My husband and I just finished the 8 day TUI trip in New Zealand and we had an absolutely wonderful time. We were a little worried that maybe we were getting a little "old" for this type of trip (husband is 63 and I'm 61), but we're healthy and in good shape and the staff assured us that we would be fine! And we were! It was very challenging, yet we never felt we could not complete or comfortably do anything. We had weather issues, rain and clouds, and even a dunking in Milford Sound when our kayak hit a rock, yet that made it all the more adventurous and memorable. We had always wanted to go to New Zealand and experience the great natural beauty there, and this trip allowed us to do that and so much more!
To start with, we had two great guides, Ken and Elder, and they were very friendly, helpful, kind, and always professional and they really took good care of us. I am so glad I did not have to drive those roads or navigate, and they always got us to our destinations safely and in time. We were kept in the loop of where we were going, when and why, and if there needed to be modifications due to weather, we were kept aware.
Secondly, we had a great group of travelers. Nine in all, and from all over the world! Folks ran the gamut of what they did and where they were from, however the one thing we all had in common was a love for the outdoors and adventure, so we all had similar goals and expectations. On the "free" day in Queenstown, everyone went out for a once in a lifetime experience-paragliding, sky diving, white water rafting, or a jet boat adventure. This was quite a lively and fun loving group, which made it all the more fun. I don't know anyone back home that would have done all these things with me. It was really nice to share these experiences with like minded folks.
And finally, the itinerary and the activities were all top notch. The hiking was challenging and beautiful, yet we could go at our own pace. The bike ride was absolutely stunning, and just "scary" enough to energize us, and then there were jet boats, small plane flights over gorgeous canyons and rivers, a backpack trip into Siberia hut, where the night sky was unlike anything I had ever seen! And the final Milford Sound kayak trip was phenomenal (even though yes we did turn over, but no worries-just got wet!). I know we could not have planned for all of these activities easily on our own, so the value of the tour for us had a lot to do with the activities and the ease in which we were able to participate.
So that is our trip in a nutshell. My husband and I were both refreshed and relaxed after this vacation, even though it was very active and we felt like we were not so "old" after all. And that feeling is priceless.

| January 1970