4.7 Stars (155 reviews)
I always have a picture in my mind of what I want to accomplish on a trip such as this. First time I can honestly say all my expectations were surpassed checking every bucket list item off and then some!
New Zealand Family Vacation, January 1970
4.7 Stars (155 reviews)
If you want to make the most of a family trip to New Zealand, you MUST consider Active Adventures! The 5 star reviews are REAL!
Our guides, Mel and Kim were the BEST! They were awesome ambassadors for Active Adventures and for New Zealand in general. They shared a wealth of information about the land, wildlife, history and culture. Our guides pointed out details about New Zealand that we would have missed had we done the trip on our own. Our kids (6 & 9) loved them. I think that my kids miss Mel and Kim almost as much as they miss New Zealand itself!
Travelling was part of the adventure. Our bus “Ed” was comfortable and had large windows to view the amazing scenery. It was nice to have the option to take in the sites or to relax on the bus after a hike. Mel kept the kids entertained. NEVER ONCE did my kids complain or ask whether we were there yet. Ed was always stocked with a basket full of fresh fruit and healthy snack options.
Itinerary and details were all expertly planned. Behind the scenes, Mel and Kim shopped and prepared meals while we explored or settled into our accommodations. We loved all of the wildlife encounters, scenery, and outdoor adventures. Active Adventures really maximized our New Zealand experience!!
From the time of my initial inquiry, the Active Adventure team was accessible and helpful. Detail oriented, they reached out to us shortly before the trip to get height/weight info to arrange booster seats for our kids. In addition, a month prior to the trip, they proactively contacted us about Christmas dinner options for the evening prior to the trip’s start.
I was fortunate to find Active Adventures via an online search. I can attest to the 5/5 star reviews. We loved the personalized experience being in a small tour group. We have so many happy memories. I am so glad that we completed the trip and highly recommend Active Adventures and the Kea trip to my family, friends, and colleagues.
New Zealand Family Vacation, January 1970
4.7 Stars (155 reviews)
A great trip touching most of the NZ South Island's many must see / must do places.
New Zealand Family Vacation, January 1970
4.7 Stars (155 reviews)
We'd wanted to go to New Zealand for years and were so happy we chose to do it with Active Adventures. We never would have seen and done as much without being on a tour where they handled everything. The guides were highly competent as well as being fun and setting a relaxed tone. It was wonderful how they guided us through some of the most beautiful places on earth and could also tell us about history and wildlife. They were flexible and helped us navigate the different physical levels of each family member. Food was healthy and delicious. Both the adults and kids had a blast.
New Zealand Family Vacation, January 1970
4.7 Stars (155 reviews)
We were a bit hesitant knowing that we would be the only family on this trip, since part of the draw was interacting with other families with kids while we adventure, but our awesome guides Ash and Eve really came through and made sure both kids and adults had a wonderful time through the varied terrain of the South Island. They were particularly good at coaxing our least willing hiker (the 6 year old) and giving us options to split up into individual / paired interests. The level and variety of activity was perfect for our family! Thanks again, we really did have the best time and hope to come back for another Active adventure someday...
New Zealand Family Vacation, November 2400
4.7 Stars (155 reviews)
Our family vacation on the South Island was fabulous! Here are some specifics:
The itinerary was well-thought-out, as we drove in "Bill" the bus for only relatively short spells at a time before arriving at an interesting spot to hike, explore, picnic, etc. Never was there a spell where we sat for more than 1.5 hours or so.
"Bill" the bus was a very comfortable ride, by the way, allowing us to sit with a variety of people or even alone. The bus held 20 or so, and we were only 12 in number plus our two guides. The windows are large, allowing for expansive views of the beautiful New Zealand landscape. We towed a trailer behind us for all of our luggage and food, so we were not sitting amongst or climbing over luggage or supplies.
Our guide Claire was an excellent driver, and we felt very safe with her at the wheel.
The variety of experiences was exceptional! We visited four national parks. We hiked 10 miles roundtrip to a glacial lake at Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park. We hiked amongst sheep and cows (within just a few feet of us!) at Mt. Aspiring National Park and stayed overnight in a classic NZ "hut." We visited a wildlife preserve where we saw the nocturnal kiwi, we saw Fox Glacier; we spent several days in lovely Queenstown, canyoning, luging, and river rafting; we visited Puzzling World and found our way out of a very puzzling wooden maze. Our guides engaged our children in the building of a driftwood fort on a beach on the Tasman Sea. Our youthful, energetic guides also engaged all of us in playing "Go Home, Stay Home" amongst giant boulders and bravely accompanied our children into the cold water of a cave, where the children spied an eel! We also visited a sheep farm, where the kids took their turn trying to herd the sheep into a corral, learned about sheep farming and the dog's commands, and tried their hand at shearing a sheep.
The food was delicious, fresh and plentiful. Whether prepared for us by our guides Claire and Mel, or served to us at a restaurant where reservations had been made and service was quick, the food was uniformly excellent. Snacks were always available on the bus. We were very well-fed!
Our guides Claire and Mel were EXTRAORDINARY. We also were joined by a guide Steve for our hike in Mt. Aspiring, and he was equally AWESOME! Their sense of fun, their youthful energy, and their competence in managing the vehicles, preparing food, mobilizing the group, keeping to a schedule, etc. impressed us daily. Their knowledge of all things NZ, their ability to engage our children in fun, tossing a rugby ball or playing hangman with dry erase markers on the windows of the bus, made our trip the success that it was. We LOVED them!!!!
New Zealand Family Vacation, January 1970
4.7 Stars (155 reviews)
My experience with Active Adventures in NZ was so fun! The guides were really nice and perfect to play games with. Steve was also really nice and funny. I had such a fantastic time and I'm glad I got to go with Active Adventures.
New Zealand Family Vacation, January 1970
4.7 Stars (155 reviews)
It would be difficult to overstate how impressed I was with our Active Adventure tour. Mel and Claire were absolutely incredible!! Steve was great too, but he was only with us for the hike up and back from the Aspiring Hut. Plus, he was weighed down by a rock he so generously carried up the hill for Mel.
Anyway, Mel and Claire made Active Adventures (and New Zealand) look so good! They were EVERYTHING I could hope for: friendly, funny, knowledgeable, professional, hard-working, kind, easy-going, energetic, .... Thank you for one of the best 2-week periods of my entire life!
New Zealand Family Vacation, January 1970