The tour guides, Andy and Lisa, were wonderful. Andy is so knowledgeable about the country, the history, the geography, geology, the Maori culture, etc. Both were upbeat, positive, helpful, considerate and fun. We saw so much in 8 days. The van was very uncomfortable and we did many hours of driving, especially the 1st day. Most of us had a hard time fitting our legs into the seats. The guides worked very hard, even making our meals on most days, which were fine. The accommodations were pretty good, but the last lodging was not what was listed on the itinerary. It was at a much less expensive and looked like a much lesser quality place to stay two nights. The itinerary listed that we would stay at Te Anua Lodge, and we stayed at Tasman Holiday Parks, which was clean, but still much less expensive, so it kind of felt like a bait and switch. The Makarora Lodge was not a great place to stay, with the water that needed boiling, a radiator in the room that didn't work, the electricity that went out and the inability to use any laundry facilities. But I understand that we were in a remote area with limited options. It was hard to tell what our activities were actually going to be and seemed to deviate from what was on the written itinerary, albeit sometimes this was relating to weather conditions. We loved the flight into the Siberia Valley and that area was breathtaking. The hike out was much more challenging that was listed, but was beautiful. Loved the jet boat ride, rain and all. Milford Sound cruise was beautiful, Mirror Lakes gorgeous. Loved the Kepler Track hike through serene beech forests. Haast pass lookout was nice but the weather made it less interesting. The tour took us to places we would have had a hard time knowing to visit on our own. Overall a very positive experience.

| January 1970