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Kiwi Experience ReviewsBackpacker reviews of the Kiwi Experience
Sweet as Bro! A breif Kiwi Experience review by Simon Turner
Getting up at the crack of dawn following a heavy night at the backpacker bars of Auckland, I was apprehensive about whether I'd made the right choice getting on 'the big green bus'. Can I cope with the early starts? Will it be flexible enough? will I feel like a kid on a coach trip? Will it be like an 18-30's holiday?
Within the first ten minutes all my worries had disappeared.
Our driver quickly explained exactly how the service worked and it sounded great. Basically it's a hop on and hop off service so you can stay where you want for as long as you want. When you are ready to leave somewhere simply pick up a phone and get booked on the next available bus (book a few days ahead during summer months). You can get picked up from pretty much any hostel so you are free to stay where you like. The other passengers were mostly in the 18-30's bracket, but were a fantastic mix of people. Most were British, but there were Canadians, Americans, Germans and Scandinavians all mixing and discussing their various travel experiences and interests.
I found this throughout the trip; friendly, knowledgeable and entertaining driver/guides, fantastic and like minded fellow travellers and flexible travel arrangements. These were the basics that made Kiwi Experience a winner in my eyes. Travelling round the country independently might have its own benefits, but the two biggest plus points of the kiwi are that you get to make great travel companions, and that the guides will take you places you just couldn't find on your own and tell you things you would otherwise never know.
The bus journeys are always broken up into a stop for food early on, and then stops at various scenic places. You get free guided walks and even free activities such as Sandboarding to break up the days. On route your driver will ask you if you want them to book accommodation for you at one of Kiwi Experience recommended hostels (I would recommend you do this as it is where most people on the bus will stay and therefore the best way to mix and make friends), or they will simply ask you to tell them where your preferred hostel is so they know where to drop you off.
The same system works for activities. Your driver will tell you all about the plethora of activities to do at your destination and will book them for you if you like. It feels like you are being babied a bit but it is so unbelievably easy, and you even get a discount on loads of activities.
Although I would rate the experience as 10 out of 10 I will, in the interests of giving you all the information possible, tell you what others may see as negative points of the service. Firstly, although it is open and honest about it in the brochures, depending upon which pass you have there may be extras to pay. If you are unaware of these you may feel a bit ripped off. The one that springs to mind is the trip at the very far north up to ninety mile beach where if this is not included on your pass there is a supplement to pay. As I say though, this shouldn't be a surprise as any brochure will tell you what is included in the pass you purchase.
Another negative may be sticking to a specific route - if you are a true nomad at heart then perhaps it's not for you.
Those things said however, I loved it, and everyone who I have ever spoken to loved it. The only thing to say about it in true Kiwi style is...... Sweet as Bro!