In the great Adventure Tourism Pilgrimage around New Zealand, experiencing the Waitomo Caves must be one of the top five must-do experiences. Surprisingly, this isn’t something I’ve managed to tick off the list in the last five years I’ve called New Zealand home.
New Zealanders have an affinity for the outdoors. Whether that is a trip to the beach, or a walk in the bush, much of New Zealand takes advantage of the wealth of pristine natural landscapes that the North and South Island offer.
New Zealand is also a country that is proud of its mountaineering heritage. Likely the most popular New Zealander is Sir Edmund Hillary, a mountaineer who grew up a long ways from the mountains in the farmland south of Auckland, but went on to be the first person to summit Everest – using Aoraki Mt Cook, New Zealand’s highest peak, as his training ground.
New Zealand is a small country, but still one that is often very hard to plan an itinerary for. There are countless “Must See” places around the country that you’ll want to experience – but fitting them all into two or three weeks as most people have can be VERY DIFFICULT.
If you’re planning on taking a backpacker hop-on, hop-off bus around New Zealand, you have two options: Stray New Zealand or Kiwi Experience. I’ve always recommended Stray over Kiwi, not based on experience but rather feedback from other travelers who have traveled with one or the other.
Backpacking Matt 
