Clearwater Wildlife and Elm Wildlife: what's the connection?
Visitors researching wildlife tours on the Otago Peninsula sometimes come across references to Elm Wildlife and wonder how it relates to Clearwater Wildlife Tours.
While Clearwater Wildlife Tours and Elm Wildlife are separate businesses, they share part of the same history. For many years, until 2020, Elm Wildlife operated tours across private family land owned by the Clearwater family at Cape Saunders, on the wild side of the Otago Peninsula. Today, Clearwater Wildlife Tours provides exclusive access to that same remarkable landscape through a modern, conservation-led wildlife experience.
This page explains what changed and who operates on the property today.
Who operates the on Elm Wildlife site today?
Today, Clearwater Wildlife Tours is the only wildlife tour operator with access through the Clearwater family’s private farm and conservation areas at Cape Saunders, on the Otago Peninsula.
Clearwater Wildlife Tours was established in 2024 by Rachel Kerr (a sixth-generation Clearwater), who owns the land along with members of her family. Drawing on generations of family connection to the area, Clearwater Wildlife Tours was created to provide small-group, conservation-focused wildlife experiences while continuing to protect the wildlife and habitats that make the property so special.
Guests visiting today enjoy access through private farmland, conservation areas and coastal habitats that are not accessible to the general public.
What changed in 2020?
Like many tourism businesses around the world, Elm Wildlife was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the sudden halt in international travel.
In 2020, Elm ceased operations on the Clearwater family’s land. As a result, wildlife tours on the property came to an end.
The Clearwater family continued to own and manage the land throughout this period, including ongoing stewardship of the wildlife habitats and conservation areas found across the property.
In 2021, the Elm Wildlife brand name and intellectual property was sold to Monarch Wildlife Cruises & Tours. While the Elm brand continued under new ownership, it no longer operated on the Clearwater family’s land.
Several years later, Rachel Kerr (née Clearwater) launched Clearwater Wildlife Tours, bringing guided wildlife experiences back to the property under family ownership and management.
What this means if you saw an Elm review or award
If you’ve seen travel awards or reviews of Elm Wildlife from before 2020, those visitor experiences took place on the same family property now visited by Clearwater Wildlife Tours.
The coastline, wildlife habitats, scenery and wildlife viewing areas remain every bit as spectacular today as they were then.
However, Clearwater Wildlife Tours is a completely separate business with its own team, guiding style, conservation philosophy and visitor experience.
While some guests may recognise aspects of the landscape described in older reviews, today’s tour has been redesigned to reflect Clearwater Wildlife’s commitment to smaller groups, conservation-focused tourism and meaningful wildlife encounters.
How the two tours differ
Since launching Clearwater Wildlife Tours, significant investment has been made to enhance both the visitor experience and wildlife protection.
Key differences include:
- Maximum group size reduced to just 10 guests
- Upgraded roads providing improved access across the property
- Improved walking tracks and visitor infrastructure
- Top quality vehicles and equipment
- Formal commitment to conservation and habitat protection
- A more personalised, premium and immersive small-group experience
These enhancements reflect Clearwater Wildlife’s philosophy that the best wildlife experiences are unhurried, educational and grounded in a genuine connection to place.
Clearwater vs Elm: FAQs
What is the connection between Elm Wildlife and Clearwater Wildlife Tours?
Elm Wildlife Tours previously operated on the Clearwater family farm and adjacent beach at Cape Saunders until 2020. That exclusive access now sits with Clearwater Wildlife Tours, which is owned outright by Rachel Kerr (née Clearwater), a co-owner of the farm alongside her parents, brother and sister. The two companies are separate, and today it is Clearwater Wildlife Tours who have exclusive access to take guests onto that private land.
Does Elm Wildlife still operate on the same farm and beach?
No. Elm Wildlife no longer operates on the Clearwater family farm and adjacent beach. That access ended in 2020 and now sits with Clearwater Wildlife Tours, owned by Rachel Kerr (née Clearwater) who is a co-owner of the farm alongside her family. The beach can only be reached through private farmland.