The Client
Tongariro Expeditions is the longest-running shuttle service provider for the iconic Tongariro Alpine Crossing, built on over 25 years of local knowledge, safety, and a passion for outdoor adventure.
It is through their variety of transport options that visitors are able to get to and from New Zealand's most famous day walks seamlessly and hassle-free.
The Problem
While Meta campaigns were ran in the 2024–2025 season, budgets were previously scaled around pre-planned "key months" rather than adjusting dynamically to real-time booking demand. Additionally, international markets remained largely untapped on Meta.
Rebuilding post-COVID shuttle volume required testing whether top-of-funnel engagement could build awareness among international visitors early in their planning stages, while refining domestic retargeting to capture high-intent local bookings.
The Solution
Tomahawk implemented a full-funnel Meta Ads strategy designed to build top-of-mind awareness early in the traveller journey, drive qualified site traffic, and convert high-intent audiences through remarketing ads.
Key strategies included:
- Dynamic Campaign Budgets – Using previous season data, budgets were scaled ahead of real-time demand surges (Boxing Day, New Year, and Easter/Autumn peaks) rather than sticking to set monthly allocations.
- User-Generated Content (UGC) - Leveraged experience-led creator content to showcase authentic trail experiences and capture high-intent traffic organically.
- Incentive-Driven Offer Creatives - Used offer-led carousels highlighting early bird savings, family packages, and local discounts to remove friction and close buyers who may be on the fence.
The Results
The full-funnel Meta strategy proved highly effective, validating that combining brand awareness with targeted conversion campaigns, powered by 1st-party data, drives exceptional reach, engagement and revenue.
Campaign Performance Highlights:
- 481% Increase in Total Users and 405% Increase in Total Sessions year-on-year.
- 738% Surge in International Users, significantly expanding global brand awareness
- Leveraging Lookalike and Remarketing audiences resulted in a standout 13.02 channel ROAS.
- User-Generate-Content (UGC) ads generated 72% of all landing page views, and drove 22 direct purchases. This demonstrated the direct sales power of authentic, experience-led content - even within a traffic-only campaign.
- Offer-focused ads were a major driver of action, generating 35% of all Meta ad revenue.
- Despite running as a Traffic-only campaign, the International Traffic expansion achieved a 17% higher ROAS than its domestic equivalent - confirming strong overseas demand and highlighting a lucrative opportunity for full-funnel retargeting in future seasons.
Website Revenue Also Reached It's Peak
We’re incredibly proud to have helped Tongariro Expeditions achieve its highest-ever website revenue, demonstrating what can be achieved through a consistent and strategic approach to digital marketing over time.
Through an integrated strategy combining Google Ads and social media ads, Tomahawk has worked alongside the Tongariro Expeditions team to build and optimise their digital presence and drive more valuable traffic to their website.
Comparing the 2026 season across 3 years, total website revenue grew steadily by an impressive 196%, reaching an all-time peak.
This result is a great example of how a consistent digital marketing strategy, ongoing optimisation and a clear focus on driving bookings can build momentum and deliver exceptional results over time.
