I recently went to New Zealand and experienced the trip of a lifetime with Contiki. My husband and I were so excited to pack up our bags and say bye-bye to Los Angeles and hello to our 10 day tour of the South Island. New Zealand is breath-taking. The first thing you will notice is the scenic views. You can’t escape an Instagram-worthy moment. If you’re thinking about visiting and would love to learn about some must-see things keep reading..If you saw my New Zealand vlog - you got an appetizer taste of TONS of things we did through our Contiki tour. I decided to expand on a few of those things but trust me - it was hard to narrow this down.1. Milford Sound - Our Contiki tour guide said, “The Milford Sound in New Zealand is like the Eiffel tower in Paris..” - so I knew we couldn’t skip out on this. It’s a long travel day to get to the Milford Sound dock but when you’re on the big boat and cruising through waterfalls and epic views - it’s totally worth it. Make sure you book your tickets ahead of time if you’re not traveling with a tour company. I loved that Contiki booked everything we wanted to do for us so that’s another reason why booking through touring companies is AWESOME!
2. Franz Josef Glacier - located in Westland Tai Poutini National Park on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. We experienced the ultimate glacier adventure. The helicopter view up to the glacier was incredible. Then, you can get out and there’s a tour guide waiting for you to begin your hike up the glacier. It was actually very easy and the tour guide makes it easy for you by axing steps as you go. It’s one of those experiences I’ll never forget. I can’t wait to tell my kids one day that mama hiked up a glacier! LOL!
3. Air Safaris - This was one of the first things we did when we arrived in New Zealand and boy did we get an incredible view of what was to come. We went flightseeing through the Air Safaris of Lake Tekapo to see Mount Cook and Glaciers from up above. It was sooooo awesome. Every seat in the helicopter ride allows you to get some incredible shots on your iPhone!!! :)
4. Shotover Jet - I’m not one to bungee jump (even if you paid me) so I knew being in New Zealand (the land of adventure) was going to be challenging. I didn’t want to chicken out of everything so I was really excited to find a happy medium in the Shotover Jet ride we did. You’re basically in a boat with several others zipping through the canyons at super fast speed! The great thing is, you’re holding on and are completely safe so I didn’t have to worry about falling out into the water. If you’re lucky, you’ll get an awesome tour guide/driver who spins you around multiple times in the water. So fun!!
5. Queenstown - This was hands down my favorite city that we visited. We stayed here for 4 days during our tour and it really started to feel like home. It’s such a small town but lots to do and see. We ate at the famous Fergberger and it was yuuuuummmmmy. Queenstown is also the home of the bungee jumping and canyon swings. Lots of thrill, but I found some shopping boutiques I loved. LOL (of course) I discovered Glassons in Queenstown and I bought so many cute clothes to bring back to the states! It’s like New Zealand’s Topshop basically. The brand actually reached out to me after seeing I tagged them on my Instagram and sent me more stuff since I’ve been back in the states. YAY!I hope you enjoyed this city guide of New Zealand’s South Island. Like I said, there’s tons of things to eat, see, and jump off of ;) so definitely add NZ to your bucket list travels.Do any of you live in or have visited New Zealand? I want to know!Cheers. xo!
