Being first timers to the South Island, my partner and I were stoked to have such an amazing host to show us the beauty of Queenstown and it’s neighbours. Russ went out of his way to make sure that we got the most out of our experience, showing us stunning views, the best eateries/bars, and allowing us to do some crazy adrenaline filled adventures. We couldn’t recommend this guy more! Thanks Russ!
Leah and Jordan
We're stoked that you had such a great trip with us, you guys were so much fun to hang out and share adventures and the beautiful Queenstown views with!
Thank you very much for the amazing review, we hope to see you down here again for another action packed Queenstown getaway :)
I have a business in the North Island and every year we run an incentive resulting in the best team member voted by their peers win a trip to Queenstown. This prize needs to be sought after and be the ultimate. And every year it is due mostly to Russ's expertise. He takes incredible care of our winners, tailors the trip to their needs and wants and makes it memorable.
The cost is absolutely worth it, I just need to sort a date leaving the rest to Russ.
A+++ a great host.
Thank you for taking the time to provide Adventure Junkies with such a great review Jacob. Looking after your incentive prize winners from The Redoubt is absolutely our pleasure, and we love tailor making each and every trip to provide the ultimate Queenstown getaway for your winners. Thanks so much for your continued support, it's very much appreciated.
Russ was such an awesome tour guide, very friendly and knowledgable of the area. Would highly recommend his tours. Thank you Russ, one of our highlights of our trip for sure.
Thanks so much for the great review, it was absolutely our pleasure and a lot of fun! Thank you for choosing Adventure Junkies and supporting local Queenstown businesses.
Looking to partake in adventure activities with other rad people in the most spectacular of settings? Sign up for a tour with Adventure Junkies. The South Island is full of endless stunning lakes and mountains. With these as your backdrop, you can zip line, raft (class 5 rapids), hike, kayak, skydive, bungee jump, rock climb, jet boat and bike to your hearts content. The tour provides for a sufficient amount of free time to add on additional activities (which for me was mostly consuming massive amounts of the local wine, but also some small hikes). If you are from a big city like me, you’ll appreciate the stars, the fresh air, and the quiet. Russ, your stellar guide, is professional, accommodating and organized. His joyous attitude is infectious. He was always on time (if not early) and made sure that I was taken care of. As a solo female traveler, I felt safe at all times. All accommodations were clean and comfortable. Many have laundry available and one even had an outdoor hot tub. Russ brought us to charming spots for delicious breakfasts and lunches and always had recommendations for great places to grab post activity beers or dinner. On the drives between towns Russ will play some great tunes and teach you some fun facts about New Zealand. He will also play interpreter for any Kiwi terms/slang that you don’t know. I was heartbroken to say goodbye to NZ and will definitely be returning for another Adventure Junkies tour, regardless of the fact that it is completely across the world from my home.
I went on the 10 Day Explorer Trip and had a blast! I have been wanting to go to New Zealand for many years and take advantage of the amazing adventure and nature that New Zealand has to offer.
How I came to choosing this trip over others:
- I wanted to take a break from planning trips myself - enjoy someone else's expert knowledge of what the best things to do are, while also enjoy the carefree experience of not needing to worry about doing all the research/ making all the arrangements/renting a car and driving myself/ making adjustments for weather.
- Being a solo traveler, I was also interested in joining a group tour where everyone in the group would be doing the same activities each day (vs. an a la carte-type trip where people have different levels of interest and split up and do separate activities each day).
- This tour had the perfect level of adventure and activities for me - I am adventurous but not extreme... and if I felt like trying something more extreme, I had the option to add it. This trip perfectly had all the activities I love doing, plus a few extras that only New Zealand could offer for me to try.
- I wanted a trip that had comfortable, nice hotels and dining options included - backpacking and camping were not something I wanted this time around.
- This trip really did check off all my boxes and I'm so extremely happy I chose this tour over others.
My tour was designed and lead by Russ, the owner and an avid world traveler himself. He clearly loves his job - he's passionate about New Zealand and creating an amazing experience for the group. I believe that he designed a perfectly balanced trip (between adventure activities, road tripping, relaxing, eating, time with the group, and down time for yourself) probably because he has done so much traveling himself. Each day was always full of fun, excitement and socializing, but also enough time to unwind or get some shopping or laundry done too. He really has thought about what travelers need every step of the way and tailors any specific needs or desires to each individual trip.
The warnings about temperamental weather are true - we did experience two weather-preventing days, but Russ had several back up plan options for us to choose from when we were rained out of the original plan... and they were also fun, adventurous and fantastic. He is an excellent tour guide - keeping the energy fun and excited but also chill and relaxed. He was reliable, punctual, knowledgeable, and calm and reassuring when we had to use a back up plan - keeping my trip stress free and fun.
I can't say enough about my trip to New Zealand. I had the time of my life and I can't wait to do more. The entire South Island looks like a continuous National Park - the nature and incredible scenery is something you just have to see for yourself - breathtaking at every turn. And instead of just seeing it, get out there and engage and enjoy it with adventurous activities! This trip really jump started my life and my love for being active and traveling the world. I would come back and do another one of the Adventure Junkies trips in a heartbeat and hope you do too! Believe me, you’ll have a blast!
WOW!! Thank you for such an incredible review of your 10 day NZ Explorer tour with us. We just love that you loved this trip so much and really appreciate that you have taken the time to share your thoughts in detail with the TripAdvisor community.
We are very proud of our tour itineraries and simply love sharing New Zealand with adventure hungry travellers like yourself. It is an incredible back yard that we have and you're so right when you say that the entire South Island is like a continuous National Park, that is a great way of putting it!
A great deal of time and consideration is taken when our trips are conceived and crafted as we are not only striving to produce tours that are full of adventure, fun and hassle free for our clients, but also comfortable and relaxing at the same time. Tours in New Zealand don't come much more adventurous than ours and so we believe that including good food, good rest and managing travel times are also a big part of striking that perfect balance.
It's therefore always great to know that we've hit the mark with our itinerary so thank you once again for taking the time to pass your thoughts on and giving us such a glowing review.
It was certainly our pleasure to spend 10 days showing you some of the best South Island locations from Queenstown all the way up to Abel Tasman National park and beyond, what an incredibly fun trip with so many amazing activities and laughs along the way. Thanks for being a big part of such a memorable tour, we'd love to host you again and show you more awesome locations and adventures here in NZ!
