Just Back From … a New Zealand Family Adventure
Since 2022, WhirlAway Travel’s Anna Dunleavy has been crafting epic getaways for the Creed family—each one more personalized than the last.
Most recently, Carrie and Jamie Creed, along with their children Tristan, 11, and Tenley, eight, embarked on a two-week adventure through New Zealand’s North and South Islands (previous WhirlAway journeys took them to Spain, Australia, and South America). “The feedback from every trip helps me understand them better and continue building more personalized itineraries with tailored experiences,” says Anna. As for the Creeds, the trip doesn’t end when they return home: “Our favorite part of working with Anna is our call with her after we get back, when we share all the details of what we loved best,” says Carrie. “It’s a full-circle moment.” Here, Carrie revisits some of the highlights, surprises, and unforgettable discoveries from her family's New Zealand vacation.
How did you and your family decide on New Zealand?
“We fell in love with Australia two years ago and kept telling friends, family, and colleagues how much we enjoyed Tasmania and the consensus was that we needed to go to New Zealand. We were planning on waiting a few more years but it’s becoming more difficult to take our kids out of school for extra days before and after their scheduled spring break, so we decided that leveraging the extra time this year was the smartest decision. And we were right!”
Now that you’re home, is there something you just can’t stop thinking about?
“The horseback trek with The Lindis to the Black Diamond—what a spectacular experience for our whole family. We rode through the mountains and had a completely private duck BBQ lunch with champagne overlooking the most picturesque views of the valley. When I close my eyes, I can still hear the music we were playing, feel the breeze through my hair, and taste the perfectly cooked duck. It was a pinch-me moment!”
What was your most memorable hotel stay?
“We all had such a ‘feeling’ of familiarity and comfort at Poronui. The hotel was so unique and had zero pretentiousness, the views were stunning, and the setting made us feel like we were at home within minutes of arriving. We also thoroughly enjoyed the long community table at dinner time while getting to know the small number of staff and other guests. The feeling we still have is hard to put into words but all four of us separately said that Poronui was our favorite hotel. And a special “hi” to Dookey, the house doggy there. We miss him!”
Biggest wow experiences?
“After 15 years of wanting to go on a helicopter trip after ours was canceled on our honeymoon in South Africa, my husband secretly worked with Poronui to arrange a flight for our whole family. I’m still shocked that all the staff, most guests, and my children knew about the surprise and no one slipped. One guest even filmed our landing and captured my sheer joy and appreciation for a moment I’ll never forget.
Jamie says his biggest wow was bungee jumping in Queenstown. He can’t even describe the rush he got from that first time experience. For Tristan, it was in Kaikoura when we saw a humpback whale feeding along the boat while hundreds of dolphins jumped around it. His second was when he caught his first trout all by himself. And for Tenley, it was our first time horseback riding at Poronui, where she was the youngest rider they ever took out. Seeing her ride through four feet of moving water with confidence when we crossed a river was incredible.”
Did anything surprise you?
“The bike riding in Queenstown! We didn’t realize we would be on such a picturesque trail and be crossing over numerous narrow suspension bridges that were over 100 feet high and swayed when you biked over them. Going over the first one was so exciting—once we crossed, we got off our bikes and walked back onto the center of the bridge to take it all in. We all biked 17 kilometers that day and my son had a smile on his face the entire time!”
What’s the most rewarding part about planning these epic getaways with WhirlAway’s Anna Dunleavy?
“She always knows that our trips typically revolve around fly fishing and wine. Yes, our children have been to more vineyards across the world and know more about wine than most adults! Anna has made the most incredible suggestions for hotels, cities, timelines, tours, and activities. She knows our children are exceptional travelers and that we all can handle an intense pace for two-plus weeks straight! She also knows how our tours don’t need to be kid-centric, but rather we prefer activities geared toward adults but equally enjoyable by children. It’s been so much fun to plan these incredible getaways with Anna and we are already talking to her about March 2027!”
