Contiki Vs. G Adventures: A Comparison for New Zealand

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Contiki Inclusions

Food with Contiki – A usual day with Contiki has breakfast and dinner included. Anything in between you will most likely have to accommodate yourself. There will be the option to have cultural dinners, like the Maori hangi. Contiki will try to accommodate all tastes, sometimes having open options.

Activities with Contiki – A selection of usually paid-for activities are included with Contiki, such as jet boat rides, going up the Sky Tower, etc. Sightseeing tours and orientations of cities and towns with your tour manager will also be included. Optional activities are available at extra cost and your tour manager can organise them for you. You’ll also get free time to do whatever you want.

Accommodation with Contiki – Expect to be staying in hotels and lodges, sharing a room with 1-4 other passengers. Like all other bus tours in New Zealand, there are options to upgrade to a private room.

Transport with Contiki – It’s a given, but transport is included in the form of a coach bus with free WiFi, powerpoints and movies.

Tour Manager on Contiki – Your tour manager organises activities, party nights and is an essential part of the group. However, they are not there to babysit you so you better arrive to catch the bus on time! There is also a bus driver too.

The Price of Contiki’s Tours – A full national pass with Contiki is around NZ$4,800 but the pass is very often on sale. You can usually pick up a national pass for around NZ$4,300 – a similar price to G Adventure’s full national tour.

© Mapbox & Contiki

Where Does Contiki Go?

Well, Contiki can go all over New Zealand with trips spanning from 3 days to 19 days. The trips don’t end where you begin but tend to end in the cities with international airports making it easy to move on after your trip.

Contiki is a great way to see the highlights of New Zealand in a limited timeframe. Be prepared for an adventure that is fast-paced and action-packed!

For a list of all Contiki’s trips in New Zealand, check out Contiki on Tourradar. Otherwise, Contiki will stop for activities and inclusions along the way, but the cities that Contiki stay at overnight include:

• Paihia
• Auckland
• Rotorua
• Taupo
• Tongariro
• Wellington
• Kaikoura
• Christchurch
• Franz Josef
• Queenstown
• Te Anau
• Lake Ohau

© AJ Hackett

Contiki Passengers: Is Contiki a Party Bus?

Contiki passengers are social travellers from all over the world! Why else would they choose to hop on a bus full of like-minded people and travel with them for several days? With socialising comes people who like to party, and your tour manager will organise some fancy dress nights and social gatherings.

Although Contiki likes to convey a “mixed bag” of passengers, the New Zealand Contiki passengers tend to be on the younger end of the 18-35 scale due to its reasonable price. Expect to be surrounded by people who want to see the world but don’t want the hassle of organising it themselves, whether it’s a couple of friends travelling together or solo travellers. Contiki claims that 55% of the passengers are female, while 45% are male.

Contiki has a large bus operation so expect to have anything from a full bus in New Zealand summer to plenty of legroom during the shoulder seasons.

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G Adventures Inclusions

Food with G Adventures – Most breakfasts (which is usually a continental breakfast) and some dinners, although not as much as with Contiki, are included each day on the trip. Any meals in between you will have to buy yourself, but your “CEO” can recommend places to eat.

Activities with G Adventures – There’s a wide selection of usually paid-for activities included in your trip, such as over-ight excursions by boat, sea kayaking, surf lessons, cultural experiences, and more. On some days you will get free time and you can book optional activities at an extra cost with your CEO.

Accommodation with G Adventures – You will stay in a mix of hostels, lodges and basic hotels with G Adventures. Expect to be in a multi-share dorm with your fellow passengers.

Transport with G Adventures – G Adventures runs in mini-buses with a trailer carrying the group’s luggage. Other transport might include boat, as some boat tours are included, as well as bicycles, kayaks, and more!

CEO (Tour Guides) with G Adventures – The “CEO” is the G Adventures’ Chief Experience Officer. They manage your activities, tell you about the places you are visiting, as well as be your driver. They are also in charge of cooking your meals.

The Price of G Adventures’ Tours – A full national pass with G Adventures for 18 to 30-somethings is around NZ$4,300 – similar to Contiki. Their “Active” tours are a little pricier at approximately NZ$7,700 but come with more inclusions.

© G Adventures

Where Do G Adventures Go?

Trips with G Adventures span from 4 to 21 days. While some trips do a loop starting and finishing in the same city, others will start and finish in different cities. These cities do have international airports to get you to your next destination.

G Adventures offers locations in New Zealand that you will have heard of and some you probably won’t have heard of.

The most important thing to remember when browsing G Adventure’s tours is that their “18-to-Thirtysomethings” itineraries are usually much different from the “Active” tour itineraries and other travel styles. So we advise you to pick your style first and then choose your trip.

For the full list of G Adventure’s trips, check out the G Adventures on Tourradar.

Locations include:

• Auckland
• Raglan
• Rotorua
• Taupo
• Wellington
• Abel Tasman
• Westport
• Franz Josef
• Queenstown
• Milford Sound
• Lake Tekapo
• Christchurch
• Kaikoura

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G Adventures Passengers

You are likely to get a mixed bag with G Adventures in terms of age and nationality but you get more of “a certain type of person” depending on which “style” of trip you do in New Zealand. For instance, “18-to-Thirtysomethings” tours are aimed at travellers who are out to tick things off the bucket list, aged 18-39. On the other hand, “Active” tours will have a wider variety of ages out to experience New Zealand by bike, hike, kayak and whatever active way they can.

Other travel styles in New Zealand include “Classic” tours who tend to have passengers from mid to late twenties who like a good balance between group and independent travel, and finally, “National Geographic Journeys” are aimed more at 30+ with a bit of money in their pocket.

One thing to note about the passenger experience with G Adventures is that they travel in small buses meaning they have quite small groups, usually averaging at 12 people.