(Paper Trails - where readers send in pictures of their local paper travelling the world!)
Where: Milford Sound
Best meal: Rotherhams, Christchurch, a small, welcoming restaurant run with gourmet continental choices as well as New Zealand specialties. Wonderful desserts. Be hungry; New Zealand menus include appetizers, mains (a small main course), entrees (a regular main course) and dessert. If you ask for salad or vegetables, you will get them; if you don't, they are not likely to be served.
Best deal: Tour with Active Adventures New Zealand. Well planned, no more than 14 in a group, excellent guides, efficiently showcases special places by hiking, biking and sea kayaking that on your own you couldn't organize. Reasonably priced. Spartan but scrupulously clean accommodations. Healthy, family-style meals. Beer and lattes under $3 everywhere.
Best time to go: November and early December - late spring, early summer "down under" - just before Kiwis travel for the holidays and best weather.
Best travel tip: Take rain gear - it is supposed to rain quite a bit, although we had only one day of intermittent drizzle on our last day. Take deet for sand flies, and don't scratch if they bite you. An old Maori myth suggests that when New Zealand was created, it was paradise. The gods sent the sand flies to remind humans how easily paradise can be spoiled.
The Wanderlist: All it takes is one trip to change your life... One trip, one world - that's all it takes. During Active Adventures founder Andrew Fairfax's 2,700-mile cycling expedition from Istanbul to London in 2003, he thought, Why aren't we doing this at home? The result of that epiphany is the 'Weka', a 13-day supported bike trip circling the South Island.
The New Zealand Biking Adventure hits all the top spots, like the majestic peaks and gushing waterfalls of Milford Sound and the blue ice of the Franz Josef Glacier, while staying off most of the main routes, worn thin by tourist traffic.
You'll log roughly 400 miles on Specialized hybrids that can handle gravel farm paths and other classic Kiwi obstacles like cow dung and stubborn sheep. Typical day: Pull off the Central Otago Rail Trail, ditch your gear in a renovated millhouse that serves as home for the night, and head to a tiny rural-outpost pub for a Speight's with the locals.
Our passion for exploration is rooted in a strong connection to the natural beauty of our home, New Zealand, and the drive to venture beyond its shores to discover a world different to our own.
We bring your adventure dreams to life. The best journeys don’t just take you places; they inspire you to be curious, ignite your spirit, and find a new sense of freedom – they can even change your life!
Feel the heart and soul of each place you visit with our local people on the ground and knowledgeable guides, who take great care to ensure a truly authentic and immersive experience. This is the real deal.
Feel like you're in a world of your own, with unique itineraries to take you away from the usual tourist traps. Enjoy exhilarating activities like hiking, biking, rafting, and kayaking, to explore the very best of each destination.
We take the time to get to know you to ensure you have the very best experience on our trips. Our small group adventures are big on flexibility — no matter what your version of "active" is, we have options on each trip to suit every individual.
Imagine a vacation that's fully guided, and everything is taken care of and included in the trip price — all accommodations, activities, transport on-trip, most meals, and more! Effortless and value-packed.