FITNESS: When choosing a vacation, we tried our best to figure out if the activity level was appropriately challenging given our fitness. From previous reviews it was hard to tell as we had no idea how we compared to the previous customers. For reference, my wife had just completed her first half marathon, and I was coming off a season of competitive road bike racing. While this trip was actually not physically challenging for us, I now realize it doesn't matter. We had a blast, and without hesitation I would recommend it to any athletic visitor with realistic expectations. Let's be clear, "Active" does not mean "training camp". Some in our group would go for a morning run, or push themselves faster on hikes to get a little more physiological impact. Based on various metrics, I know I lost fitness while in New Zealand but no where near as much as if I had been lounging around in a beach resort or shuffling around on a city break.

While we didn't come back to our accommodations and collapse with exhaustion each night, we were "out and about" being physical and enjoying the outdoors every day. Sometimes on vacation you feel bound up - constrained by food options, lack of movement, confined spaces and limited interactions due to language barriers. This trip was quite the opposite. With virtually no internet access, and a very full itinerary, we were thrust into the vastness of New Zealand 100%. This really kept our minds busy which means when we returned home we were refreshed. One of the surprises was how big the South Island is. There is a fair amount of driving between destinations, but the guides do a great job of breaking it up with short hikes etc. The amount you get to see is well worth the bus time.

GROUP: So much of the experience is affected by the group make up. Mostly Americans and Canadians, we had about half singles and half couples. We had every decade from 20s to 60s represented. The common thread was a "roll with the punches" attitude and a desire to see part of the world while wearing hiking boots.

GENERAL: The guides were truly fantastic, usually predicting all our needs before we knew we had them. We visited a lot of off the beaten path towns and accommodations that you just wouldn't go to on your own. New zealand itself was fantastic place to visit - I honestly could move there tomorrow. It's gorgeous, easy to get around, and people were genuinely warm and welcoming. We were pleased by the emphasis on fresh, local and healthy eating. We are both vegetarian and found it no issue at all to find interesting, satisfying food while there.

BOOTS: In CA we do all our (dry, hilly) hiking in trail shoes. I brought boots, but in retrospect could have done almost all the hikes in my trail shoes. The heli-hike company rents you boots for crampons so don't worry about that. They do get wet, and opportunities to dry them off are few and far between. One additional item to bring: a stash of gallon size zip lock bags. Great for wet clothes, and a myriad of other things.

CAMERA: If you are wondering what camera setup to bring, I recommend you leave the zoom at home. There's actually not tons of wildlife and there was plenty of times when overcast sky called for a faster lens. I had a great time with my 35mm f/1.8G in some of the forested areas. I wish I had brought a mini tripod and remote to help stabilize though. If you are relatively fit, you have plenty of time to take photos while the group catches up/gathers. Of couse the 18-55mm lens covered 95% of the time just fine and there are plenty of times where the bus pulls over and you have only a few minutes to get out there and get that shot so there's a time penalty to having multiple lenses to choose from.

MOUNTAIN BIKING: We opted for the MTB option on the trip, and had a blast. We were not sure how technical it would be but in the end that didn't matter as much. I am on my road bike and my wife runs almost every day. We get out on our mountain bikes in the CA mountains maybe 6-12 times a year. It was hard to prepare specifically for this type of trail. It was not as technical nor as steep as a lot of trails here in Norcal but the days we rode it was quite wet which required some patience. More important than technical skill is a good attitude. If you are willing to make it fun, and not be a complainer you will have a good time. My wife sometimes finds MTB frustrating and the heights frightening. She ended up at the back of our small pack but probably had more fun then the rest of us. Well, actually I had a crazy good time too bombing down the Charlotte Trail. Again, the terrain was new and the scenery gorgeous but this was not a MTB training camp.

| August 2000