My Contiki Chapter - New Zealand!

By Bronwen Hill

Incredible experiences, friendships, and many stories – these are my biggest souvenirs from my Contiki trip when I was a 19 years old.

My tour was appropriately named the ‘Grand Adventurer’ and this is my Contiki Chapter.

As a young adult, many of us have dreams of travelling the world! Paris, Barcelona, Delhi, Singapore, Sydney, Bangkok, Auckland. I started my travelling adventures in New Zealand in 2005. My best friend and I embarked on a 12-day tour across both the North and South Islands. It is a tour I will not forget and frequently to this day recall my stories to anyone who will listen!

Heading off Liza and I at CFS

Our reason for choosing this adventure was because it was easy for us as newbie world-travellers! The Contiki Tour covered all the places we wanted to visit,
Auckland, Rotorua, Milford Sound, and Lake Tekapu. They had the transportation dialled, we had a local guide with us the whole time and accommodations that were not crazy expensive, but safe. This also made it easier for the parents of two 19-yr old girls to send us on our merry and adventurous way.

Our tour saw us constantly moving from one New Zealand highlight to the next. We saw

  • buskers in Auckland,
  • went Black Water rafting through the glow worm caves,
  • visited the New Zealand Maori arts and Crafts Institute,
  • visited and smelled the geysers in Rotorua,
  • were introduced to 19 different breeds of sheep,

...and this that was is just the first 5 days!

Contiki has the perfect core value - Adventure isn’t something you do it’s an attitude – getting outside your comfort zone. For me sky diving in Queenstown, New Zealand; was definitely out of my comfort zone, but an experience I will never forget and forever be grateful that my best friend convinced me to try. (Yes, peer pressure!)

At the time Contiki tours were known as a party trips! Now I look at their offerings and my how it has changed! Their tours have evolved and now include so many different travel styles that the young travellers of all experiences and comfort levels can enjoy! If you are a young traveller that prefers the security of pre-planned accommodations and transportation, but want to explore cities on your own schedule, book a Contiki “Iconic Essentials” trip. Do you love to try the local food culture – check the “In-Depth Explorer” adventures. There is something for everyone.

All tours have a few things in common: people and experiences. When I was on my Contiki tour, my best friend was also spending time with her now husband. He was not part of the tour, but I did not feel like a lonely traveller. Everyone on my tour became a friend, many of whom I continued to keep in contact with for years after the tour.

The experiences we had on the tour are things that I now recommend to my clients. There was something magical about overnighting on Milford Sound, it was an amazing adventure blackwater rafting through the Glow Worm Caves and being introduced to the Maori culture connected us to New Zealand.

I believe that it’s so important to make memories that shape how we grow into fully functional adults. Life needs a little play and adventure shared with good people.

For your summer 2020 are you looking to travel? If so, reach out, let’s find your destination and the tour that aligns with you. Contiki currently has a sale on many of its worldwide adventures. As a special bonus, booking with me as an official Contiki Agent, you will receive an extra $50 CAD credit for your tour. Connect with me for all the details (and to hear more of my adventures in New Zealand with Contiki)!