In early December of 2023, I joined a small group of people with “Active Adventures” on the South Island of New Zealand for two weeks. I had been looking into visiting NZ for a few years now, so it was on my mind when I came across this trip online. Having used the same company 2 years ago for a trip to Yellowstone in the winter, I felt comfortable with going on my own. After reading the daily activity descriptions, looking at the logistics, and the time of year, I booked this trip just 6 weeks before the departure date.

Our trip started and ended in Christchurch NZ. Most of the direct flights to NZ were from California and went to Aukland, on the North Island. With that being said, I had to fly from WA to CA, then to Aukland, then finally to Christchurch. I decided to arrive a day before the trip started, just to acclimate to summer and to get over the jetlag. I chose a motel near the airport with a free shuttle so that I could get back to the airport the next day to meet my group at the arranged location.

Active Adventures offers many different levels of activity (1-5) and this tour seemed to fit me perfectly – level 2, which meant that we were out walking or hiking about 4 hours a day, sometimes more, with a moderate level of exercise. This group maxes out at 8 people and 2 guides, we were only 8 total which was much different from the group of 13 in Yellowstone.

After some quick introductions of the 2 guides and the other travelers, we were off. We headed north and made our first stop of the day at Kaikoura for a short walk along the beach and some exploring time amongst the rocks and shells. While it was winter in the US, December is summer in NZ so the temperatures averaged in the 70’s for most of our trip on the south island. Our accommodation that first night was at The Fairways, also in Kaikoura. The Fairways was lovely and situated on a golf course. For the first evening, our two guides cooked dinner for us and we enjoyed that on our outdoor patio, while we got to know each other a bit better.

The next morning wasn’t as lovely as our first day. It was cooler and a bit windy and rainy, but that didn’t stop us from seeing the seals on “Seal Rock”, lunch and a wine tasting at “Forest Winery” in Marlborough and a short hike to Pelorus Bridge. We had dinner at a small restaurant that was perched on the water, with great food and views, and our hotel for 2 nights was in the town of Nelson.

The following morning, after our breakfast at the hotel, we took an hour’s drive to get to our water taxi ride. This water taxi was great in itself with the beautiful weather and views. After an hour or so, we were dropped off at Tasman Bay for a 3-hour hike and then picked up at another location, after lunch, and returned to our van. We couldn’t have asked for a better day – nonstop sunshine, seals, Weka birds (similar to hens) on our walk, and then dinner back at our hotel.

Our next day started early, as we had a 3.5-hour drive to get to our next destination. We did make a stop for about 45 minutes in Murchison for a stretch and some shopping. When we arrived at “Cape Four Wind” for our 1.5-hour walk, we realized that it was very appropriately named – a super windy walk along the cliff’s edge, but just breathtaking. There was a small lighthouse on our walk and then we had lunch in the van. We had planned for a picnic outside, but just as we finished the trail, it started to rain. Before we stopped in Punakaiki (Scenic Hotels) for the night, we spent some time viewing the “Pancake Rocks and Blowholes”.

We had two short walks at Paparoa National Park and then Lake Mihinapua before stopping in Hokitika for a few hours of walking, exploring, and lunch.

We drove to Franz Josef, where we stayed for the next two nights at “The Rainforest Villas and Cabins”. I had my own charming cabin in the rainforest, next to the hot tub and absolutely loved it! In the morning we took a short drive to a lagoon, where we kayaked for a few hours with “Okarito Kayaks”. Okarito is a small town of only 41 people and we thoroughly enjoyed the scenery kayaking, our picnic lunch, and then another hike. Just gorgeous landscapes and beautiful birds while on the water and our hike.

On December 15, we hiked for about an hour and a half at Westland Tai Poutini National Park, then drove for about 2 hours. We then stopped at Ship Creek Beach for a short walk before arriving at our cool A-Frame cabins for the night at Wonderland, Makarora Lodge. After dinner, a few of us sat outside on picnic tables and just took in the skyline and stars and the beautiful wild bird sounds – just magical.

On the following day, I opted out of the hike due to the steepness and lack of shade. I was really happy to switch that out for a 3-hour walk along a beach path in town, on nearby Lake Wanaka. After another picnic lunch, we drove just over an hour to Queenstown for the next 2 nights.

We were on our own for a day in Queenstown (without our guides) so we could choose to do whatever we wanted. I took a Steamship cruise around the lake and then joined a small tour group to some local wineries and also found time to see some Kiwis at the Bird Sanctuary. Some of the other people in our group did water sports and took the scenic gondola in town. This was the largest town that we had been in for about a week and there were many options for outings and restaurants and shops.

We left Queenstown on December 18 and made a quick stop in the cute town of Garston, which is known for being “New Zealand’s most inland village”. After that, we hiked for about 3 hours on Kepler Track in Fiordland National Park. Every hike and trail that we took was different and just as enjoyable as the next. It’s really hard to pick a favorite, but I was partial to the ocean view hikes, personally.

Wheels up at 6:15 am on the 19th, because we had a cruise ship to catch that, was a 2-hour drive away. We had coffee and snacks on the van as we drove to our destination and then a wonderful breakfast on the ship. Milford Sound itself was stunning, but the drive in wasn’t shabby either. The sunshine was trying to peek through the early morning fog as we approached.

After a few hours in Milford Sound, we went for another short hike and then enjoyed our picnic lunch among millions of beautiful lupine flowers with snowcapped mountains as a backdrop. We had a wonderful dinner at the Redcliff Restaurant near our hotel and I had the most tender venison that I’ve ever had!

In the morning we were headed for lunch in the historic town of Cromwell, but decided to stop at “AJ Hackett” Bungy jump viewing area. This is the first commercial bungy jumping operation in New Zealand, jumping from Kawarau Bridge. The water and the views were gorgeous, and after watching a few people jump, two from our group decided to take the plunge! After another short stop at another winery, we finally made it to Sanga’s Pie company to pick up lunch and then head to Cromwell.

We spent our final two nights of this 2-week tour in Twizel. While the hotel accommodations weren’t as lovely as any of our previous stays, the final dinner at a local restaurant and the amazing hike and views on our Mount Cook hike (and lavender ice cream after the hike) made up for it. Our lunch spot was beautiful, as usual, and after our hike, we stopped at the visitor center, which was more like a museum and also offered amazing views of the area.

I can’t say enough wonderful things about this two-week vacation!! Shout out to Aleisha and Max our guides for this trip, who were informative, friendly, funny, engaging, and great cooks. I also enjoyed getting to know the other people in my group immensely. We had fun trying new foods, exploring new places, and talking about where we’re from and where we’ve traveled. With Active Adventures, everything is included, from the accommodations to the meals, travel, hikes, snacks, and bug spray (and sunscreen). What a wonderful way to travel the world, I’m already looking for my next adventure…