Regards Tony

You are in for a treat! I did this tour in February this year and also February 2024....and I'm going back in February 2027 on the Travelsphere itinerary! It's an amazing and friendly place.

If you have a look in the Reviews section of the Forum, on the second page, you will find some hints and tips that I posted after my first trip. Happy to help if you have any other questions. 

Happy travels

MLB

Regards Tony

I'm booked on the same tour, but flying from Heathrow. Very much looking forward to experiencing this amazing country for the first time. See you there 😀

Alison

Tony

Welcome to the group. I may see you in Dubai; if not, I look forward to meeting you in NZ.

Tony G

Tony G

Just a few thoughts / recommedations on the NZ tour optional excursions:

The two helicopter rides and the the Grand Traverse flight over Mount Cook are weather dependant and bookable in resort. I haven't yet done the Glacier landing at Franz Josef but those in my group this year that did it said it was amazing. I've done the Volcano landing in Rotarua and it is very special - personally, I would choose it over the float plane ride (you can't do both because of tour scheduling).

Also in Rotorua - the Hangi feast at the Maori village and accompanying entertainment is a super night out and definitely recommended. The trip to Hobbiton is fun if you are a fan of the books/movies  but be aware that it is quite a drive there and back. 

In Queenstown - the Walter Peak cruise and dinner at the Colonel's Homestead is an absolutely must. Stunning scenary, beautiful food and a sheep shearing demonstration thrown in for good measure!  One of the Jet Boat options is a shorter thrill ride of around an hour. The second one is a half day and you will be driven out to Glenorchy by bus (a round trip of about two hours), which will pick you up close to the hotel and drop you back in central Queenstown. The boat ride itself is a couple of hours. It's thrilling and the scenary is stunning, but be prepared to get wet. (I would take a waterproof pouch to put your cameras/phones in) There are communal lockers to put your bags in on shore while you are out on the boats, so I recommend taking a towel and something warm to put on for the bus ride back. 

A few other suggestions (not on the official itinerary but options for your free time):

In Napier you can hire original 1930s vintage cars for city tours from the local Art Deco Trust. They seat four people, so can work out very reasonable, but you need to book online in advance because the visiting cruise ship companies often book them up fast. (Only choose an afternoon tour because you will be in town for less than a day)

In Franz Josef, if you don't do the glacier helicopter, there is time to visit the local wildlife conservation centre which has a superb kiwi habitat (entry is around £20 and the kiwis are not behind glass as in other towns).

In Auckland, you can get the commuter ferry across the harbour (about £15 return) to the charming little town of Devonport which has a lovely little coastal footpath to stretch your legs after your flights and also some nice restaurants and pubs. The Sky Tower is in the next street from the hotel and well worth a visit (they also do combi tickets including the 'All Blacks Experience' which is in the same complex, 'Sky City'

In Wellington, if you are a movie buff, you can get a tour bus to the Weta Workshop headquarters (who worked with Peter Jackson on his Lord of The Rings movies among many others). The bus picks up and drops off about 5 minutes from the hotel but again, you need to book online in advance.

In Queenstown, a trip on the Skyline gondola is great fun and the views from the top of the mountain are breathtaking. There is also quite a lot of activities to chose from at the top, whether you just want something to eat or a thrill ride!

Whatever you choose, you will have the trip of a lifetime and the only thing you won't have a chance to do is get bored!

Happy travels

MLB

I heard it's wise to take insect repellent - were the wee biting beasties a problem there during your trip?

You are very welcome. I am so looking forward to going back to NZ myself (16 months and counting!).

You will be wise to take some insect repellent - in NZ, particularly on the South Island, they have sand flies which deliver nasty little bites. The local pharmacies have sprays and creams specially to deal with them but most of my group had taken 'Jungle formula' or similar with them and found this was fine. The other thing to consider is anti-histamine tablets which can have a handy double use. If you suffer from hay-fever, remember that it will be pollen season in NZ when you are there (and millions of sheep = millions of acres of pollen filled grass!). Taking your usual anti-hayfever tablets will also reduce irritation if you are unlucky enough to get bitten by the sand flies. 

The All Blacks Experience is on the next block from your hotel. If you stand at the base of the Sky Tower, you can't miss it. You can buy the combi-tickets that I mentioned before online, but they also sell them in the Sky Tower ticket office which, a bit confusingly, is in the basement of the building next to the Tower. You have to go down an escalator to reach it, and the elevators that take you up the Tower itself.

There is also a small 'Weta Workshop' experience in Sky City (also available as part of a combi ticket) but you might struggle to do all three in the spare time you have in Auckland. However, you have a full 'day off' in Wellington so have a chance to visit the Weta headquarters then. You can also take the funicular tram to the Botanical Gardens, but don't miss a visit to the Gallipoli exhibition at the Te Papa museum on the waterfront.

Fingers crossed that you get your helicopter ride - you will probably be luckier in Rotorua (Mount Tarawera volcano landing) because Franz Josef (the glacier) is in the middle of the Fjordland National Park and the weather can be more hit-and-miss. 

Happy to help if you have any other questions

Happy travels

MLB

I'm frequently pinching myself as cant quite believe I'm really going to NZ.  Not too worried about the long flights apart from making sure I dont miss the connection in Singapore. Do you know if the JY Tour Director meets us at departures at Heathrow or once we arrive in Auckland? Do we have access to airport lounge at Singapore? Also what is the luggage allowance - 20kg or more? On a practical note I'm thinking on an 18 day tour I may need to do a little bit of laundry at some point. Sorry for all the Q's and no doubt there'll be clarification in the final travel docs from JY, but its a bit of a wait until then.

Don't worry about Singapore Airport - it is very well laid out and signposted in English. There is a lot to see and do. If you have upgraded to Business class, you will have free access to the Singapore Airlines 'Kris Flyer' lounge which has showers etc. You will find this on the first floor, not far from the Butterfly Garden. Even if you haven't got lounge access, there are plenty of coffee shop and food court options and places to sit. You can also catch the free transit shuttle around the other terminals, use the cinema, the swimming pool or visit the roof top cactus garden. The only thing that transit passengers can sadly not access to walk around is 'Jewel' which is the terminal containing the world famous indoor waterfall. However, one of the transit trains passes through Jewel so that you can see it but are not allowed disembark. One tip - don't buy any bottles of water or other liquids in Singapore because, although you are in transit, you have to go through airport security again at the gate when joining your onward flight and they take anything over 100ml off you.

I suspect that your Tour Director will travel with you from Heathrow and will probably meet you at the departure gate. If not, on both of my tours, they waited at the top of the airbridge waving their JY sign to gather the group and do a roll call when we reached Singapore. On the plane, the JY group will probably be allocated seats in the same area but if any of the group are in Business Class they will de-plane first, so if that includes you, I would hang around at the top of the airbridge and wait for a few minutes while the rest of the group gathers. If you miss the Tour Director there, the two other usual places to link up with them are either by baggage reclaim or outside in Arrivals after you have cleared Customs and Immigration. They will gather the group there to meet up with your North Island coach driver (you will have a different driver on South Island who will meet you from the Cook Strait Ferry)

The JY luggage limit is 20kg across the board, even if you have upgraded. This is for health and safety reasons to protect the tour coach drivers who have to heave anyone's bags on and off the bus everyday.

From memory, most of the hotels have guest laundry facilities - I definitely remember seeing rooms with coin operated machines in both Franz Josef and the Holiday Inn at Queenstown. Nearly all of the hotels also have extending washing lines over the baths. I took a tube of travel wash and rinsed a few things out along the way.  

Happy to help if you think of any other questions. Have an amazing time - don't forget to try a slab or two of Whittaker's chocolate and some Hokey Pokey ice-cream.

Happy Travels

MLB