5 Weeks with Kiwi Experience

Hi there!
My husband and I just completed 5 weeks of touring New Zealand with the Kiwi Experience and I wanted to share our experience with other travelers.
I think the Kiwi Experience gets a little bit of a bad rap. I am not going to lie, we were a little hesitant about booking with them because we had heard the stories about it being a party bus and that really wasn't our scene. however, we took a leap of faith and ended up having the TIME OF OUR LIVES. It is not just a transportation company, they do their best to get you right into the read New Zealand. Each travel day is full of stops and walks, we didn't miss anything with them. They were flexible in the hop off hop on system, so we were able to plan out our own stuff and stay longer in each destination. This was really nice for us because it allowed us to dig a little deeper in some areas and discover more of the country.

As far as the drinking scene, well, we didn't have any problems or unpleasant experience like most would imagine. Did we have a lot of the 18-25 crown on the bus, yes we did, but everyone was very civil. If you wanted to go out in the towns and have a good time you would find them there, but if you wanted to do your own thing and then go to bed early, that was easy to do as well. We made some really great friends with other travelers and driver alike, so the social scene is great whether you party or not.

I seriously wouldn't hesitate to book with them again, and even though we are a little older and married, we weren't the oldest people we met on the bus! so others are definitely catching on to the bus that isn't just for the kids! Plus they seem to be running some pretty sweet deals these days and you really can't go wrong with some of the prices that get you all around both the North and South Island. We visited both the North and South Island on their Chilly Bin pass that included the Deep South to Dunedin, the Caitlins and Milford Sound. Only place we missed was the Bay of Islands so I'm happy to answer any questions you have about traveling through NZ or traveling with Kiwi Experience.

:) Cheers!