Midlife Madness Tours

09/01/2023

WILD AFRICAN SAFARI
JUNE 2023
Your chance to enjoy free-to-roam wildlife and the Great Migration!
Superb animal close-ups in Kenya & Tanzania ... luxury Africa-theme safari lodges ... daily game-drives in open-top safari 4WDs ... an optional hot-air balloon safari over the Masai Mara.
20 unforgettable days – $20,999 pp share-twin – departing June 19, 2023 – with tour hosts John & Robyn Cooney.
JUST TWO PLACES LEFT!
Message us or call 0800 323 333.

18/09/2022

Are you in the mood for a
CHERRY-BLOSSOM TOUR OF JAPAN?
There’s no better time to visit the
LAND OF THE RISING SUN
than during the nationwide Sakura Festival – when the entire countryside is bathed in pink-&-white splendour.
In March 2023 we're taking another Mad Midlife group to Japan for 15 exquisite days.
AND YES: WE'VE STILL GOT ROOM FOR YOU!
So message us or call 0800 323 333.

29/07/2022

HAVE YOU ALWAYS DREAMED OF GOING ON SAFARI?
Well, join us in June 2023 – and make that dream come true!
Here’s your chance to enjoy the sunburnt landscapes of Kenya & Tanzania … unlimited free-to-roam wildlife … the Great Migration … exotic Africa-theme safari lodges … daily game-drives in open-top 4WDs … plus a bonus stopover in Dubai (UAE).
Message us or call 0800 323 333.

29/07/2022

JOIN OUR CHERRY-BLOSSOM TOUR OF JAPAN
11 exquisite days - March 2023
Come with us and be wowed by pink-&-white splendor … marvel at glittering Tokyo … make your own sushi lunch … grab eye-popping views of Mt Fuji … delight in the antics of snow monkeys … get treated to an elegant Geisha Show … reflect at Hiroshima’s A-Bomb Memorial … sample wasabi chocolate & icecream … and ride speeding bullet-trains everywhere!
Message us or call 0800 323 333.

15/09/2021

TIRED OF LANGUISHING … WAITING FOR COVID TO GO AWAY … HAVING YOUR TRAVEL PLANS POSTPONED?
We’ll soon be out of lockdown – so NOW’s the time to plan your ESCAPE!
We’ve got just ONE PLACE left on our luxury MAD MIDLIFE TOUR of the UPPER SOUTH ISLAND – 11 hassle-free days in Christchurch – Hanmer – Kaikoura – Picton – Nelson – Golden Bay – Pancake Rocks – and the TranzAlpine train across the Alps. All up price: $6,399.
ONE PLACE LEFT – it could be YOURS!
Message us today … or call Glen on 0800 323 333.

19/08/2021

LOCKDOWN WILL SOON BE OVER! SPRING IS NEARLY HERE!
Time you decided to join our eye-popping MAD MIDLIFE TOUR in the LOWER SOUITH ISLAND.
This 13-day small-group adventure is for fun-loving Kiwis in midlife and beyond – departs on Nov 1 – and includes two nights on Stewart Island plus an overnight cruise on Doubtful Sound!
Last chance! Don’t miss out!
Message us … or call 0800 323 333.

05/08/2021

LAST CHANCE IN THE LOWER SOUTH ISLAND!
We’ve got just 4 places left on our Mad Midlife Tour in November … and one of those places has YOUR NAME on it!
But you must act now if you don’t want to miss out!
A hassle-free small-group adventure for fun-loving Kiwis in midlife and beyond – 13 eye-popping days – including two nights on Stewart Island and an overnight cruise on Doubtful Sound!
Phone Glen (our bookings manager) on 0800 323 333 … or email [email protected].

26/07/2021

Is remote Stewart Island on your bucket-list? Well, join our Nov.1 Mad Midlife Tour of the LOWER SOUTH ISLAND – and explore NZ’s unspoilt, laidback, incredibly beautiful treasure!
13 fun-filled hassle-free days: including Dunedin – Otago Peninsula – the Catlins – Stewart Island – Te Anau – Doubtful Sound overnight cruise – Queenstown – Wanaka – Tekapo – Akaroa – Christchurch.
Message us … or call 0800 323 333.

Hassle-free adventures for fun-loving, young-at-heart midlifers!

26/07/2021

Join our Nov.1 Mad Midlife Tour of the LOWER SOUTH ISLAND – and experience the serene gorgeousness of New Zealand’s hidden gem: Doubtful Sound.
13 fun-filled hassle-free days: including Dunedin – Otago Peninsula – the Catlins – Stewart Island – Te Anau – Doubtful Sound overnight cruise – Queenstown – Wanaka – Tekapo – Akaroa – Christchurch.
Message us … or call 0800 323 333.

Hassle-free adventures for fun-loving, young-at-heart midlifers!

18/07/2021

Fed up with Covid-19? Tired of having your travel dreams postponed?
Well, join our November 1st Mad Midlife Tour – 13 hassle-free days in the spectacular Lower South Island! Dunedin – Otago Peninsula – the Catlins – Stewart Island – Te Anau – Doubtful Sound overnight cruise – Queenstown – Wanaka – Tekapo – Akaroa – Christchurch.
Message us … or call 0800 323 333.

Hassle-free adventures for fun-loving, young-at-heart midlifers!

18/07/2021

Fed up with Covid-19?
Tired of having your travel dreams postponed?
Well, join our October 19th Mad Midlife Tour – 11 hassle-free days in the stunning Upper South Island! Christchurch – Hanmer – Kaikoura – Picton – Nelson – Golden Bay – Pancake Rocks – and the Tranzalpine train across the Alps.
Message us … or call 0800 323 333.

Hassle-free adventures for fun-loving, young-at-heart midlifers!

12/07/2021

Join our October Midlife Madness Tour of the Upper South Island
Kaikoura - Picton - Nelson - Golden Bay - Pancake Rocks and the Tranz Alpine back to Christchurch

Join our small group of travel loving kiwis on this awesome adventure.

Message us or call 0800 323 333

23/06/2021

LOWER SOUTH ISLAND TOUR:
13 eye-opening days – departing 1 Nov 2021
Fun, hassle-free travel for the over-50s!
Overnight aboard the Fiordland Navigator … plus Stewart Island & lots more.
For our free INFOPACK and Booking Form/s:
– phone 0800 323 333
– or email [email protected]
For itinerary highlights, map, prices click here:
–https://www.midlifemadness.tours/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2-Lower-South-Is-21-11-outline-1.pdf

21/06/2021

UPPER SOUTH ISLAND TOUR:
11 eye-opening days – departing 19 Oct 2021
Fun, hassle-free travel for the over-50s!
Whale-Watching … Hanmer Springs … Queen Charlotte Sound Cruise … plus lots more.
For our free INFOPACK and Booking Form/s:
– phone 0800 323 333
– or email [email protected]
For itinerary highlights, map, prices click here:
https://www.midlifemadness.tours/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2-Upper-South-Is-21-10-outline-1.pdf

30/05/2021

LOWER SOUTH ISLAND TOUR: NOV 2021
Fun, hassle-free travel for the over-50s!
For our free 19-page INFOPACK and Booking Form/s:
– phone 0800 323 333
– or email [email protected]
For itinerary highlights, map, prices, click here:
– click here:https://www.midlifemadness.tours/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2-Lower-South-Is-21-11-outline.pdf

16/05/2021

We have included an overnight on Doubtful Sound in our tour later in the year - an amazing destination - as well as Stewart Island

https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/destinations/nz/southland/300307635/doubtful-sound-the-hidden-fiord-better-than-milford

Mountains launch from the sea into the clouds. Thunderous waterfalls descend from the heavens. And not another soul in sight.

13/05/2021

MIDLIFE MADNESS IN THE LOWER SOUTH ISLAND
March 2021 Highlights:

#5 – Wanaka, Tekapo & Aoraki Mt Cook

Leaving Queenstown we motored past jewel-like Lake Hayes … the Kawarau Bridge bungee-site … grapevine-smothered slopes … Goldfield’s mining centre … and the impressive Clyde Dam (on Lake Dunstan) – pausing for lunch and a leg-stretch in Cromwell’s historic old town, lovingly relocated on higher ground. This fertile valley in Central Otago is nicknamed “the fruit bowl of the south” and rightly claims some of the world’s finest Pinot Noirs. So, when we landed in stylish Wanaka, we queued up for some wine-tasting at a superbly-sited vineyard – then backtracked up onto the Crown Range Road (past the hilarious bra fence) for a dining treat at the Cardrona: one of NZ’s oldest and most iconic hotels.

When we reached our beds that night I swear we could hear the Southern Alps breathing …

On the road again next morning, we passed through Omarama (where they’ve been fleecing Merino sheep since 1858) … then Twizel (loved by trout and salmon fishermen from all over). Visibility wasn’t brilliant, but we were soon oohing-and-aahing as Aoraki Mt Cook poked its head up in the distance. A lunch-stop at the Panorama Restaurant in Mt Cook Village gave us time for pix plus a stroll through the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre.

This long day filled with knock-you-over sights wasn’t over yet. We reached the cozy little township of Tekapo in time to head up to the Mt John Observatory for a spot of dark-sky stargazing. Mind-boggling!

Our Mad Midlife Tour was drawing to an end. But, before leaving Tekapo, we visited that peaceful little stone Church of the Good Shepherd. Then our final road-trip whizzed us through a bunch of McKenzie Country towns, across the Rakaia Gorge (with its historic bridge), and onto the vast Canterbury Plains … arriving in Christchurch in time for our Farewell Dinner at Governor’s Bay Hotel.

FUTURE MAD MIDLIFE TOURS

Oct 19: UPPER SOUTH ISLAND (11 days) – Christchurch … Hanmer Springs … Kaikoura (Whale Watching) … Blenheim & Queen Charlotte Sound Cruise … Nelson & Able Tasman National Park … Punakaiki … Greymouth … TranzAlpine train back to Christchurch

Nov 1: LOWER SOUTH ISLAND (13 days) – Dunedin … Otago Peninsula … the Catlins … Stewart Island (2 nights) … Te Anau … Doubtful Sound overnight cruise … Queenstown & Earnslaw Cruise … Wanaka … Tekapo … Aoraki/Mt Cook … Akaroa … Christchurch

To enquire or book: phone 0800 323 333 or email [email protected].

16/04/2021

MIDLIFE MADNESS IN THE LOWER SOUTH ISLAND
March 2021 Highlights:

#4 – Milford Sound & Queenstown
New Zealand was made for road trips. And, if one road tops them all, it’s undoubtedly the Milford Road: take-your-breath-away scenery for 120 kms – including the Homer Tunnel, carved straight through a solid granite mountain. Awaiting us was perfect weather and a relaxed boat trip through the spectacular Milford Sound, with massive Mitre Peak rising hundreds of metres out of the sea, and waterfalls cascading from ancient rainforest high in the mountains.

A lazy start next morning. Then we kissed goodbye to Te Anau and took aim on Queenstown – tourist capital of New Zealand, on the shores of serenely beautiful Lake Wakatipu.

“Hey, let’s go bungee-jumping!” shouted no one in our group. So, instead, we rode the Skyline Gondola and took up-high photos of this alpine resort.

The following day (another stunner) we met at Steamers Wharf for a fine-dining experience like no other: a cruise on the iconic TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak High Country Farm for a sizzling, succulent barbecue. Then it was all aboard the coal-fired steamship for a leisurely chug-a-lug back to Queenstown. Named ‘Lady of the Lake’ back in 1912, the Earnslaw was commissioned to carry sheep, cattle and passengers … including Queen Elizabeth, Prince Phillip and even President Bill Clinton. Just thought you’d like to know!

(More to come …)

FUTURE MAD MIDLIFE TOURS

Oct 19: UPPER SOUTH ISLAND (10 nights) – Christchurch … Hanmer Springs … Kaikoura (Whale Watching) … Blenheim & Queen Charlotte Sound Cruise … Nelson & Able Tasman National Park … Punakaiki … Greymouth … TranzAlpine train back to Christchurch

Nov 1: LOWER SOUTH ISLAND (12 nights) – Dunedin … Otago Peninsula … the Catlins … Stewart Island (2 nights) … Te Anau … Doubtful Sound overnight cruise … Queenstown & Earnslaw Cruise … Wanaka … Tekapo … Aoraki/Mt Cook … Akaroa … Christchurch

To enquire or book: phone 0800 323 333 or email [email protected].

13/04/2021

MIDLIFE MADNESS IN THE LOWER SOUTH ISLAND
March 2021 Highlights:

#3 – The Catlins, Bluff & Te Anau
The Deep South is a different kind of wild. So, on Saturday, that’s where we went (after a quick peep at Otago University’s clock-tower, Dunedin’s gorgeous old train station, and Baldwin, the world’s steepest street)! Our route took us through Milton (where a slight kink in the main highway resulted when two surveyors didn’t quite meet!) … then on to Balclutha (with its distinctive arched bridge) where we made our customary stop at a coffee-shop/happy-house.

From there we followed a road-less-travelled through the remote Catlins, where the South Island’s bottom meets the temperamental Southern Ocean. We hiked out to Nugget Point with its lighthouse, and jogged down to Curio Bay – famous for its Jurassic underwater fossil forest (a mere 170 million years old), plus its endangered yellow-eyed penguins (none of which were home that day).

Finally, we swept majestically through Invercargill … arriving at Bluff hungry for some southern hospitality at Oyster Cove Restaurant, overlooking Foveaux Strait and (if we squinted really hard) Stewart Island!

Following a late take-off next morning, we skirted the rugged coast, drove across Southland’s checkerboard farmland, and landed in picturesque Te Anau – on the edge of Fiordland. Awaiting us was a scenic cruise across the tranquil lake to these amazing underground caves lit by thousands of glowing glow-worms. Oh boy ... what a treat!

(More to come …)

FUTURE MAD MIDLIFE TOURS: to join us phone 0800 323 333 or email [email protected]

Oct 19: UPPER SOUTH ISLAND (10 nights) – Christchurch … Hanmer Springs … Kaikoura (Whale Watching) … Blenheim & Queen Charlotte Sound Cruise … Nelson & Able Tasman National Park … Punakaiki … Greymouth … TranzAlpine train back to Christchurch

Nov 1: LOWER SOUTH ISLAND (12 nights) – Dunedin … Otago Peninsula … the Catlins … Stewart Island (2 nights) … Te Anau … Doubtful Sound overnight cruise … Queenstown & Earnslaw Cruise … Wanaka … Tekapo … Aoraki/Mt Cook … Akaroa … Christchurch

12/04/2021

MIDLIFE MADNESS IN THE LOWER SOUTH ISLAND
March 2021 Highlights:

#2 – Dunedin & the Otago Peninsula
If you were in earshot on Thursday you might have heard us crying “Au revoir!” to Akaroa as we began a longish drive south – with happy-house/coffee/snacks at Ashburton, then Oamaru (in the historic Victorian Precinct), then a secluded beach littered with ancient, geological oddities. The Moeraki Boulders were formed a zillion years ago – huge rounded balls of weathered mudstone, weighing several tonnes and up to three metres across – weird!

If Christchurch reminded us of Ye Oldé England, Dunedin felt more Scottish, and we had to fight the urge to break out haggis and bagpipes. After a refreshing night between hotel sheets we drove out on Dunedin’s Otago Peninsula for some scandalous tales and a taste of Victorian grandeur at Larnach Castle (erected in 1870, later falling into disrepair, then later still beautifully restored).

Further out on the peninsula we got face-to-beak with the world’s only mainland breeding colony of Northern Royal Albatrosses – several oversized chicks squatting in the long grass while adult birds swooped past us on huge three-metre wings.

Back in Dunedin, Robyn and I and the other heavy-drinkers grabbed a fun tour through iconic Speights Brewery – ‘Pride of the South’ – while the rest of our group soaked-up a cultural hour in Lan Yuan, Dunedin’s fabulous Chinese Gardens.

(More to come …)

FUTURE MAD MIDLIFE TOURS: to join us phone 0800 323 333 or email [email protected]

Oct 19: UPPER SOUTH ISLAND (10 nights) – Christchurch … Hanmer Springs … Kaikoura (Whale Watching) … Blenheim & Queen Charlotte Sound Cruise … Nelson & Able Tasman National Park … Punakaiki … Greymouth … TranzAlpine train back to Christchurch

Nov 1: LOWER SOUTH ISLAND (12 nights) – Dunedin … Otago Peninsula … the Catlins … Stewart Island (2 nights) … Te Anau … Doubtful Sound overnight cruise … Queenstown & Earnslaw Cruise … Wanaka … Tekapo … Aoraki/Mt Cook … Akaroa … Christchurch

09/04/2021

MIDLIFE MADNESS IN THE LOWER SOUTH ISLAND
March 2021 Highlights:

#1 – Christchurch & Akaroa
This 13-day adventure in our own backyard kicked off in Christchurch. No place in New Zealand is changing as fast as the Garden City – thanks to epic efforts since the 2010/2011 earthquakes to reconstruct the entire downtown. Scaffolding, cranes and road cones still clutter this chaotic, colourful place – an inspiring testimony to human resilience.

After breakfast next day we headed to Governor’s Bay for a guided wander plus morning tea in the beautiful Ohinetahi Gardens. (Note to self: the sculptures were sensational – but the pikelets with jam-&-cream were divine!) We then followed a windy road out along Banks Peninsula to historic Akaroa – once a safe haven for early whalers and sealers, now a trendy Frenchified township.

Lunch at Bully Hayes restaurant prepared us for a Black Cat Wildlife Cruise – where we got amongst sea birds, fur seals, and playful Hector's dolphins!

(More to come …)

FUTURE MAD MIDLIFE TOURS: to join us phone 0800 323 333 or email [email protected]

Oct 19: UPPER SOUTH ISLAND (10 nights) – Christchurch … Hanmer Springs … Kaikoura (Whale Watching) … Blenheim & Queen Charlotte Sound Cruise … Nelson & Able Tasman National Park … Punakaiki … Greymouth … TranzAlpine train back to Christchurch

Nov 1: LOWER SOUTH ISLAND (12 nights) – Dunedin … Otago Peninsula … the Catlins … Stewart Island (2 nights) … Te Anau … Doubtful Sound overnight cruise … Queenstown & Earnslaw Cruise … Wanaka … Tekapo … Aoraki/Mt Cook … Akaroa … Christchurch