Australia June of 2017 and we are adding on a side trip to New Zealand/Queensland South Island to see Fjordlands National Park and spend a day or two on the glaciers. Would really appreciate any input from those familiar with New Zealand, especially for late June (i.e. winter) travel and visits. Thank you ABD for the early booking discount, without which we would not have been able to work in the New Zealand trip.
Cousin Orville, you will LOVE LOVE LOVE South Africa. It is our favorite of all our ABD trips. We took the "old extended version" which was much longer and travelled up the "garden route" coast. Craig is likely to be your local guide - the best guide we have ever had. Tell him what you like, and he can arrange it. At Kapama he arranged for me to take a "bush walk" early morning (working around the ABD iten.) with a Kapama Ranger. It was awesome. He also told us he could not help, but could inform, for our arrangements to visit and ride the rescue elephants, which was spectacular. This planned ABD was the best of the ABD arrangements with the local culture that we have seen. Our whole family will tell you that this trip totally changed us. I'll leave that to you to report after you return.
And Cousin Orville, thank you for your trip report on Australia - it is the only one I have been able to find.