Lots of driving? Enough time for optionals/free time?

Hi there,

I was curious to know, especially from those who have been on this tour, about a few things:

-About how much driving do you do each day?

-How much "free time" do you have...is it mostly hop off the bus, take pictures, back on the bus, or can you actually go for a little walk/hike at Tongarirro, for example?

-Is there time to do all/most of the listed optional activities, or do you end up having to choose and miss out on some very cool things (i.e., fun yaks vs canyon swing) ?

-Were there many cancellations/overbookings/missed opportunities?

It seems some options are very popular, and I've read that some get cancelled due to the weather. My biggest concern about this tour is that you seem to be doing a lot of driving on the bus, with little time to actually explore the surrounding beauty (aside from the optionals),  and that missing out on the awesome optional activities would, how do you say, "suck ass."

I'm booked for this November and about to pay out---I guess I'm just looking for some reassurance before I shell out the cash...

Thanks in advance for your responses,

P.