If you are a Lord of the Rings fan, like my son, New Zealand is probably on your travel bucket list. Even though I’d never read the books nor watched the movies, I’ve always wanted to visit this land of fields and fjords, a hiker’s paradise with no snakes. It might sound strange, but I have always felt a deep connection with New Zealand, knowing on a visceral level that I would enjoy my time there even though I never set foot on it. I’ve spent many, many hours researching places to go and things to do when planning my dream vacation to the Land of the Long White Cloud (the name in Maori, Aotearoa.) I was hoping to take a month to travel around the country, but with work and other responsibilities, I had to settle for a two-week vacation in November, the last month of Spring in the Southern Hemisphere. I knew in my gut that I’d love New Zealand. As it turned out, it proved to be my favorite place on earth. I’d move there tomorrow if I could. I love everything about this beautiful South Pacific nation.

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Most everyone would agree that renting a campervan and self-driving is the best way to see and experience New Zealand. Well, we didn’t. We went with a big group of our friends, twenty-five of us to be exact, on a private and customized tour that I painstakingly put together with General Travel New Zealand, a local “Kiwi” Auckland based company. Group travel is not without its challenges – from a logistical and a social perspective. Yet, traveling with a large group of friends proved to be a fantastic experience. I knew traveling around New Zealand was going to be an adventure, but going on our own road trip through the length and breadth of the country was beyond my wildest dreams.

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My Top Three Highlights:

1. Tongariro Alpine Crossing: This hike was top of my New Zealand bucket list. In my opinion, it’s one of the best things you can do in the country, if “tramping” is your thing. The Tongariro National Park is a World Heritage Site, and the Tongariro Alpine Crossing hike is one of the most popular in New Zealand, if not in the world. For your efforts, you will be rewarded with panoramic views over volcanoes and emerald green lakes.

2. The People: what I treasure most about the trip is the positive interactions both within our group of friends and with the locals. My experience is that Kiwis are friendly and very welcoming to visitors. I never got tired of hearing the Kira Ora greeting. However, I failed to adopt the Kiwi attitude expressed by the saying “she’ll be right.” As the leader of the group in charge of logistics I stressed out every time when things didn’t go according to plan. But my local partners never seemed worried. They just don’t sweat the small stuff. They take things as they go and believe that things will turn out all right in the end. 

3. The Coffee: what I like most about active vacations is that I can increase my calorie intake. I am no Michael Phelps but spending my days hiking allows me to enjoy things I usually have to avoid in my normal life. My guilty pleasure is coffee, the sugary kind: latte, cappuccino, mochaccino, affogato. These sweet delights are all common espresso drinks in New Zealand where the locals take a break around 10 am and 3pm to have their morning and afternoon tea respectfully. But it’s not tea that they have. They sit down to enjoy their coffee in a real cup and a snack with friends or family. I’ll drink to that!

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Our Two-Week Itinerary:

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There are SO many things to do and see in New Zealand. I can guarantee you won’t get bored! On the contrary, it is hard to decide what to do and where to visit when you are there because the choices are virtually endless. And you can’t go wrong. Our group’s schedule reflects our goal to see as much as of the country as possible for a large group travelling long distances in a coach bus.