Ron H., San Diego, CA

We are already thinking about a trip back, perhaps next March or in Nov-Dec 2020. I would like to fish with Ed again and possibly another location as well and we would like to do one of the tracks.

Arrowtown House was our favorite accommodation (we were so glad to be in Arrowtown instead of Queenstown!) Cathy and Jason were super-nice and invited us over for a drink and the breakfasts served in room were fantastic (I'm trying to talk Ellen into doing them at home but not having much success). Ruby Sea Cottage and Manakau were also super. We had fun at the Wilderness Lodge hiking & kayaking. There is DIY fishing there (lake and river) -- wish I had known before I went (I should have researched more). The flight to Milford Sound was a treat. As I mentioned, the fishing conditions were challenging due to the rains that came through (the news said it was a "100-year rain" but some of the locals told us they have them every few years). But we went out anyway and after Ed showed me a few things, I started catching fish. But shortly thereafter, the river came up and that was that.

The second photo is what the river looked like within an hour after the fish photo was taken (Ed barely made it back across from the far bank). A soaking wet me posing with a fish in the pouring rain is probably not the promotional pic you were looking for! The second day we went to the Nevis River but barely wet a line due to the conditions, so it turned into a 4-wheel drive safari but we had fun and saw lots of beautiful countryside. So there is unfinished business on the Nevis River. We drank our fair share of wine on the trip -- some good Chardonnays and Pinots as well as Sauvignons. The wines from the Central Otago region I thought were as good if not better than Marlborough. We had a surprisingly good dinner at the Commodore Hotel our last night in Christchurch.

My only complaint about the trip was flying home through Australia instead of Auckland which added 6-8 hours to the trip but I made those arrangements not you so I have only myself to blame. :-)

Thanks again for booking such a great trip for us!

Best, Ron