Most Inspirational Moment
For me the hike to Key Summit, as 15 years ago I walked the other end of the Routeburn trek in heavy rain and got then wet to the skin. This time the rain was a little drizzle slowing down, and at the top clouds were playing around the tops of the mountains.The same gave a magical touch when we woke up in Milford Sound that same morning. Another moment was when Summer saw the rare white Heron flying just in front of the car. We stopped ,and could see it and even take pictures when if flew alongside the road for several minutes. The opposite was true for Christchurch, which I remember from 15 years ago and looks now so different and cold with new high modern buildings and lost all the charm it had before.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Summer is the right person for this work: passionate about her country and its culture, has broad knowledge of every aspect of nature and life in New Zealand, is interested in her guests and devides her time between all in the group.Always on time, drives good and very careful,efficient when dealing with hotels and other service providers.I think she found the right balance between giving alone time and initiating reservations for dinner.The goodies bag was a welcome surprise and greatly appreciated.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take good raingear, and layered clothing.Be ready for some long drives but with stops ,sometimes some early mornings. Everything could be paid for by credit card, although some places had a surcharge for that from 0,8-2,95%. So you can decide if that's for you or pay cash. Most of the group came 1-2 days before the trip to New Zealand , so were over the jet lag when we started, and some also planned some extra days after the trip.If you fly to the other side of the world, that might be a good thing to consider.