Over the course of a fortnight the activities vary, the destinations change, and the weather does what weather does so the only constant is the guides. Jasmine and Elder, from the moment I met them in Christchurch on the first day until the moment when they dropped all of us off at the airport two weeks later, were patient, flexible, attentive, and infinitely good-humored. When a day's activity had to be cancelled (no kayaking on Milford Sound due to 80-km.-an-hour winds) they responded quickly and proactively (a cruise of the sound with lunch). Nothing seemed to bother them and they seemed to want nothing more than to ensure that we had a memorable trip filled with new experiences and minimal inconvenience or (unwelcome) surprises. (The Pavlova cake on our last night, which appeared out of nowhere was a surprise of the best kind.)
As for the trip itself, independent of the guides--if that's possible--it was exceptional. Nothing is more eyebrow-raising than to hear a tourist come back from a city, or country, or island claiming to have "done everything," but we came close. The tour was designed to show us the mountains, valleys, historic towns, and beautiful countryside of New Zealand. By the end of the trip I had a deep first impression of the country and its history, the topography and the culture. (Jasmine and Elder could lecture at university on just about any subject that came up.) I would love to get back to New Zealand but if that isn't possible I'll know that I had the best time possible.

| January 1970