24 May 2023
One of the best tours we had in the entire 15 days at New Zealand. It's a long day which starts with a pickup from Invercargill. The driver didn't have much to speak, maybe there isn't too much of content or it was the early hours but she went the extra mile and included a drop till Bluff for photo-op which was awesome. Then she dropped us at the ferry and the ferry ride was great. It was a bit bumpy and if you are not careful, may get a bit nauseous. Once you get down at Stewart Island, probably an usher or guide would be handy because the pickup point of bus tour of the island is a 2 minute walk away and we had to scramble to first check and then reach there on time. The bus tour was the best and the walks and hikes on the island in Rakiura was well managed, informative and well-paced. Our bus guide knew the city in India where we came from and that made for a nice little chitchat topic. He even made the entire bus cheer for us newlyweds which was a lovely touch. Clearly the best guide we had so far in NZ. It's a rushed tour and you are only back in Invercargill at around 6pm so be mindful of the fact and make sure you have some dinner options handy because restaurants close early there.