You’ve heard of the wonderful Kiwi Culture, now it’s time to experience it! This 12-day North Island Kiwi Culture Tour for LGBTQ travellers immerses you in everything Kiwi!  Kiwis, named after the indigenous kiwi bird, not the fruit!

You can expect a warm and welcoming atmosphere almost everywhere in New Zealand.  As a lesbian owned and operated company, New Zealand Awaits are proud to serve the LGBTQ community, and you’ll know you’re supporting business owners who also support the community. Where possible, accommodations are in LGBTQ owned lodging, and NZA supports LGBT owned businesses as much as possible. They’re also up to date on gay cafes, restaurants, and bars, so whether you’re travelling independently or on one of our tours, we’ll point you in the right direction to meet some LGBTQ locals.

You’ll get off the beaten tourist track, spend time with some of  favourite Kiwis, and explore a truly diverse range of experiences: learning Maori traditions and legends, savouring locally produced food and wine, sailing and swimming the local waters, dining with Kiwi farmers, viewing active geysers, meeting a real live kiwi (bird), exploring museums and galleries, and playing with some LGBTQ locals.

Price: 7295.00 New Zealand Dollars

New Zealand is a fantastic country for LGBTQ people to live, which makes it a great destination for LGBTQ travellers to visit. Lonely Planet rated New Zealand one of the most “inclusive and progressive” gay-friendly travel destinations on the planet in 2015, second only to Denmark. What makes NZ so gay-friendly?

  • They are a socially progressive country, being the first country in the world to give women the right to vote in 1893.
  • They recently celebrated 30 years since same-sex sexual activity was decriminalized in 1986
  • They were the first country in the world to have an openly transgender mayor, Georgina Beyer, in 1995. In 1999 she became the world’s first transgender member of Parliament, and remained in Parliament until her retirement in 2007.
  • Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression has been illegal since 1993.
  • Their military is independently ranked the most inclusive in the world with LGB members allowed to serve openly since 1993.
  • They’ve had openly gay and lesbian politicians serving since 1993, with Rainbow Labour, a branch of the Labour Party, being formed in 1997 to represent LGBTQ people.
  • They legalized same-sex marriage in 2013.
  • Adoption by same-sex couples has been legal since 2013.
  • New Zealanders can now have a passport in our preferred sex/gender of M (male), F (female) or X (indeterminate/unspecified), without having these details amended on their birth or citizenship record.
  • The first Pride events were held in the 70s and continue today with Pride events in several cities: Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton.

 

 

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist based in Toronto with a focus on tourism, lifestyle, entertainment and community issues. He has written several travel articles and has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He’s willing to take on any assignments of interest, attend parties with free booze, listen to rants, and travel the world in search of the great unknown. He’s eager to discover the new, remember the past, and look into the future.