As a young bird’s first step out of the nest into the open and wild air is full of trepidation, so was my first step onto the Flying Kiwi bus.

In hindsight it is clear that if that bird’s wings went by the name of Tom and Shannon he would have nothing to worry about. He would glide down past glorious beaches, stunning valleys, unique cultural sites, and epic hikes to land safely amongst a campsite and a well cooked dinner.

Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, Thelma and Louise, (the two from Natural Born Killers or w/e that movie is called). Tom and Shannon may not have gone out in a blaze of glory (and they did not, I repeat did not, drive our bus off a cliff despite multiple opportunities), but like those eternal pairings, they are a team in every sense of the word. They seamlessly switched off being each other’s support system and handled the many obstacles that inevitably come up with a large group with poise. When a grease fire broke out in a neighboring campsite, threatening to come into ours when the resident pig caught fire, Shannon quickly reminded Tom to use milk instead of water to put the poor animal out. And when a Kiwi Experience group decided to keep us up all night, it was Tom’s idea to play the escaped convict who threatened them into silence and Shannon who supported him by playing the parole officer in pursuit who made it all far too real for the drunk teenagers.

Harmless hijinks aside, Shannon and Tom made the whole experience super fun yet relaxed, exciting yet safe. They had a knack of packing in as much as possible without making the day feel too packed. They were the extremely reliable friends you’ve always wanted but don’t exist in real life. I couldn’t recommend them, and Flying Kiwi, more.

- Jack Shimon Shaked

P.S. I must say my favorite memories from the whole trip were Tom teaching me Maori sign language (who knew you could do the Haka in sign!?) and Shannon doing an interpretive dance set for the whole group to nothing but a track

Reviewed almost 8 years ago