The Big Tiki

The trip manager Hannah was very informative and organised. She was also super chill and a good laugh. Patrice our driver was too. She got involved and made everyone feel welcome. Some of the included activities were amazing. Visiting Hobbiton and Milford sound was incredible. There was also an included wine and beer tasting afternoon at a beautiful spot not far from queenstown. They had a volleyball pitch and a football (soccer) pitch there too which was very cool! Some of the other included activities were a bit naff though. We visited a Jewell place which was fairly dull (though the staff were lovely) and a kiwi sanctuary. The sanctuary sounded great on paper, but it was very poorly ran and we saw very little kiwi. The main flaw of the trip was the inconsistencies in included activities. If you’re thinking of booking this trip, then I’d recommended you save up enough to do some (or lots) of the add on activities. I did my first sky dive and bungy which were both amazing! The quad bikes were a lot of fun. They take you out far into the wild on them (and you can go very fast). There was a lot of water activities too which were also a lot of fun and organised well. We also did a boat trip in Paihia which was so beautiful. If you’re lucky, you get to see dolphins. We were very lucky, as they spent about half the morning with us! If adrenaline isn’t your thing then there’s still a lot to get involved in! There’s several add on meals and nights outs, walks and trips to get involved in. These are a great way to get to know your trip mates. If you were planning on saving your money to do Franz Josef glacier then just a heads up that the trip is cancelled more often than not due to the weather. If there’s heavy clouds or rain (which there often is in Franz Josef) then the helicopters of course don’t fly. We didn’t find out about this until the day we arrived, and some people were a bit upset because they’d saved their money to do that instead of a bungy/skydive etc. However, if the weather isn’t okay to fly, there’s a hike that you can do that takes you close to the glacier. This was my first contiki and whilst I was fairly confident I’d get a good group, and I can usually get on with most people anyway, there was a slight worry of “what if I don’t get on with anyone”. This next point is very subjective and I guess I can only speak on behalf of my group.. but everyone was lovely and I met many great people and plan on meeting up with some in the near future. We had a really nice balance of big nights out, casual nights out and chill evenings (which is what you need for a 19 day trip in my opinion). I travelled from England and was surprised that I was the only English lad there. There were 3 or 4 English girls too. As well as us there were a few Europeans and a some Americans; but the trip primarily consisted of Aussies, most of whom were cool and a proper laugh! The trip is very inclusive, and Hannah made it easier for the newer guys to be integrated with the original guys on the bus. And although I met some of my favourite people along the way, I’m personally glad that I started the trip on day 1 when it officially began. Despite it being very friendly and inclusive, clicks do naturally form (especially when there’s 40+ people on the bus at one time). Just food for thought, if you were thinking of not doing the full big tiki, and were considering a shorter trip. I’m so glad I decided to travel on tiki, I wouldn’t have changed much about the experience at all. If you decide to opt against Big Tiki, then just make sure you still travel NZ. It’s the most beautiful, interesting and chilled place in the world!

Great trip with great destinations and great people

Simple amazing tour perfect location hotels really nice