In the beginning of February I had a precious opportunity to take a small group of clients from Auckland to the West Coast. I was fortunate enough to get three couples on board. Four of the clients chose to do this as their second tour with me after being on the October Southern Scenic Garden Tour.

The West Coast tour was special in several aspects:

• It was designed to be held at a slow pace, having time to explore a few off the beaten track places.

• We travelled in what is traditionally the busiest season, however now with the covid situation, there were very few tourists.

• We had enough time to enjoy a relaxing family style holiday.

• It was interesting to see how local businesses tackled the lack of clients. Some services offered really good price incentives, some kept similar prices to the last overheated international season, some were completely shut.

We were lucky to have sunny weather all the way through our trip. I loved having this small group of Kiwis. Also nine days travelling from Christchurch via the West Coast to Queenstown provided enough time to have a relaxing family style holiday - I loved it!

Actually it might turn me away from my “traditional” Czech clientele in the future. Perhaps Kiwis are more curious to see less travelled places such as Brunner Mine, Denniston Plateau or Jackson Bay which are a bit further from the main highway. I could include activities like Okarito Eco Tours, Waiatoto Alpine Safari or Mou Waho Island Cruise on Lake Wanaka. Sadly many overseas groups don't have enough time to do these things.