Kia Ora – Welcome to New Zealand!
Approximately 1,000 years ago, Maori explorers left their Polynesian island homes and traveled by wooden canoes across the Pacific Ocean, using stars and constellations as navigational tools to find the “Land of the Long White Cloud”, New Zealand.
Fantasy guests on the two 2018 Australia and New Zealand tours had it a lot easier. They flew to Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island, where they met their fellow travelers and Gisela and Jim Spires, who have been leading Fantasy tours in this part of the world for the past seven years.
Unlike those early Maori explorers, after their long flights the group had time to rest up in a first-class Christchurch hotel, explore the English-themed city on a guided bus tour and then pick up their homes on wheels – 22’ 6 berth Class C motorhomes. First stop – the grocery store.
“We put them in their motorhomes and tell them we’ll meet at the grocery store,” says Jim. “And we remind them they’re driving on the left-hand side of the road! It’s amazing how quickly everyone adapts – even with New Zealand’s many roundabouts!”
The next day, the tour began in earnest as the group headed south to Dunedin – a.k.a. the Edinburgh of New Zealand thanks to its Scottish foundations. “When we’re driving, we don’t travel caravan style,” says Jim. “We always leave first and our guests get on the road whenever they wish. New Zealand is an incredibly easy country to drive in, and with GPS no one gets lost even if they decide to divert off our itinerary. It’s very relaxed.”
After exploring Dunedin, including stops at the Cadbury Chocolate Factory and New Zealand’s only castle, the group turned inland to spend time at one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations – Queenstown, located on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by the Remarkables mountain range. Next stop was beautiful Wanaka and then the group crossed over Haast Pass to begin their journey up the South Island’s rugged west coast. First overnight stop was at Fox Glacier where Fantasy guests could get close and personal with the glacier – some even opting for a helicopter ride to land on the glacier’s frozen ice.
In Hokitika, they browsed shops selling hand carved iconic New Zealand greenstone, and further up the coast took a short walk to view the Punakaiki Rocks, a.k.a. the “Pancake Rocks” because they are vertically stacked – like pancakes. Once they reached Picton, they and their rigs boarded the ferry for the 2-1/2 hour cruise to the North Island, landing in New Zealand’s capitol, Wellington. The group headed north to Napier, a coastal town which was literally destroyed by a massive earthquake in 1931. The town quickly rebuilt utilizing Art Deco architecture of that time. Next stop was , New Zealand’s largest lake and then on to the coolest hot spot around – Rotorua. Surrounded by volcanic crater lakes and spouting geysers, Rotorua is a literal hotbed of geothermal activity.
The natural wonders continued. The group visited Waitomo, where they toured the Raikuru Glow Worm Cave, marveling at the tiny glowing creatures, the limestone formations and sacred Maori sites from a small boat on the underground river. The countryside became more tropical as they continued to head north – this time to Orewa Beach, where they spend the night right on the beach. “New Zealand campgrounds usually offer an electrical hookup,” says Jim. “And typically there are no water hookups at the sites and you use a cassette to dump. However, the campgrounds have fantastic public shower and bathroom facilities, which our people use.” “And they have large communal fully stocked kitchens,” adds Gisela. “The kitchens have plenty of room for our group to cook and eat together in the evenings.”
The northern point of the New Zealand tour is a stop at Pahia, where the Treaty of Waitangi, which essentially turned the country over to British rule, was signed in 1840. It was then a short drive south to Auckland – New Zealand’s largest city. The motorhomes were turned in, and the group migrated to a hotel. “On this tour, we stay in hotels when we’re in the larger cities,” says Jim. “It really gave us the opportunity to relax and enjoy city life.”
Bidding farewell to New Zealand, the group flew to Cairns, home of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef – one of the world’s most treasured natural habitats. The three nights they spent there were jam packed with activities – a catamaran cruise, swimming, snorkeling, visiting a rain forest and just soaking up the beautiful scenery. They then took a short flight to Brisbane, where their motorhomes were waiting and after stopping for groceries, headed to the famous Australia Zoo, founded by the Crocodile Hunter himself, the late Steve Irwin. 
The RV travel continued down Australia’s famed Gold Coast, then took a detour into the Blue Mountains where they rode the world’s steepest passenger incline railway into an ancient rain forest – views galore!
Final stop was Australia’s biggest city – bustling Sydney, where they returned the rigs and spent the next three nights in a first-class hotel. They enjoyed a guided city tour, including visits to the iconic Sydney Opera House, the famous Sydney Harbor Bridge, the beautiful Bondi Beach and Mrs. MacQuarie’s chair.
39 days after rendezvousing in Christchurch, several of Fantasy’s Down Under adventurers headed home. But not everyone – 11 couples stayed on for the optional excursion to Australia’s Outback, flying to Alice Springs – a totally different world. They spent two nights at Ayers Rock, rising 1,150 feet from the ground and one of the most impressive landmarks in the world. Then it was back to “Alice” where they visited the Royal Flying Doctor Service and their School of the Air, which still provide medical care and education to those living in the remote areas of Australia.
“We went to foreign countries where they speak English but have a whole different culture,” said Gisela. “It’s a very special journey – few people go there.” “And if you go in an RV, you’ll see things you’d never see on a bus trip or on a cruise,” said Jim. Gisela added, “You’re actually with the people – at gas stations, in the grocery stores, stopping at coffee shops.”
Fantasy’s 2019 Australia and New Zealand tour takes place on March 26 through May 3 – fall in the southern hemisphere. Very few spaces remain – check it out!
And G’day, mate – hope to see you Down Under!