New Zealand: Sun and Steam

This trip was such an incredible taste of the North Island in NZ. If you are thinking of doing your first Contiki or have reservations, I would highly suggest this short trip to get a good taste of everything that is involved ! Ash (Tour Manager) and Joonas (Driver) were incredible and I felt so welcomed the minute I met both. Please note this is a Modular trip so we started the trip with people doing the full 21 days and then were joined by another group 3 days in. There is a lot of different people coming and going but hey that just adds to the experience. Breakfast was included every morning for Sun and Steam as well as some dinners and some amazing different included experiences. There is ALOT off amazing additional add ons that I had already pre planned/ put money away for, however please keep this in mind when doing this trip. There were many fellow Aussie's on this trip however there was still people from around the world and it was such a great introduction into the Contiki Family !! Overall the scenery and the vibes great and I would do this again in a heartbeat ! PS. Please pack a GOOOOOD raincoat and some warm layers, the weather can change in an instance !

The add-on activities were worth the money. However considering this was a modular trip that was combined with the 21 days Contiki, the send off for us who were part of Sun & Steam was disappointing as there was no proper farewell and we were transferred to use the public transport on the way back to Auckland. I would expect a proper goodbye for what is supposed to be an engaging group trip

The trip was extremely fun and stress free for a first time traveller. I was extremely nervous to meet new people but everyone there was so lovely and I liked that our tour manager had meet and greets. The bus rides were fun and so were the group dinners. I would certainly go on another Contiki again. It's a great way to meet new people and now I have friends that I keep in contact regularly after the trip has finished.

This trip was great. Overall, a solid 7.9/10. The trip organiser was amazing (if you get just know you’ve won the lottery in tour guides), and everything was so packed in it felt like you got a whole 2 1/2 week holiday done in just 6 days. However, it should be written somewhere that this trip is modular, meaning you’re actually just joining other people who are on the longer trip. At times, it can feel like you’re just ‘ guests’ on “their trip”, rather than being on your own. For the amount of money you pay that was a bit sad. Speaking of the money, please note that all your paying for is accomodation, travel between locations, breakfasts and 3-4 dinners on this trip. Everything else, you pay for. I did a lot of the optional extras (because honestly, if you didn’t you just sit in the hotel.. alone.. whilst everyone else does stuff..), and because of this I spent over $2,000 on extra activities, food, transport, and alcohol. Just remember that. I know I’ve spoken about all that was bad about the trip, but honestly.. that’s all negative there is to say. Everything else was great. The trip was amazing, the tour organiser was super knowledgeable and a great chat, and the people you’ll meet along the way are incredible. Whilst they might be expensive, the optional extras were so so so so fun and definitely worth the time. Overall, 7.9/10, would do again - will be doing Sweet As South in November :)

The tour was super fun. The trip manager and bus driver was amazing and super well informed.