Name: Australia: North Queensland Adventure (Base)
Brand: Contiki
SKU: N/A
Price: 1649 USD
Availability: LimitedAvailability
Rating: 4.7 (1 reviews)

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Australia & the Pacific Budget Culture Trips & Packages

Read 778 traveler reviews on tours to Australia & the Pacific Budget Culture Trips & Packages.Compare trips from over 28 companies. Pick your...

Exodus Adventure Travels

Intrepid Travel

Costsaver

AAT Kings

Contiki

Globus

South of 34°

Topdeck

Cosmos

Travel Talk

Ciconia

Grand Circle Travel

This trip is one of the best we have experienced with Exodus. The varied 
walking, landscape and experiences on the trip make it an amazing adventure. 
Beware though there are many long distances to cover (we did over 3500 Km in 
the 19 days), but Ian and Sonya made it very interesting with their local 
knowledge and frequent rest stops at interesting places. The highlight of the 
walking was of course the Tongariro Alpine Crossing which on the day we did 
it was truly spectacular with the Emerald lake just like the Guide books. The 
Abel Tasman Coastal walk again like the guide book pictures. The Diamond Lake 
and Rocky Mountain walk was tough but well worth it for the views. Other 
experiences met all our expectations – Sailing on Tasman sea, Jet boat on 
River Motukituki where at times we were in 5 inches of water, Helicopter to 
Fox Glacier (paid locally) and overnight on Milford Sound in Fiordland. 
Christchurch was sad to see but it is good to that they are beginning to get 
the city rebuilt. It is important to note that a few walks and experiences 
can be affected by weather. Although it was summer we dodged Storm Fehi – 
Tongariro was closed the day after we walked it, Windy Wellington was stormy 
Wellington, roads near Fox Glacier were closed due to landslides and they had 
had no electricity for 3 days before we arrived.  However we managed all the 
planned itinerary except walking to Fox Glacier due to landslide. All in all 
an AWESOME trip
Reaching the summit on the Tongariro Alpine Pass and seeing the Lakes as 
shown in all the guidebooks


Ian was an excellent leader. He was a very confident and safe driver which is 
important on this trip. He kept us up to date with weather and reasons for 
his decisions in view of Storm Fehi. We had plenty of rest stops mostly in 
very interesting places.


Take note of distances travelled in order to cover the area - New Zealand is 
a huge country
Be aware that although summer itinerary might be changed due to weather

Trails of New Zealand

What an amazing trip! I cannot recommend it highly enough - it showcasts 
everything that New Zealand has to offer, and despite travelling for 3 weeks 
it is not enough. We wanted to stay longer, explore further, be stunned by 
the mindblowing views. From the rolling hills on the North Island to the 
majestic mountains and fields in Middle Earth and Milford Sounds on the South 
Island - it is impossible to choose a favourite spot, and certainly calls for 
another trip in the near future. I loved, loved, loved it, the country, the 
people and how happy it made me.
I cannot pick a most inspirational moment, but Mount Aspiring National Park, 
Milford Sound and Mount Cook left quite an impression - I am in awe. The 
views! Simply stunning.


Fantastic leaders. I very much appreciated having two leaders, both very 
friendly, approachable, fun and entertaining and of course, knowledgeable 
about flora and fauna. Both were a treasure!


Be prepared for mindblowing views.


n/a

It’s a very full an encompassing trip. It covers a great deal and involves 
a lot of hiking, which is really the only way to truly see and appreciate 
this spectacular country.
Many many beautiful views.


We had 2, they we’re both absolutely excellent and complimented one another 
perfectly.


Be fit


Our small group of 10 was very special and together with our guides we really 
seem to bond.
All of us had a great time.
As a solo traveller, I got lucky - it was a special group!
Our guides were over-the-top wonderful!

We got lucky with the weather too which was beautiful.

A wonderful itinerary and excellent guides/leaders with infectious enthusiasm 
for this amazing country!
The Tongariro Crossing and the visit to the Milford Sound, but so many 
wonderful days so very difficult to choose just one. I would therefore say, 
the entire trip!


Our group leader was Chris Cameron and second leader was Richard Mortiboys.
Chris was an excellent experienced leader with a lovely friendly personality 
and huge knowledge of the country and all the plants. She had boundless 
energy and tremendous enthusiasm for the country which was very infectious. 
Her organization of every part of the day was very clear and well planned, 
ensuring the best possible experience and full confidence in her leadership.
Richard was the second in command and he and Chris worked very well together, 
sharing the driving and general care of each and every one in the party. He 
was extremely kind and caring when some of us had left items at various 
places enroute and he spent a great deal of time and effort to ensure that 
these items were successfully forwarded.
They were both excellent leaders and they certainly made the trip a 
resounding success.


Don't pack too many items. When you are moving on regularly, there isn't the 
time or the inclination to uncover more than the top few items of clothing!


I do not see how this trip could be improved! It just had everything to make 
it a wonderful comprehensive tour of North and South Islands.

An excellent introduction to both islands. There is so much to see and do 
that the time we had just whizzed by. It is clear that this trip only just 
touches the surface but in saying that we had an unprecedented insight into 
the geography, geology, flora, fauna and cultural diversity, balancing the 
city explorations with the more exciting challenges provided by the 
spectacular scenery. To achieve this itinerary you have to withstand long 
travelling interspersed by the activities included. It would have been good 
to have extra days in certain areas to enhance the experience but you can 
only do so much in 19 days. However, in saying that, this trip cannot be 
faulted and certainly shows New Zealand at its best.
Too many as each area we visited gave totally different experiences.
The Tongariro crossing was not to be missed- fortunate with the weather but 
there was snow in the craters at the plateau with high winds on the crater 
edges.
Geothermal valleys.
Walking up to the terminal face of Fox glacier (despite no polar bear!)
Cruising the Milford Sound-seeing the penguins.
Walking through the indigenous tropical forests.
Walking in the snow at the foot of Mount Cook and crossing glacial torrents 
in full flood.
Walking at night on a Glow Worm trail- like thousands of LED lights- quite 
enchanting.
Sobering walk through the disembodied Christchurch- still recovering and has 
not regained its soul yet.


All this could not be achieved without the excellent guidance, support and 
knowledgeable expertise of our two guides, Chris and Rich who both 
complemented each other- one being a Kiwi and the other a Devonian export. 
Nothing was too much trouble for them in trying to accommodate individual 
interests, adjusting the activities according to the prevalent weather 
conditions and providing a constant supply of snacks to sustain us upon our 
activities. They appeared to have a magical influence over the weather and 
visitors, providing a narrow window of opportunity that allowed us to visit 
volcanic landscapes and geothermal valleys without the crowds or rain that 
would normally be expected. Their energy and enthusiasm to share their 
knowledge of the islands and its peoples went without saying. They were quick 
to ascertain the abilities of each individual member and gave optional 
activities when needed. The entire trip was skilfully organised and despite 
the long distance driven by both of them, they were able to protect 
themselves from being on constant demand.


Be prepared for long travelling.
Be prepared for Vivaldi weather (four seasons).
If you are reasonably fit and used to mountain terrain, all walks should be 
within your grasp.

Make the most of your time.


The accommodation was excellent and the resort spa was much appreciated.

This trip covers a lot of ground, with a packed itinerary and with plenty of 
walking in beautiful scenery. The weather was very kind to us - we even saw 
Milford Sound with clear blue skies!
I couldn't single out just one - there were too many. The North Island 
volcanoes and geothermal activity were amazing but the South Island scenery 
was spectacular. The ' Abel Tasman' day was one highlight - a beautiful walk 
followed by a swim and beach picnic then a return journey by sail - perfect. 
Sunrise at Lake Matheson, the boat trip on Milford Sound and walk to Key 
Summit were other highlights, as were the unexpected extras arranged by Sean 
and Merisha.


Joint leaders Sean and Merisha were great!


Travel as light as you can - there are chances to wash clothes at lots of the 
motels. I brought far too much luggage and regretted it!  Do bring layers, 
even though we had fantastic weather the temperature ranges were big. We 
didn't use our waterproofs much but I don't think our weather was typical.
If you can, add an extra day or two in NZ at the start and end of the trip.


New Zealand is a beautiful and fascinating country. We had a great group and 
excellent leaders. I would highly recommend this trip.

Australia & the Pacific Budget Culture Trips & Packages Tour & Trip Reviews