12/03/2026
A day / week in the life of a G Adventures CEO (Chief Experience Officer)…
I’m very fortunate to be in a position where I can jump ‘across the ditch’ to Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) anytime for work, a country I love equally as much as Australia 🙏🏼 However I wasn’t expecting to return this soon ☺️
I’ve been on a break between tours since 26 February, but last Tuesday morning I woke to see a message on my phone, from G’s NZ CEO staff manager, asking if I might be available to come over to fill in for a colleague who had to leave a tour urgently due to a family emergency 🥺
Barely awake, a phone call later and after checking in with Stewart, I packed a bag 🧳 jumped in an Uber and made my way to Brisbane Airport, all the while still waiting for flight details to come through 😬☺️ Trusting in my operations team, who often work miracles, I didn’t hesitate. We knew the window was tight for me to make the first flight to Sydney, but how tight I wouldn’t know until I arrived at the airport.
Typically on arrival at Brisbane Domestic Airport there was an issue with Bag Drop terminal 😬 Although I was quite stressed on the inside, I remained calm on the outside and trusted in ‘the system’ and before long my bag was on its way to the plane.
Next up was contending with the long line through security screening 😬 The clock was ticking ⏰ My flight was due to start boarding in less than 30 minutes 😨 and I didn’t have time for breakfast or even a coffee before I left home 😳😭 Crisis averted when I made it through security with 15 minutes to spare for breakfast and a much needed caffeine fix ☕️🙏🏼
I boarded my Qantas flight. So thankfully I had free wifi to communicate with NZ OPs to start coming up to speed with the trip I’d be taking over for its final 5 days on the South Island. We had a plan to chat over the phone while I waited for my next flight; Sydney to Queenstown, but what NZ OPs didn’t account for was the 1-hour time difference between Brisbane and Sydney due to Daylight Savings time there. I literally had zero time between flights. I disembarked the flight from Brisbane, hastily made my way to the International transfer bus, boarded that, arrived at the International terminal and hastily made my way to the gate, which as I arrived had started boarding 😬😨
Another Qantas flight that availed me free wifi, but then technology worked against me 🙁 I needed to download apps for NZ trip use, such as Driver Logbook and expense claims, but no 🙅🏻♂️🚫 the App Store blocked me from seeing New Zealand apps due to my Apple account being tied to my Australian Apple Care plan 😬🤯 So we had to drop those for my trip and revert to manual options, including a paper Driver Logbook. However where was I going to buy a Logbook arriving in Queenstown after 9pm in the evening, and needing to meet the tour group by 9:30am the next day! Again, NZ OPs to the rescue and the colleague I was taking over from. Thankfully they were able to buy a paper Logbook from a local Queenstown newsagent for me 😁🙏🏼
After checking into my Queenstown accommodation, Heartlands Hotel, that evening, I had a call with the NZ CEO staff manager, to answer my immediate questions and provide the information I at least needed for the next day. Having been on the go since 8:30am Brisbane time that day, it was then time to try and get some sleep 🥱😴
Next morning I had some brief time to meet with the CEO I was taking over from, Stella, who talked me through a few things about the trip then took me to the bus and trailer that I was driving, and a walk around. With done it was time to meet the group for the first time, and farewell Stella 🤗
What a wonderful group they were 😁 So warm and welcoming 🙏🏼 which helped make my job so much easier and more enjoyable under the circumstances.
Waving goodbye to Stella we headed off in the bus for Glenorchy and the Routeburn Track, where they got to hike to Routeburn Flats and Falls Hut and return 🥾🏔️
The next morning the group had some more free time in Queenstown for either retail therapy 🛍️, an adrenaline activity 🪂🦈🚤🤘🏼 or as two travellers did, enjoy an Onsen Spa treatment for Alice’s Birthday 🎂🥳 before it was time for us to depart Queenstown.
We made our way to Cromwell for a brief stop. I dropped the group off at the Jones Family Fruit Store for a treat 🍎🍊🍑🍓🫐🍦while I refueled the bus ⛽️ Continuing the drive, we made our way north with a photo stop at Lindis Pass before completing the days’ journey to Twizel, part of the Dark Skies Reserve ✨🌌in McKenzie Country, the gateway to Aoraki/Mt Cook, and the where Icebreaker’s merino wool is produced 🐏
After settling into our 2-night stay at The Lakes Motel (newly renovated and highly recommended), we enjoyed a group dinner at the local Jasmine Thai restaurant, where we continued Alice’s birthday celebrations. There I also surprised her with a Chocloate Birthday Cake 🎂
The next morning the group had an included Cycle Journey 🚴🏼♀️🚴🏼♂️ through some of McKenzie Country, from Twizel to the shores of Lake Pukaki, where they got their first sneak peak look at the “cloud piercer”, Aoraki/Mt Cook in the distance 🏔️🙌🏼 In the afternoon I drove them into Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park, with photo stops at Peter’s Lookout and Glentanner roadside Lookout along the way to take in the stunning day and scenery 😎🏔️🙌🏼 After arriving in Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park the group enjoyed a walk to Kea Point Lookout and the Alpine Memorial, where they got some great 360° views of the surrounding Southern Alps and of course Aoraki/Mt Cook itself.
The next day it was time to make our way north east, first with a photo and coffee stop at the beautiful Tekapo, where the travellers got to take in the stunning views, walk around the Church of the Good Shepard and visit The Sheepdog Memorial. Continuing our journey I made a brief comfort stop in the quaint town of Geraldine, where of course and as expected from previous visits, everyone would have loved to have spent more time, but our destination was Christchurch.
2-hours drive later we arrived in Christchurch, to yet another perfect early Autumn (but still summer-like) day 😎 where I gave them a brief orientation drive to get their bearings, for a couple of hours free time and lunch, before we headed to our accommodation, Bealey Quarter for 1-night, and where their 14 day South Island Multisport adventure would end 🏁 the following day.
That evening we went out for a final group dinner at Little Eatery, located in the SALT district of Christchurch (street art), which was great and very enjoyable. With some travellers in the group departing early the next morning and others staying longer, here some travellers said their final farewells to each other with the likelihood of not seeing each other the next morning.
The next morning I took the opportunity to see everyone before they either departed for the airport or other plans for their extended stay in Christchurch. Everyone was very kind with their words and thanked me for joining the trip, and also very unexpectedly tipped me for my part of their South Island experience 🙏🏼
My return flight to Brisbane wasn’t until late afternoon. So I took advantage of having the morning free, and contacted local friends Centuri (Cen) and Wendy, to see if they were free to catchup, but Cen was busy that morning leading an Urban Art Tour (walking street art tour) for Watch This Space. However lucky for me there was space on the tour and Cen very kindly offered for me to join them. So I did and it was great 😁👏🏼 and also a great opportunity to catchup.
For anyone visiting Christchurch I can very highly recommend Watch This Space’s Urban Art Tour. Check out their website here: https://watchthisspace.org.nz/page/tours/
With my unplanned and short time in New Zealand then coming to close, it was time for me to head to the airport for my flight home.
Thank you G for thinking of me and giving me some awesome opportunities 🙏🏼
Thank you to my South Island Multi-sport travellers for being so warm, welcoming and such a fun group to spend a few day with 😁
Thank you Aotearoa New Zealand for giving us some fantastic weather and showcasing your stunning landscapes 🙌🏼
Check out some of my photos from this short but awesome adventure 📷🤳
Until next time Aotearoa 🙏🏼💜
