Review: Traveling With Contiki in New Zealand

I have a confession: As a young person traveling, I never backpacked, hostel-hopped or joined a group trip. I visited family in Europe, studied abroad on a university-organized program and traveled alone on pre-set, work-arranged trips. So, when 35-year-old me was invited to go on a Contiki fam trip — the operator, part of TTC Tour Brands, is specifically designed to provide a social group travel experience for 18- to 35-year-olds — I wasn’t sure what to expect.

While I was, admittedly, on the high end of Contiki’s age spectrum (and felt it sometimes), I found much to love about the experience as our group explored New Zealand’s South Island on a seven-night itinerary.

Here’s what stood out to me about Contiki’s overall approach to travel and its offerings in New Zealand specifically.

Itinerary Highlights

Our fam trip essentially followed the New Zealand: Sweet as South itinerary, exploring the South Island roundtrip out of Christchurch with two nights in Franz Josef, three nights in Queenstown (one less than the typical itinerary), one night in Te Anau and one night at Lake Ohau. 

While visiting so many destinations meant spending a significant amount of time on our Contiki coach most days, there is so much stunning scenery across the South Island that I often found myself simply staring out the window as a picturesque parade of mountains, lakes, coastlines, waterfalls and streams rolled by. (In fact, approximately two-thirds of the South Island is mountainous and only about 1.2 million people live there, so nature reigns supreme over large swaths of its land.)

Of course, covering so much ground also lets travelers see most of the South Island’s top attractions with very little expended effort, and Contiki provides ample opportunities to explore the outdoor and adventure activities the destination is so well known for. 

The small town of Franz Josef — which I was surprised to discover is located in a temperate rainforest zone — serves as a jumping-off point to nearby glaciers, including the namesake Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier. Most of Contiki’s activities here are optional, extra-cost add-ons, but they are worth the splurge if clients want the unique chance to take a helicopter ride to a glacier (an experience I won’t soon forget), go for a multi-hour hike on a glacier or explore the rainforest by quad bike. 

Queenstown, meanwhile, feels like a postcard come to life — it’s charming enough to be worth taking some downtime to explore and enjoy (I recommend wandering the paths around Lake Wakatipu, or hopping on the Skyline gondola for panoramic views). But the destination isn’t called “the adventure capital of the world” for nothing, and various members of our group opted into add-ons including bungee jumping, skydiving, canyon swinging (a free fall into a cable-controlled swing), ziplining and canyoneering.

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While I passed on some of the more extreme options, I still got a dose of adrenaline on a Shotover Jet ride, a unique jet boat that hits high speeds and makes 360-degree spins in a spectacular canyon setting. I also loved my “funyak” — an inflatable kayak generally used in whitewater — excursion along the gorgeous Dart River. 

But one of the absolute highlights of the trip came just after leaving Queenstown, and that was an included cruise in Milford Sound, undoubtedly one of New Zealand’s most stunning natural assets. Here, towering cliffs covered in lush green foliage are dotted with waterfalls of all sizes rushing to meet the Tasman Sea below. Moody clouds tend to float mysteriously along the cliffs, adding to the otherworldly atmosphere.

In the final days of the trip, standout experiences included a glowworm cave tour (an add-on) at Lake Te Anau — where a constellation of bioluminescent insects glowed above us like tiny blue stars — and an included visit to Real Country farm. The latter is especially noteworthy as a Make Travel Matter experience (activities with a positive social or environmental impact, a hallmark offering across TTC Tour Brands) that helps advance women in the male-dominated world of agriculture. 

Groups who visit Real Country, run by Laura Koot and her team, are treated to farm animal encounters (including dogs, sheep, deer, horses and alpaca) and lessons about life on a New Zealand farm (travelers can even try their hand at whip-cracking). But hearing Koot’s inspirational story about leaving corporate life to run her farm, including the challenges she faced as a woman in agriculture and her work to help other women enter and succeed in the industry, is what will stay with travelers long after their time there. 

Another Make Travel Matter experience included in the itinerary involves learning about Pounamu (jade) with a Maori guide, who shares the importance of the “greenstone” to the Indigenous people of New Zealand. Travelers who are particularly interested in local jade traditions can also book the add-on experience of carving their own jade pendant with a Maori carver.  

Why Contiki? 

Points of interest on New Zealand’s South Island are far apart, often connected by small, windy roads. As an American visiting on my own, I would have found driving these routes on the opposite side of the road (and car) incredibly intimidating — but Lewis, our fantastic Contiki driver, navigated our coach around the tricky twists and turns like an absolute champ.

Our Contiki Trip Manager, Isaac, was also a true MVP. As is standard for Contiki guides, Isaac didn’t just lead the group — he set and maintained an overall vibe for the trip. Key to the brand’s demographic of young people, Isaac helped foster social connections and kept energy on the bus high with games of trivia and music playlists. In addition to making things fun, he was a wealth of knowledge, sharing the history of New Zealand, environmental and social facts, information about Maori culture, local legends and mythology, the particulars of each day’s itinerary and all our excursion details. 

He also, on occasion, made magic happen for us: When the majority of our group’s helicopter tours to Franz Josef Glacier were cancelled due to inclement weather, Isaac not only arranged a substitute kayaking excursion, but was also able to rebook us on flights the following morning before we left town. It was a clear testament to the quick pivoting, deep destination knowledge and local connections that Contiki Trip Managers are trained to have.

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The wide variety of optional excursions available at most trip stops is another great benefit — travelers are often free to explore on their own, though booking activities through Contiki makes it easy to fit both well-known and more unexpected opportunities into the itinerary.