In our exciting new Founders Footprints series, read exclusive travelogues from the founders of Tours4Fun! Kevin Du, CEO of Trinity Travel Group (Tours4Fun’s parent company), has visited every continent in the world except Antarctica. After journeying to over 50 countries, he’s experienced some amazing adventures and has a wealth of travel tips to share. In this piece, read about one of his favorite destinations—New Zealand!

While living in Los Angeles offers many attractions and easy access to Southern California’s beautiful landscapes, I wanted to escape city life for my latest adventure. Traveling with family members and my children, I quickly realized that my destination needed to be family-friendly and the outdoor activities planned couldn’t be overly demanding. Naturally, New Zealand came to mind. A well-developed country with bustling tourism, New Zealand boasts some of the most beautiful scenery in the world!

I quickly contacted our Handcrafted Vacations destination expert and planned a customized 15-day New Zealand trip that covered both the North and South Island. From stargazing in its clear skies to shearing alpacas to visiting the Hobbiton set where the Lord of the Rings series was filmed, we were able visit attractions that every family member enjoyed. I’ve included some of my favorite places in New Zealand below to help you plan your next trip. Needless to say, I’ll be returning soon to explore more of this breathtaking country!

Accommodations: Pete’s Farm Stay and Larnach Castle

After years of extensive traveling, it always bums me out when I return to the same dimly lit room with mundane white sheets following a long, exciting day of exploring. With this in mind, we chose two very different but unique accommodations for our trip so we could still be immersed in this new culture, even during our sleep!

When we first landed at Christchurch on the South Island, we spent a night at Pete’s Farm Stay which is only 25 minutes from Christchurch International Airport (CHC). The farm stay allowed us to experience the Kiwis’ farming lifestyle, hang out with some alpacas and take a stroll on an immense field that seems to extend all the way to the horizon.

 Our daily meals were made from ingredients freshly harvested from the farm. My girls were extremely thrilled to stay on a farm with huge animals where they could run around freely. This was nothing like what they experience living in Los Angeles. They had a blast running around with livestock and spending time outdoors.

Pete’s Farm Stay has been family-operated for generations and only receives one party at a time, so you’ll have Pete and his wife’s undivided attention while having the opportunity to live like a farm owner!

As we moved further south, Larnach Castle served as the perfect home for our family. The only castle in New Zealand, Larnach Castle is about a 30-minute drive from Dunedin and offers a panoramic view of the Otago Peninsula. Built in 1898, the castle fell into disrepair after the death of its owner until it was restored a few decades ago. The castle and its magnificent gardens are now open to the public for a fee. I absolutely recommend visiting both the interior and the lush garden. It’s comparable to many of the elegant gardens in Europe.

Additionally, visitors have the option to stay in three unique styles of accommodations located within the grounds of the castle. Standing inside its walls, I couldn’t help but imagine the grandeur of the castle at its height, and the history held within each of the rooms. The balconies from the different rooms provide spectacular views of the Otago Peninsula that can’t be found elsewhere on the island.  If you have younger kids, spending a night or two at the castle will definitely make them feel like a prince or princess!

Helicopter Tour of Mount Cook

Mount Cook was next on our itinerary. To truly experience its awe-inspiring views, we took the helicopter tour that goes up to the mountain’s Tasman Glacier.

Stepping out of the helicopter and onto layers of ice formed thousands of years ago, I couldn’t help but marvel at all the history that’s frozen directly beneath where I stood.

In addition to the helicopter tour, The Hermitage Hotel Mount Cook is another spot I highly recommend. The full-length windows at the hotel are the best place to watch the sunset over Mount Cook. This picture-perfect experience wrapped up our day’s excursion on a high note.

Whale Watching at Kaikoura

Another activity we will never forget was whale watching at Kaikoura. Other than housing some of the best lobsters in New Zealand, it’s the only place in the world where you can spot the rare sperm whale year round! The seafloor’s geological structure allows a large range of biodiversity, hence attracting all kinds of sea animals to the region. In addition to sperm whales, you can find almost all the different species of whales here due to its hospitable environment.

We joined a whale-watching tour that lasted around three hours. While the water looked calm and it was a beautiful, sunny day, we didn’t hold high hopes since whale-watching tours can sometimes be hit or miss. We thought it might be awhile before we would come across anything interesting but as soon as we left the shore, we saw groups of dolphins emerging from the ocean. In just a matter of moments, we were able to spot several sperm whales at various locations. 

They came up to the surface to oxygenate, spouted water from their blowholes and then dove back into the deep, mysterious ocean. Our earlier concerns were washed away when we found out from our tour guide that visitors will be able to spot these ocean giants 95% of the time in Kaikoura.

Waitomo Glowworm Caves

For the longest time, I felt like glow worms and fireflies were creatures that existed only in fairy tales, impossible to find in real life. At the Waitomo Glowworm Caves, however, I felt as if I stepped inside a fairy tale.

Traveling into the cave in a small boat, the dead silence inside forces visitors to focus on the luminous glow worms that shine as bright as the night skies. It’s moments like these that remind me of the miracles on this planet we get to experience each day.

The limestone cave was actually formed over 30 million years ago due to geological and volcanic activities. The cave is covered in stalactites and stalagmites from limestone deposits, creating thread-like minerals that suspend from the ceiling.

Stargazing at Lake Tekapo

Tekapo Village is the largest among a handful of Dark Sky Reserves in the world. This means that extra precautions are taken to avoid any kind of light pollution and ensure that the visitors can see the Milky Way, and other constellations with their bare eyes in the pristine night sky. As soon as I stepped into the boundaries of the reserve, I was able to tell a difference in my surroundings. While the sky was almost pitch black, the stars in the sky shone brighter than anything I’ve ever seen before. I couldn’t believe how great of an effect eliminating light pollution could have!

A short visit to the reserve to see the constellations in real life has taught me more about astronomy than I could ever learn from textbooks. Our tour guide went into detail about how stars are formed under pressure and ways to identify constellations. We were able to spot Sirius, Orion, Canopus, Crux and many more.

The stargazing tour was most definitely one of the highlights of my trip to New Zealand as it is almost impossible to find another place in the world where the sky is this clear.

Milford Sound

Located on the South Island, Milford Sound is often voted as one of the top travel destinations in the world despite its remote location. (It might also just be the most humid place on Earth, but trust me, this beautiful location is definitely worth having a bad hair day!) Stepping into Milford Sound was like stepping into a misty, hazy dream. There are two permanent rainfalls and thousands of temporary ones as the area receives over 200 inches of rainfall each year on average.

As the rain water cascades down the cliffs at Milford Sound, thousands of temporary waterfalls are created. Listening to the water trickling down was more relaxing than I could ever imagine.

The co-founders of Tours4Fun Kevin, Allen and Richard are all very excited to share our journeys and adventures with you, so stay tuned for more content from our new column, Founders’ Footprint! Our itineraries were all created by our very own travel specialists so you can easily retrace our footsteps by creating a custom tour with us! For more trip ideas, including self-guided adventures and tours, click here.

About Kevin Du
Kevin Du is the CEO of Trinity Travel Group (Tours4Fun’s parent company) and co-founder of Tours4Fun with a computer science background. Kevin started Founders’ Footprints so that Tours4Fun can better connect with our customers and share our personal travel experiences with you!

Apart from Antartica, Kevin has visited every continent in the world, totaling over 50 countries. His passion for traveling, the arts and literature has brought him to nearly every major art museum in the world.

A classical music lover, Kevin enjoys pieces by Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Chopin and Dvorak and frequently attends classical music concerts. His favorite authors include Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Jane Austen, Leo Tolstoy, Stefan Zweig, W. Somerset Maugham and Jin Yong. Kevin is also an advanced tennis player who follows Roger Federer’s matches closely!