We shot roughly 30+ hours of video on this trip and spent over a moth editing it all. Each clip I reviewed and each frame I played returned a fond memory. Each memory made my desire to return burn a little hotter. It is far from common for me to experience such intense longing to return to a place we just traveled. I was attached to New Zealand as if a bond had been forged and flying home had stretched this bond like a rubber band so that I felt the country desperately trying to pull me back. Night and day I obsessed over the time we spent there, reminiscing every laugh we had and every meal we shared. With the memories of its sights, sounds, and smells fresh in my mind I realized exactly why this adventure was so much more meaningful than any other trip I have ever had the fortune to take. It was not merely the fact that New Zealand is one of the most stunningly beautiful places on earth, but also because the people we shared the experience with were some of the most genuine, friendly, and fun people I have ever met. It does not matter where you travel as long as you travel in good company. Active knows how to plan trips and they know how to make them exciting. More importantly they know how to pick good people. The guides, the group, you name it, Active has done it right. This trip deserved every one of those five stars and nothing less. Thank you, thank you for everything!

| January 1970