5 Stars (32 reviews)
This trip was a fantastic way to experience the South Island with our kids. The format was really kid friendly - a little bit of driving each day, broken up by a physical activity. The pacing was perfect - it kept us with enough energy to enjoy all the activities to the fullest. We loved the variety of activities and seeing all the topography and ecosystems. The lodging was clean, comfortable, in good condition, and just the right size for our family of 5. We really loved all the local foods, especially the desserts. Our guide, Mel, was the BEST. Within a few days, she felt like a member of our family. She took the experience to the next level, bringing energy, knowledge, and a lot of fun to the trip. Her cooking was inspiring - we have picky kids, and they gobbled everything up. She was great with our kids and gave each one of them individual attention. Two weeks was the perfect length to get a good sample of the South Island. We asked the kids to describe the trip, and they said: awesome, fun, relaxing, exciting, and best trip ever!
New Zealand Family Vacation, January 2024
Paige
5 Stars (32 reviews)
This guided adventure tour was the first of its kind for our family; and thanks to the fabulous itinerary, guides, and countryside, we're hooked!! We traveled over winter holiday break and thought we would miss our favorite traditions at home. Instead we expanded our minds, eyes and understanding of a new place, culture, people and created memories for a lifetime!
The trip is extremely well organized and every detail is thought through in advance making it a pleasure to enjoy the days without concern for timetables, reservations, tickets, transport. This organization and attention to detail was obvious from the pre-planning communications and from the very first morning. We were greeted by our guides who literally rolled out a red carpet for us to board the bus where a basket of local snacks awaited us. On days when we thought nothing could top what we had done before, we'd see yet another breathtaking view or hike to a spot where we felt like the only people on earth. The itinerary had a nice variety of activities so every member of the family could find their favorite. We loved the emphasis on education about place, history, nature and culture and even found some new traditions to incorporate into our celebrations. We'll be seeking out this type of vacation again since it provides such a comprehensive introduction to a new place.
New Zealand Family Vacation, December 2023
Ken
5 Stars (32 reviews)
Thank you for the trip of a lifetime!! The Kea was the perfect trip for my parents and our kids, alike. Greg and Laura couldn’t have been a more perfect fit for our family! They were absolutely incredible with our kids, providing motivation and entertainment on the longer hikes, fun kid-friendly activities through-out the trip, and even getting the kids involved with the cooking. Both of our kids said that it was there “BEST Christmas ever!!!”
Thank you also for tailoring the activities to meet different ages, interests, and fitness levels. New Zealand is an incredible place and we feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend our time there with Laura and Greg. Greg shared so much history and knowledge about New Zealand, while Laura made sure everything went smoothly and added all kinds of extra-special touches (like pre-making a homemade gingerbread house for our kids and her to assemble and decorate on New Years Eve). Both of them were amazing!! We can’t imagine a better company and guides to have a fun, active, and rewarding vacation. We’ll be back! Thank you again!
New Zealand Family Vacation, January 2020
Michelle, Japan
5 Stars (32 reviews)
This was an awesome trip and a great way to spend the holidays.
New Zealand Family Vacation, January 2020
Kimberly, United States
5 Stars (32 reviews)
Our family of 4 recently finished the Kea trip in July/August 2019. It was our first trip with Active Adventures and exceeded all of our expectations. Traveling to New Zealand in the Winter was amazing and we really appreciated the lack of crowds all along the way. The weather was beautiful. Our guides were amazing! Mel and Pim were the best. We definitely will travel with Active Adventures again.
Thank you.
New Zealand Family Vacation, September 2019
David, United States
5 Stars (32 reviews)
We can't say enough great things about our "Kea" trip this summer. The lead up to the trip was great and we had all the information we needed to get ready to travel. We are a family of four, mom, dad, and two boys aged 15 and 13. From the moment we met our guides (Mel and Pim - both absolutely fantastic people!) until we got back to the airport, we really wouldn't change a thing about our whole experience. To give you some insight into our incredible two weeks, within hours on the first day, Mel and Pim were out in the park with us in Methven playing soccer with our family and letting the boys teach them American football. We think it would be impossible to have a bad time in such a beautiful country with so much to do, but honestly the personalities and enthusiasm of Mel and Pim made the trip simply out-of this-world! By two days into the trip, our kids were playing their music over the aux in our mini-bus ("Frank" - as we learned named for the famous Antarctic explorer Frank Worsley), chatting and talking with Pim and Mel. Details-wise, everything was organized (but not over-structured), well-paced with more strenuous days mixed up with some more relaxed days and genuinely enjoyable -. Since we traveled in the NZ winter, our trip ended up being just our family of four - with the exception of one couple joining us for the Mount Aspiring Hut National Park hike - a great two days of hiking and spending the night in the middle of a sky full of stars. Given the size of our group, Mel and Pim were able to adjust and make some of the hikes more challenging, which the kids (and my husband and I) really appreciated as well. Everywhere we stayed was comfortable, clean and perfectly suited to what we needed, the 3 day stay in Queenstown was perfect to have in the middle of the trip a and we were able to hike, helicopter, kayak, zip line, boulder and more. Our family has traveled a lot of different places and we all agree that this trip was the best - we cannot recommend Active Adventures highly enough! Special kudos to Mel and Pim for making our family feel very welcome in NZ and being spectacular guides and hosts. On the way home, we were already trying to figure out what our next Active Adventures trip might be.
New Zealand Family Vacation, August 2019
Aimee, United States
5 Stars (32 reviews)
The whole trip was wonderful. All the places we visited were spectacular. Both of our guides were excellent and friendly.
New Zealand Family Vacation, February 2019
Tiffany, United States
5 Stars (32 reviews)
Can't recommend the family Kea trip enough. Our guide Mel seemed to have endless energy and inspired us all to relax, play and enjoy.
New Zealand Family Vacation, November 2018
Jessica, United Kingdom