I LOVED this trip, my first with Active Adventures. I would definitely recommend this trip! The 14-day itinerary was packed full of hiking adventures every day. I was blown away by how much of your beautiful South Island we saw in that time. On each hike we saw something new; the scenery from the bus was amazing too, so much green. Every couple of days, we were in another eco system with different plants and weather. I’ve never seen anything like “the bush†nor streaming waterfall hillsides. It’s very different from Idaho, where it Is very dry.
Some days were quite long, because of road closure and we had to go around the long way. That was exhausting, but not all days were like that. Another exhausting day was on the island when the 2nd trail was closed, so we had to detour to a steeper, harder trail to return to the beach pickup point. I think these detours were due to conditions.
I have never seen so much varied countryside in such a short time, and it's all breathtakingly beautiful. Kudos to the people who set up this itinerary. Wow! We would never have seen so much country from the road ourselves; the trails brought us in close.
Our guides, Jess N. and Jake were outstanding. Their passion and love for this country and the outdoors shows. I don't know how they did it, but they both gave us 200% every day, way beyond my expectations. They both have such a positive attitude and encouraged us every day. I don't know how they did it (well, they're much younger than us!). They told us stories and legends about the area we were in, the names of plants and birds, the places they love, the animals New Zealand is trying to eradicate (although I don't agree with getting rid of deer). The meals Jess prepared were great (and she took care of all the special dietary needs, no small challenge). There were many kind, caring, thoughtful acts, like loaning rain pants when they were needed, and finding a wind-blown hat that sailed off the bridge. Jake took good care of our van, “William†and properly cleaned and sanitized it regularly and especially when someone became ill. Handling all the luggage was no small feat. They both genuinely love what they do. I was sad when they left us at the airport.
I was a little concerned that I might have trouble keeping up, depending on the age of group members. I was pleased to see that all guests on our trip were in our age group. I wasn’t as fast as some, but I took many photos and walked at my own pace.
Jess and Jake make a wonderful team, sharing the workload and making things run smoothly. It seemed effortless on their part, but I’m sure it was due to careful planning an much behind the scenes activity on their parts.
I was pleased that covid vaccines were required before this trip; we did have an outbreak. The person involved was provided a place to isolate and was able to rejoin us later.
The drive to Millford Sound was like something out of a fairy tale. I have never seen so much water; the hillsides were pouring, streaming rain, waterfalls everywhere you looked. Jake and Jess said they had never seen so many waterfalls as that day. My photos aren’t so good, because of the rain, but it’s unforgettable. While on the ship at Millford Sound, we all took videos of the big falls until we were soaking wet!
My least favorite thing was kayaking (my first time). It made my back hurt, but the view of the mountains while in the kayak was amazing.
This trip had amazing planning; the execution was excellent. The people really make the trip. Thank you for caring and sharing!
One suggestion: give a small card to each guest with phone numbers to call if there are problems, to carry with them always. We were told to call the main number for Active Adventures in NZ, but my paper with that information was in the suitcase on the trailer. We had 2 people that became ill at different times; we didn’t know where Jess and Jake were staying, sometimes off-site. A card that is carried with you would be a big help.
Peggy

| January 1970