On Location: Touchdown in Auckland! Canadian agents unpack New Zealand with G Adventures

Bring on New Zealand!

The island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean – known for its great outdoors and dramatic landscapes – is the backdrop for G Adventures’ latest FAM trip for Canadian travel agents this week. 

From Nov. 2-9, a group of 12 advisors from across Canada are exploring New Zealand’s North Island, combining active adventures, cultural activities and community-based initiatives.

With Air New Zealand’s roughly 14-hour nonstop flight from Vancouver to Auckland, the journey offers travellers quick, comfortable access to a spectacular island nation — as PAX discovered while covering the trip, exclusively, on location.

G for good

The mission at made-in-Canada G Adventures is “to change the world through travel.”

During its agent FAMs, advisors are accompanied by a local Chief Experience Officer (CEO) and a member of the G Adventures team, ensuring ongoing support and live destination training.

Agents not only discover must-see landscapes and activities, but also Planeterra initiatives supported by the company, ensuring that tourism dollars directly benefit local communities.

This year, G Adventures organized 10 FAM trips to introduce travel agents across the country to the tour operator’s different itineraries.

“The FAM tours are a great opportunity for agents to learn and really experience what G Adventures is all about. Whether you’ve sold G Adventures before or not, whether you’ve been in the industry for a long time or not, it can really be for anyone,” said Hilary Arsenault, global purpose specialist, for Quebec and Atlantic Canada, who’s leading the New Zealand FAM.  

“We want you to experience the magic of community tourism and exactly show you why G Adventures does what we do.”

Arsenault is very excited about the journey. Not only is it her first time in New Zealand, but the active tour, titled “New Zealand – North Island Multisport,” has many exciting qualities.

“We wanted something a little bit different,” said Arsenault. “Most of our other tours are either Classic, National Geographic, or Geluxe. So the active one shows the range of travel styles that we offer. We have 14 travel styles. We like saying that we have something for everyone, so at least this one allows travel agents to see a different side of what we do.”

Discovering Air New Zealand

For this FAM, G partnered with Air New Zealand, providing travel agents with round-trip tickets from Vancouver.

Upon arrival, they boarded the recently refurbished Boeing 787‑9 Dreamliner ahead of other passengers for a private tour before their 14-hour direct flight to Auckland.

“Everything on board has been refurbished, from Business to Economy Class,” Mason Spencer, an account executive at Air New Zealand, told PAX.

The airline has six products on board: Business Premier, Business Premier Luxe (with a closing door for privacy), Business Premier, Premium Economy (new shell seats with extra space), Economy, including Economy Stretch and Economy Skycouch options.

“No matter what customers need on board, we have a product to suit their needs,” Spencer said.

Air New Zealand, notably, is the only airline offering a direct flight from Vancouver to New Zealand year-round.

“It’s a long flight, but an overnight one. Everything is arranged to make the customer’s journey to New Zealand as smooth, economical, and simple as possible,” Spencer said.

From November to April, the airline offers seven flights per week.

All passengers have access to Wi-Fi. There is also a new inflight entertainment system with larger 4K screens, Bluetooth pairing, and device connectivity. Alcohol is complimentary, with multiple wine and spirit options available, even in Economy.

From Business to Economy, the Air New Zealand crew impressed with their genuine warmth and exceptional service.

“It’s one of the main reasons to choose Air New Zealand,” Spencer said. “From the moment travellers step on board, they can feel the country’s warm culture, the Kiwi accent, and a friendly atmosphere that instantly sets the tone for their trip.”

Two notable products are the Economy Stretch and the Skycouch, which are unique to Air New Zealand.

The Skycouch concept is a row of three Economy seats that transforms into a 1.8 m-long horizontal “couch.” Perfect for couples or families to lie down and stretch out together.

Economy Stretch is a standard Economy seat with extra legroom, offering comfort without upgrading to Premium Economy.

Travel advisor André Pagé, who’s participating in the FAM, and stands six feet tall, booked an Economy Stretch for his journey and was pleasantly surprised.

“It’s a great value. I had three extra inches of legroom. There’s also a feature that allows you to extend the seat further and provides better lumbar support,” Pagé said.

Auckland, activated!

Upon arrival in Auckland in the morning, the group dropped off their luggage at the Oaks Auckland Hotel before joining a city tour organized by Auckland & Beyond Tours. 

Peter Hamdy delivered a special lunch presentation to showcase the company’s tours, while Andy, our guide, showed us around town.

On this first day, we were immediately introduced to New Zealand’s landscapes and culture, learning more about Maori traditions from a guide and visiting our first volcano at Mount Eden, locally known as Maungawhau.

A large, well-preserved crater, some 50 metres deep, is contained within the summit cone. At about 196 metres, it is the highest point in the city, offering exceptional panoramic views of Auckland and the harbour.

In the afternoon, we met our local CEO, Benji, who’s guiding us along, sharing a local perspective. 

The first stop was the All Blacks Experience, a tour showcasing the team’s history, values, and the Maori culture behind New Zealand rugby.

Interactive areas allowed visitors to test skills like passing and kicking, offering a taste of “playing like an All Black.”

The day ended with a group dinner at a Mexican restaurant near Viaduct Harbour, providing an initial opportunity for networking.

From volcano peaks to skycouch seats – this Kiwi crawl is just getting started! Stay tuned for more of G Adventures’ Canadian FAM in New Zealand!

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