstown! Not only did I have so much fun, but I learned an unquantifiable amount about rock climbing, about the New Zealand bush, and about myself! If I could do this program 10 more times, I would in a heartbeat! It will change your life for the better.

Had (literally) a life-changing experience in my 3 months with Pure Exploration. I came with the hope of getting qualified as an outdoor guide, and left with a robust skill set, lifelong friends, and several job prospects in the outdoor industry. I’d recommend this program to the hardened explorers, and the casual adventurers. No matter the reason for choosing to do this course, it will leave you with memories and skills that’ll last a lifetime.

The AGP was a great experience to learn the basics of rock climbing, I went from 0 ability to feeling good going to a crag with my friends and having a good day of climbing. The nature part of the course gave wonderful insight into the flora and fauna of New Zealand, the Māori people figured out how to live off the land and their stories, culture and medicines are weaved beautifully throughout the course. The last main element is the personal development aspect. Living and working with a group of humans naturally encourages development coupled with activities that challenge and grow your way of thinking. Now having graduated from the program I am grateful for the struggles and grateful to my group for coming together and making it an unforgettable 3 month journey.

I've spent the last 3 months part of the Adventure Guide Program in Queenstown, travelling to some of the most stunning parts of New Zealand hiking and learning to climb. We started off as 11 strangers but after 90 days living together, travelling, exploring, learning, growing, and pushing ourselves, we're now a little family who raise each other up. We've achieved so much together (and I'm not just talking about all the qualifications we bossed), I'm so glad I made the decision to join the Pure Ex crew!

Great company! I was the ambassador for the 2018 August program. I spent three months training and filming my team as they progressed through the program. From climbing to trekking in high alpine environments, we were always pushed and took our experience and NZ knowledge to the next level. I walked away with some amazing memories and even better stories to tell. If you are looking to explore New Zealand back country and take your outdoor skills to the next level, I highly recommend Pure Exploration to take bring you there. As a filmmaker and photographer I was able to take my camera and team into the NZ back country and push both my guiding skills and photography skills to new levels. With a backdrop like New Zealand, its hard to find a bad shot. Highly recommend for up and coming photographers looking to build their adventure photography skills.

The adventure guide program with pure exploration was an absolute adventure. It provided challenges such as living with 11 others for 3 months. Alongside physical challenges such as multi-hikes, numerous days of rock climbing. All of it was a blast seeing and exploring New Zealand's great beauty! I'd recommend this to any one whom looking to add that bit of spice back in their life.

When you arrive on day one and take you first steps into the Pure Ex house, little do you know what you're stepping into. Maybe you were excited by the itinerary, or the chance to see places of the world seldom seen, but never did you expect to be walking out three months later with a whole new attitude on life. The greatest strength of this program is not the sights you see, but the personal growth achieved, with the great outdoors as your backdrop. The depth of course immersion is crucial to this. You will be picturing climbing great rock walls when your eyes glaze over, and counting isobars (instead of sheep) to fall asleep. Although seemingly intense, progression in the course happens naturally, with no one being left behind. Each week they up the ante, just a little each day, and by the end of the course you'll be achieving things you never though possible. After three months those things that scared you (whether sending it on hard lead climb, or smashing a multi-day off trail hike) will begin to excite you. That learned ability to conquer fears bleeds through the rest of your psyche, and you will leave with more confidence to conquer the world than you imagined when you took those first steps through the door.

I had such an awesome time with Pure ex on there adventure guide program! the passion and knowledge of the instructors are second to none and the number of skills and abilities you learn over the 3 months in unreal whilst having fun at the same time! If you like the outdoors and want to experience the best of what NZ has to offer I would highly recommend Pure Exploration and their adventure guide programs!

If you love the outdoors and being active, traveling and furthering yourself, I reckon the Adventure Program through Pure Exploration NZ is for you! I really enjoyed the opportunities of experiencing New Zealand like a local and not a tourist and having the chance to get off the beaten path. The instructors were awesome, knowledgable and very legit! I look back at where I started, what I accomplished, and where I am now within that 3 months and it is crazy!

I went to pure exploration without any real experience in outdoor adventure but they provided a fully immersive 3 months training which provided me with a lot of new skills and knowledge, bringing me to a place where I now feel ready to be a leader. It also brought me the opportunity to make such great new friends while living in Queenstown.

What a great experience! Chance to learn from world class guides and climbers. After 3 months with Pure Ex, I got whole new perspective about outdoor world, bunch of new skills, and for sure improvement as a person!

Had an amazing time with Pure Ex! It was incredible to live in Queenstown for three months and spend most of my time on top of mountains or dangling on the edge of steep cliffs. I got to meet new people from all over the world and explore unique places with them. The program has changed the way I think about myself and has given me the confidence to be a leader.

- A lot of changes to what was on the initial itinerary though. -A few things that were advertised we didn't get (such as a cultural day, farm stay and work experience.) +got 4 qualifications from it though. +great Instructors. +Great trip, +good contacts as a result

I found Pure Exploration while researching ways to tour New Zealand outside of the typical tour busses and adventure programs. Being in my 30's and operating on a very strict budget, I was intent on finding something that would not only show me the beauty of New Zealand but also teach me skills that I could use back home in my volunteer work with teens. New Zealand has been my dream place to visit since High School, but I had always thought it was outside of my reach. Pure Exploration made that dream possible. I liked what I read, but honestly had no idea just how awesome this trip was going to be! Due to life circumstances, I was only able to stay for the first month, but that month has impacted me in ways beyond what I was expecting. I am so much more confident in my abilities as a climber, hiker and camper. It was great to get back home and be able to go climbing with a local group and give advice to some of the beginners because of what I learned from the Pure Exploration instructors. I highly recommend Pure Exploration for anyone doing a gap year or who is just in that stage of life where you're looking for something different. Even if you don't end up becoming an adventure guide, I can guarantee that you will come away from this program with new life skills that are invaluable, and you will learn a lot about yourself and what you are truly capable of. I was stretched beyond my comfort zone many times and am better now because of it! And, as if I needed to say it, this is New Zealand we're talking about! It is an absolutely breathtakingly beautiful country that I think everyone should visit at least once in their life!

As I applied for this program I had no idea what I want to do in my life, but I wanted to get more into Rock Climbing and Outdoor Sports in general. Also, New Zealand was on my bucket list for years, so I couldn’t help myself and cancelled the job I had lined up at a husky farm in Norway and booked my place at Pure Ex. And man, I can tell it was a good decision. I would recommend this program to anybody who is interested in rock climbing, hiking, or generally the outdoors. No matter if it is to enhance your personal skills or learn, how to deal with clients, groups and instruct other people. The two main aspects this program focusses on are Rock Climbing and Hiking/Tramping. My experience in Rock Climbing was basic before I came here. I had climbed top rope once outside, had a few lead climbs inside and went indoor bouldering every now and then. But I was just too afraid to go climb outside, because I had no Idea what to do. Now after this program I’m going out at least once a week and do intermediate (multi pitch) lead climbs and take my friends and can explain them how things should be done. Also I feel way more confident since we learned almost everything about sport climbing, if it is setting up an anchor at the top, where there are bolts or using a tree – I can do it. I can safely abseil a route to retrieve gear or set up top topes. And I can ensure my personal and the groups safety is guaranteed. In terms of hiking/tramping I had a bit more experience. I did a 5-day hike and multiple one or two day hikes before I came here. But once covering the topics in the program I realized that what I was doing before wasn’t wrong but I was missing so much knowledge. The two most important skills I took away from the tramping module was the navigation with map and compass, and making my own weather forecasts. Besides that, we covered plenty of other skills like good, cheap & light food on the trail, group management and leader ship, shelter building, fire lighting, emergency procedures, safe river crossing, how to pack a bag. Besides all the above we did a swift water rescue course and hand down the best pre-hospital emergency care course! For me the learning was the perfect mixture between hands on, practical learning, and a bit of theoretical information. And all that was mixed up or during nice trips around the South Island. With the 3 moth of work experience I would recommend this program to anyone who is thinking about getting a foot in the outdoor industry or is not sure if this is the right path for you. I’m quite sure that after this program you will know it! And even if you just want to spent a good time in New Zealand and learn a plenty of cool skills, you should join. Be prepared for last minute changes of plans and schedules, because that’s just how it works in this industry. If you think all this sounds good and you want to join don’t overthink it – chances of meeting a great group of awesome, likeminded people is super high… you might even end up as a climbing/outdoor nerd and invest in your own gear!

I got to spend 12 weeks traveling New Zealand and trying out new activities. while I have been here I have gone from a beginner to lead climbing on intermediate routes in stunning scenery, I have hiked several trails and seen glaciers, waterfalls, and stunning views. I have traveled the length of the south island visiting Queenstown, Wanaka, Golden Bay, Dunedin and many other places. It has been an amazing experience, with great people and I recommend it to anyone who can find the time.

I chose this program as something to help me gain entry into the outdoor education and guiding industry, and I could not have been more thrilled about how things worked out here. I learned so many new skills that are going to help me secure jobs in an industry that I never dreamed I would be able to get into, and now I'm prepared for anything the wilderness recreation jobs can throw at me. I worked directly with experts in the field that taught me how to keep myself and others safe, but also gave me incredibly useful advice through real work experience. I can honestly say I now feel super confident in my ability to apply all this new knowledge to navigate a tough job market and come out exactly where I want to be. Not to mention, New Zealand is beyond beautiful and every day spent working outside here has been so much fun. Through this program I got to see so much of the South Island, and really immerse myself in the natural beauty of the areas I visited.