Daniel and Sara were excellent, patient, hard-working, efficient, fun and great guides. Kudos to them both for their excellence. Sara's cooking was grreat. Her baking deserts for us was a special touch. Impressive how they did all the "work" behind the scenes (gassing up, shopping, making phone calls) so we just glided along and their efforts seemed effortless (even though I am sure it was plenty of work). They really were great at keeping things moving, keeping spirits up, despite the rain and our constant question: "do you know what the weather will be tomorrow?" I was the slugglish one of the group and both were attentive and patient with my slowness and made sure I wasn't left behind. I enjoyed the accomodations and the services offered. Always pleasant and clean. Having two nights in the middle at the Crowne Plaza was a nice touch. Suggestions: 1. When we met in Christchurch it was beautiful, clear and warm. My daypack was not fully packed for inclement weather and it didn't occur to me we would encounter torrential rainfall a few hours latter. Prior to the trip, I was told our suitcases were readily accessible, so I didn't worry about packing my daypack (I also arrived at midnight the night before). Suggestion: Either before the trip or the morning of pick-up, that the client knows before they set out exactly what should be in the daypack and readily accessible (water bottle filled, rain jacket, rain pants, etc). I felt some annoyance at our not being fully at-the-ready for ALL our needs. 2. I would have liked a little more downtime -- not to feel so rushed at town stops and a little time to relax. I appreciate that the rain impeded progress and plans and that scheduliing was important, yet it sometimes felt rushed (I also was the hiking slug of the group so I needed more rest. The others seemed fine with it). I am VERY positive about Active New Zealand and the quality of the trip and services provided. My giving a "good" instead of "excellent" is more about my me and my own expectations, not about anything that ANZ did poorly.

| January 1970