Adventure Magazine

Get out!
One man’s mission to get
kiwis exploring NZ
Adventure Magazine recently caught up with Robert Bruce, founder of the domesticfocused
socially-good adventure company called Got To Get Out. Robert’s group gets
kiwis exploring their back yard, visiting tourism operators and supporting the regions
of NZ. We’re keen to find out what adventures are hot at the moment for locals, and
advice for those who want to be a tourist at home.
For those who’ve missed past interviews, tell us a bit about Got To Get Out? Got To
Get Out is a domestic tour company I set up back in 2015 after leaving a super full-on job in
the corporate world. I decided my mission was to try and get kiwis outdoors, fit, healthy, and
enjoying the amazing outdoor experiences this country has to offer - with a group. I decided
that tourism shouldn’t just be for tourists.
I firstly set about growing a local audience of outdoor lovers, simply by sharing photos and
videos of my own adventures online,
It all started in Nepal actually, I left that corporate job and went to Mt Everest Base Camp. I
shared a lot of my adventures online, and people started hitting me up asking when I would
arrange a trip when I got back home.
My first trip (a tour to Waitomo Caves) sold out really quickly, after I did a Facebook post
asking “who’s #gottogetout with me this weekend?”. I soon realised that local people felt
underserved in terms of group activities and tours. People told me they wanted group
experiences that looked a like a ‘tour’ but were more focused on mental health, fitness, and
friendship.. They didn’t want the whole ngaff touristy experience. Another insight is they only
had a weekend spare due to work commitments. The Got To Get Out crowd are busy workers
who don’t have time to arrange adventures themselves, but do want to get out with a group.
Since that first trip in 2015, we’ve now hosted hundreds of events around New Zealand. Got
To Get Out has viisted most of the major (and many minor) tourism operators and activities
around the country, and also in many cases delivered the tours ourselves: I am a qualified
hike and bike guide (NZOIA) and have DOC concession for commercial guiding in most
of the forest parks around NZ. So about half our trips are guided internally, and others are
outsourced these days.
Why focus on domestic tourism and not international visitors? When I began Got To
Get Out (from 5000m above sea level on the way to Base Camp) I had a clear goal of shifting
some of the bad mental and physical health stats locally. So my kaupapa (*mission) was
about mobilising local people - in particular city dwelling / office workers - outdoors and into
nature. I suppose I never gave much thought to international visitors, I felt they were pretty
well catered for with bus tours taking foreign visitors around the country. For me, instead of
month-long tours, I needed to focus on ‘micro adventures’ that helped recharge stressed-out
adult workers, give them a break from reality, put down their phone / turn off the internet, and
help them connect with some likeminded people.
Robert Bruce from Got To Get Out, photo credit Chris Chase Photography
38//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#240