Hi Dawn
In New Zealand it will be spring time in October the north island is more warmer than the south island .New Zealand is very hilly but it is very good to see . Most bus tours are full on any where you go so it will have to be up to them to decide if they can go . Just looking out a bus window in New Zealand and getting the veiws that are there would be good as you can take a photo at every corner you go around.
Alot of people who have things wrong with them seem to travel and enjoy them self there is always ways of doing things I hope they go

Thanks for your reply Chubby.
Spring time sounds an ideal time to go - not too hot.

Dawn

Just a little word of warning - these conducted tours can be very helpful with all the travelling and touring laid on, not to mention meals and informative guides, but you may find you get exhausted because long distances even on a comfy coach mean getting up EARLY!!!! and having a very early breakfast! Yes, you can sleep on the coach ... but the whole point is to see the country! It might be a good idea to 'build in' jet lag/travel tiredness recovery time before and after the guided element! Hope they have a great trip!

Hi Alsacienne,
I totally agree - I was shattered after our 7 day Mexico tour and really enjoyed our 7 day AI on the beach to unwind.
That's why I was asking about stop overs for them as I thought they might enjoy something similar.

Dawn

A tip put on NZ forum by one of the moderators to ease jet lag was to book a session in a floatation tank - hope they enjoy trip.

We were in NewZealand October 2006. The weather was mixed, we had some rain but also some spring sunshine too - ideal for touring if you don't like heat. The gardens everywhere were lovely with the spring flowers at that time of year. We did a self drive but my older sister did a tour a couple of years back with Saga. She and her husband had a great time - it was a 26 day tour of both islands. They saw a lot but they did move somewhere different almost every day.

Canada is fantastic for scenery too - though we've only seen the Rockies. Again we were self-drive but we did see many coach tours, some taking in the Rocky Mountain Explorer, for a few nights too. In October the weather will be turning cold again there. The advantage is that it is an 8-10 hour flight, rather than 24 hour plus!