Most Inspirational Moment
There really was not only one inspirational moment. The entire holiday was inspirational for different reasons - spectacular scenery; friendly / clean country which appeared to be devoid of litter; interesting culture / history which has been impacted so much by the european settlers; the several planned walks / treks that had been arranged as part of the holiday together with the evening spent on the boat at Milford Sound.
Thoughts on Group Leader
There were two guides on the Trip - Ian Douglas and Helen Tait. They complemented each other very well with both adding detailed commentary / background of the country that equated to their area of expertise. They were both very patient, encouraging and helpful especially with suggestions for possible activities at approaching destinations.
Advice for Potential Travellers
There were some inaccuracies in the Trip Notes that came to light during the trip. 1. Some of the hotels were marked as BH (Basic Hotels) when in fact the 'hotels' (motels) were some of the best hotels at which we stayed during the Trip because of their location and facilities e.g. Queenstown, Wanaka and Mount Cook for example. This incorrect or misunderstood classification may have had the effect of dissuading people interested in the Trip from booking. 2. The details of the holiday on the Web include a picture of one of the activities where travellers could walk on the Fox Glacier. This is in fact not correct as the only way to do this is by paying for a helicopter to land on the Glacier - there was insufficient time available within the day's schedule to take up this opportunity . The day's activity is to walk from the car park to the face of the glacier where conditions allow. Unfortunately with our Trip, as it had been raining heavily, the Park Rangers had cordoned off the path because of the danger of rock falls.