11 Days in New Zealand

New Zealanders, or more commonly known as "Kiwis", have a reputation of being some of the most friendly, welcoming, and mild-mannered people in the world.  We expect you'll find it easy to meet talkative and genuine locals who will enhance your total Kiwi experience.  With several out LGBT politicians and same-sex marriage legalized back in 2013 they are also a very progressive country, known for their liberal attitudes and acceptance of different people and cultures.  This also shows in their strong and visible diverse cultures within the country itself, with around 70% of European decent, 15% indigenous Māori, and 10% Asian.  This melting pot of cultures and progressive society results in a uniquely united New Zealand and a welcoming destination for our groups.

New Zealand is very open-minded and the vast majority of people will be welcoming of homosexuality.  We have never encountered (and in the future don't expect to encounter) any negative reception from Kiwis regarding our sexuality.  That said, it's good to mention that we're public displays of "excitement and passion" you have for your partner or new local “friend” are best kept to private areas.

In most cities and towns you'll find that the cuisine of New Zealand tends to be similar to the international cuisine found in North America and Europe (especially UK), with influences from around the world.  However, as agriculture is the primary industry in New Zealand, expect incredibly fresh local ingredients grown and raised locally - you'll taste the difference!  While you're here try some traditional Māori cuisine too, like a hāngi (a traditional cooking method which uses heated rocks buried in a pit oven, also called an umu).  Travelers with varying dietary restrictions will have an easier time finding suitable options in New Zealand compared to many other destinations around the world.

Our advice is simple. Pack your bag, then take half of those things out and leave them back home. It’s common to hear people wishing they’d packed less stuff, but we’ve never heard anyone complain that they didn’t bring enough. Even if you realize you forget to pack some crucial item you can always pick up a replacement once you arrive in New Zealand. Just make sure to review the climate section above and remember that our trips are run in a casual style so you can leave your tuxedos at home. We'll include some trip-specific packing advice based on expected weather as part of our update email to you, sent 10 days prior to your trip.

New Zealand uses their own "New Zealand Dollar" (NZD) as their only official currency.  We suggest arriving to New Zealand with around $300 NZD to start you off, along with your regular bank card from home which you can use to access cash at the many ATMs available along the way.  In our experience you'll save on some fees if you grab some local cash prior to leaving home.  Credit cards are widely accepted in New Zealand so it’s good to bring at least one on your trip too. Travelers checks are a thing of the past so we don’t recommend bringing them on any of our trips.

It can sometimes be challenging to use large-denomination bills at shops and restaurants, so we encourage you to request small denomination bills when getting cash prior to your trip.

If possible, it's always a good idea to travel internationally with a credit card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees.  The savings will add up over the course of your trip and may end up being worth the work of getting a new card prior to your trip.  Once you're overseas, if presented with the option to pay in the local currency or your home currency, we suggest always choosing the local currency to further avoid fees.

While tipping isn't a native custom in this destination, those working in the tourism industry all over the world have come to expect gratuities when providing good service.  This extends to local guides, restaurant wait staff, bus drivers, and your Detours trip leader.  Of course the actual amount is left up to your discretion, if you've been provided excellent service we suggest leaving around 15% for restaurant/wait staff as well as the local equivalent of a few dollars to bus drivers and luggage porters, as well as around $10-15 USD per day for local guides and your Detours trip leader.

We have pretty high standards when it comes to choosing our accommodations, and trust us, we’ve done plenty of room-sniffing, pillow-patting, bed-jumping and bathroom inspections to make sure we stay at quality spots. To be approved as a Detours accommodations provider, a hotel/guesthouse should: be locally owned (to support the local community), be in an amazing location (close to the hot spots), and be gay-friendly. We won't be staying in 5-star Ritz-Carltons but we also won't subject you to anything we wouldn't want to stay in ourselves. Clean and comfortable and approximately 4 stars, you can count on that!

All Detours trips are led by one of our own Detours trip leaders.  They're there with you every day and their job is to help ensure that this is your trip of a lifetime by taking the hassle out of your trip and enabling you to experience everything you came to New Zealand for.  Consider them like a friendly concierge that's traveling along with you.  All of our trip leaders are gay and all are well-traveled and experienced in the destination they're leading in, so they'll be a great part of your experience!

We do absolutely everything possible to avoid needing such a mundane awakening. A world without alarm clocks is one we want to be part of, and your “rise and shine” while in New Zealand should come from the excitement of what the coming day holds. However, sometimes due to current train or flight schedules we are required to make early departures, but we do everything we can to minimize this.

Our Detours groups are run with maximum of 16 travelers. Ages of group members vary but almost all our travelers are in their 30's, 40’s and 50’s. Whatever the age of the guys on our trips everyone's already got something in common, an exciting new experience in a new country! Each group is led by a Detours trip leader who is there to ensure everything goes off without a hitch, allowing you to focus on having the time of your life! We welcome both men and women onto our trips although it’s important to know that most groups are 100% gay men.

No problem! Don’t worry, at least half our travelers come solo and our trip will provide plenty of chances to meet great people both inside and outside of our group, including other solo travelers. As far as your accommodations go, you’ve got two choices. We can either pair you up with another solo group member in a two-bed room for no extra charge, or you can have your own room for a very reasonable surcharge. 

New Zealand uses only one plug shape so it's important to bring a "Type I" plug shape on your trip here. The voltage is 230V with 50 Hz frequency. These days, the majority of items that are plugged into an outlet are built to handle varying voltage and frequency levels, but just to be sure, we suggest checking your item for its accetable range.

To ensure you don't lose connection along the way, your cell phone provider likely has several roaming options available.  We suggest reaching out to them prior to the trip to find out which package is right for you as it will depend on how much you intend to use your phone while traveling.  Keep in mind that all accommodation and most restaurants have free WiFi available as well.