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This is just a short note to say thank you very much. While you may not take credit for the wonderful weather we had during our stay, you can certainly be congratulated on organising the rest of our holiday. If ever there was a template for the perfectly organised holiday, ours (yours) was it. Your organisation was spot on – the welcome pack with the maps, brochures and vouchers was precision at its finest. Your choice of B&Bs was fantastic – we have invited Lyn and Murray from Wanaka to be guests at our house in Brisbane, we got on so well! (All hosts were terrific people – Anne at Eliza’s, Rachel and Kyle on the Otago Peninsula, Wendy and Roger in Te Anau, Gillian and Donald in Queenstown – we could not ask for better folk). Your drives were perfectly paced to give us just the right amount of travel and breaks between. The organised activities were just so – it is impossible to pick the best, but the boat cruise on Otago harbour in perfect sunny weather would be hard to beat. (OK Doubtful Sound was up there, and the Franz Josef Glacier, and Mt Cook……….. It really is too hard to pick!) A really, really great holiday, based on a really, really great travel agent. What can I say? We’d do it all again tomorrow, only for longer next time and you’d be the first phone call! Thanks! . More ...
Chris and Geraldine, Australia, Apr 2012
Our guest book
The following feedback from our guests is unedited and might help you with the planning of your tour and your decision to book with us. Our company philosophy is based on honest, useful and relevant information. If you have a specific question about any feedback comments don't hesitate to let us know.You can specify a specific subject to search through the feedback by entering this into the search box below i.e. enter 'Milford Sound' to see what guests have to say about this.
Don & Carrie McLaughlin & Janet Donaldson, Custom New Zealand Tour, Travelled on 2nd April 2012Had a great vacation-- no accidents, great weather, and beautiful scenery. Vouchers were exactly right and worked well with everyone. All the activities were excellent, none disappointing. Instead of the Penthouse suite (which was very nice) at Lake Tekapo, wish we had had a second farm stay on the South Island. Thoroughly enjoyed the farm stay on the North Island. Enjoyed the South Island scenery more than the North Island, but both were great. Don's first bunji jumping in Queenstown was a highlight! He survived. The west coast near Punakaiki was surprisingly awesome, wasn't expecting it! Really enjoyed the cities of Dunedin and Queenstown. Did not expect to find such a large portion of downtown Christchurch blocked off from tourists. Queenstown was by far the prettiest city we visited. The evening meal at Walter Peak farm was outstanding; so was the evening buffet at the top of the gondola ride the following evening. The sheepshearing at Walter Peak farm was also excellent and very informative. Overall, I can highly recommend visiting New Zealand, all of it (though we ended up partial to the South Island!). Your tour service was excellent, and the rental car arrangement went off without a hitch with just the right sized vehicles. Thanks for a great trip! |
Susan Lee and Hock Chuan Ng, Custom New Zealand Tour, Travelled on 16th April 2012Hi hi, we have just completed our wonderful tour of the south island....we drove a total of 2,700 km, I dont think we ever drove so much in our lives before, scenary along the way was beautiful and although we did spend more than what we had initially budgeted for ths holiday..I would say that it was well worth it. I think our favorites must be the Lake Matheson at Fox Glacier Village, Lake Tekapo, Mount Cook, Queenstown and Kaikoura... the whale watching tour was really awesome! There is only a small hiccup on this trip ...there was no hot water for shower on one night in Camelot Motor Lodge...it was uncomfortable...but not something that would ruin the trip and the hosts at Camelot were really great people so it was not a very big deal. Thanks for customizing a great trip for us which we will remember in years to come...and we hope to have another chance to tour your wonderful country again. Susan & Hock Chuan, Singapore |
Stelzer family , Auckland to Christchurch Family Adventure (custom), Travelled on 5th April 2012Dear David, I did send an email as we were departing New Zealand last Sunday (to Nikki's address?) to THANK YOU. We had a truly wonderful time on our holiday and as we tell our tales to friends and family we can't help but mention the impact you and your company had on it being such an easy and positive experience every step of the way. Not to mention doing things we may not have done had it not been for your inclusions or recommendations. Kind regards, The Stelzer Family |
Chris & Geraldine Burgess, Custom Taste of the South self drive tour , Travelled on 10th April 2012This is just a short note to say thank you very much. While you may not take credit for the wonderful weather we had during our stay, you can certainly be congratulated on organising the rest of our holiday. If ever there was a template for the perfectly organised holiday, ours (yours) was it. Your organisation was spot on – the welcome pack with the maps, brochures and vouchers was precision at its finest. Your choice of B&Bs was fantastic – we have invited Lyn and Murray from Wanaka to be guests at our house in Brisbane, we got on so well! (All hosts were terrific people – Anne at Eliza’s, Rachel and Kyle on the Otago Peninsula, Wendy and Roger in TeAnau, Gillian and Donald in Queenstown – we could not ask for better folk). Your drives were perfectly paced to give us just the right amount of travel and breaks between. The organised activities were just so – it is impossible to pick the best, but the boat cruise on Otago harbour in perfect sunny weather would be hard to beat. (OK Doubtful Sound was up there, and the Franz Josef Glacier, and Mt Cook……….. It really is too hard to pick!) A really, really great holiday, based on a really, really great travel agent. What can I say? We’d do it all again tomorrow, only for longer next time and you’d be the first phone call! Thanks! |
Nancy Wagner and Geoff Genther, Northbound Panorama (custom version), Travelled on 5th March 2012Wonderful people living in a gorgeous country! The trip was everything we hoped for - our itinerary fit what we liked to do and allowed us to see both islands without feeling rushed. We could take our time along the way and detour whenever we chose. The accommodations worked well for us - we were able to park the car and walk everywhere. David - thank you again- your help made this a very special trip! |
Mark and Christine Sly, 12 day Southern Highlights day walk tour, Travelled on 1st April 2012We want to thank you for a great holiday. This was exactly what we needed; an itinerary worked out by someone else, a map, a car, our accommodation sorted and plenty of great scenery and walks along the way. Everything was well organised and everyone we came across was so friendly and willing to help. The areas we visited on the South Island were fabulous and for our first visit to New Zealand we got a great taste of the beauty of the Country. To top things off, the weather was excellent. Some suggestions to make things even better are: more explicit directions to get out of Christchurch and perhaps an option to upgrade the accommodation. While the accommodation was clean, we found some of the beds were not comfortable for us. Thanks again for a wonderful experience. We will definitely be back! Mark and Chris |
Karen & Dave Gillespie, Custom New Zealand Tour, Travelled on 28th March 2012Enter your story here...Found the entire experience very very good. Just a few days were a bit rushed getting to our next destination. The voucher system and pick up of rental cars went quite smoothly. Some interesting motels/hotels were chosen by your staff. Overall, were quite good, but didn't enjoy the location of the downtown Auckland hotel. It has construction going on next door and was very confusing getting to the hotel from the airport. We really enjoyed the vacation and hope to visit New Zealand again. Thank you |
Eddie & Margaret Mardell, North Island Overlander circuit , Travelled on 7th March 2012Enter your story here... Thank you N.Z. Self Drive Tours & Holidays for organising our recent holiday on North Island of New Zealand. We were very impressed right from the start when we were picked up by "Uncle" at Auckland Airport. Uncle was very helpful with our luggage and taking my husband & I to our hotel. We had no troubles with the accommodation organised by N.Z. Self Drive Tours & Holidays. The staff were always very helpful and friendly. We were disappointed however with the The Great Ponsby Hotel accommodation in Auckland as it was not up to the standard of other hotels. We were also very impressed by Europcar, Shortland Street, Auckland. Again customer service was excellent and we were also upgraded to another vehicle. Well done Angela for all your hard work in organising our tour. Should we travel to N.Z. again we most certainly will be getting in touch with your company. Thanks again Margaret & Eddie Mardell |
Bob Dobrinski, Laurie Wachs, Don & Sonya Petrinchuk, Custom New Zealand Tour, Travelled on 4th March 2012We had a wonderful time in New Zealand and had no worries on our trip. We had a 9 days and Angela helped us arrange our itinerary and travel and it was great. The flights and vehicles arranged were awesome. Except for the Blue Peaks Lodge in Queenstown (didn't compare to the other accomodations as it was dated) the accomodations were great. I would recommend this company to any person wanting to travel NZ without hesitation. Thank you Angela. |
Gary & Lee- Anne Porter, Custom New Zealand Tour , Travelled on 18th March 2012Enter your story here... HI. GARY AND LEE-ANNE PORTERtravelled 18/3 . Will try to be concise .NewZealand is always beautiful and it is the ''little surprizes '' that make the trip . Molesworth Station....This is a sensational trip .We did the one day express trip .The country is very special , awe inspiring and Alan Graham our driver has a special knowledge of the people and history of the area .Highly recomended but be aware it is an all day trip . MT COOK....also a stunning place .We pulled in at Glentanner just before Mt cook and did a helicopter trip ..very special , laned up in the snow ...highly recomended. Kekerengu Store on the trip from Blenheim to Kaikoura .From the outside nothing special but go inside and soak up the view while enjoying great food ...well worth the stop . Kaikoura ....just south of Clarence and before Kaikoura the road travels beside the ocean and we pulled up and climbed down the bank where we had a special closeup encounter with a large seal family (our Molesworth tour guide gave us this tip ) Riverstone ...another local tip at Omaru put us onto Riverstone just north about 20 minutes .This one for foodies , the organic restaurant , simply sensational .You may need to book ahead . Lyford Lodge is an amazing place to stop on the way from Kaikoura to Hanmer Springs .Its a ski lodge and we were there in March . Great break in the drive , could be awesome in ski season . Wither Hills winery at Blenheim ...another must for foodies and anyone who likes wine . Try the PinotGris . Hanmer Springs ....enjoy the hot springs , very restful and surrounded by some of the lovliest country I have seen inNz. PUNAKAIKI on west coast north of Greymouth......we had a restful time here . The blowholes are worth the stop . The usual places Queenstown,Wanaka always lovely. Arrowtown ( cheaper better shopping than Queenstown) is beautiful inAutumn, seasonal changes a bit ahead of Queenstown .Arrowtown possibly the best around for shoppers . For wine fans Gibbston valley is a must in the central otago and Wither Hills at the Marlborough.Gibbston Valley also features a cheesery which adds to the experience .If inOmaru visit Whitestone cheesery . For wildlife l overs the Tiny blue penguins atOmaru , the fur seals at Cape Foulwind near Westport and seals along Kaikoura coast are special . |
Micckal Ang and Party, A taste of the South tour, Travelled on 27th March 2012Hi Nicky, My first trip to South New Zealand had impressed me with her beauty and the people who are courteous. I was very satisfied by the service and planning rendered to me. I wish I have more time but will definitely go again if I have the opportunity. I will definitely recommend others to your company for the great service. Thanks Nicky, everything went well and good. |
Bruce McArthur & Maureen Atkins, Custom Islands to Fiords, Auckland to Queenstown self drive tour , Travelled on 20th February 2012Enter your story here... Angela, Thank you for your organizing skills. It was a pleasure to have Uncle waiting for us at the airport (two hours late!!) The travel pack he delivered was a surprise and made our road trip so easy to follow. We only had two days of rain, the balance of the holiday was spectacular scenery every day. Our trip to Milford Sound was enhanced by 6" of rain falling overnight, the Sound was awash with waterfalls. We were told they would have dried up by midday. We are still reliving our three weeks and have no hesitation in recommending your company to one and all. Kind regards. |
David & Audrey Evans & Steven & Devorah Cohen, Custom New Zealand Tour , Travelled on 17th February 2012Our experience with New Zealand Fine Touring has been extremely positive from the moment we first contacted them several months ago to the conclusion of the fabulous 30 day long trip we just concluded. Angie was a great communicator in terms of asking the right questions about what kind of trip we were considering, recommending numerous options for us to consider and helping us come to decisions we thought would meet our goals. We felt we not only had a professional advisor with a great deal of knowledge regarding travel throughout New Zealand, but we were developing a friendship that we could rely on during our visit. In truth, it worked out even better than that because the vacation exceeded all of our already high expectations...thanks to Angie's help. Our hotel and B&B stays were perfect, every detail to make our trip hassle free was addressed based on the very thorough itinerary and travel package that was provided. Bottom line, we will highly recommend New Zealand Fine Touring to any of my friends considering a New Zealand vacation in the future. |
Brian & Sandra , A Taste of the South self drive tour, Travelled on 15th February 2012Congratulations on your performance. An above average operation; this in the current day and age when plain vanilla competence is so rare to meet. Also, we appreciate good value when we find it ! You are to be recommended in any circle; we will go with you again. |
Derek Beazley, Northbound Panorama, Travelled on 26th January 2012Thank you for a wonderful trip that went without any hitches (apart from the weather). A well put together Itinerary that covered nearly everthing there was to see in the South Island. Motels and cars were excellent. Instructions well thought out, the only comment we would make is that where trips need to be confirmed it should be stated in the day before's description, as you tend to look in detail at it the end of the day before which did mean, in a couple of instances, we nearly missed the confirmation required. Thank you once again for all your hard work and would certainly recommend you to anyone who wants to do a self drive holiday in NZ. Helen & Derek |
Clive & Sylvia Osborne, Custom North Island tour, Travelled on 17th February 2012What a fantastic holiday, well done to New Zealand Self Drive Tours for giving us the holiday of a lifetime. From our initial request through to the final tour being agreed everything went ahead without any problems. To Angela Burford, your representative, our sincere thanks for everything she did to make our tour an enjoyable experience. From ariving in Auckland, travelling to Cambridge, Lake Taupo, onto Napier [the wine tour was a must] then the long drive to Wellington to enjoy the City Life, calling back to the Tongariro National Park [Staying in the Bayview Chateau - first class experience] onto the Waitomo Caves and finally over to Rotorua before travelling back up to Auckland for the flight back to the UK. My wife and I are now back in Wales [UK] and are already planning our next visit, only this time taking in part of the South island if we can. We have no reservations about recommending New Zealand Self Drive Tours to anyone and look forward to dealing with them for our next adventure. Clive & Sylvia Osborne Swansea, Sout Wales - UK. |
Richard and Virginia Lyle, Millford Sound Highlights tour, Travelled on 25th February 2012WE WERE VERY IMPRESSED WITH OUR SELF DRIVE TOUR. EVERYTHING WENT SMOOTHLY AND AS PLANNED. LINDAL WAS ESPECIALLY NICE BECAUSE SHE HAD TO PICK US UP AND DELIVER US AT THE MOST AWFUL TIMES. SHE WAS VERY HELPFUL AND PROFESSIONAL. A DEFINITE ASSET TO YOUR COMPANY. THANKS FOR A GREAT AND MEMORABLE HOLIDAY...RICH & GINNII LYLE |
Lydia May Wong & Alex Goh, Custom South Island tour, Travelled on 2nd February 2012We are very glad that we have decided to book with your company. All in all it was such an amazing trip. Angela was very helpful from the beginning. She patiently replied all my queries and even recommended many suggestions along the way to make the trip a more fulfilling one. I made many amendments (too many) and Angela patiently entertained all my demands. I do not know how else to thank her but to emphasize again and again here that she is such an asset to your company for being able to give your customers the comfort that our trip is in good hands and we have nothing to worry about. And I am glad you lived up to all your promises. Everything that was mentioned and described in the itinerary was fulfilled. The hotels and motels selected were of good quality and very hospitable. They were all spacious, clean and very appropriately chosen. ONly comment would to be about Garden Suite in Queenstown, it was a lil bit stuffy during the day, and were the least friendly. We appreciate the Kruze device we had. It provide us informative stories and background of the places we passed by and was very entertaining as well. However it was quite inaccurate at times, when we were new to it, we followed its exact directions and we got lost several times. It tend to divert us off course (off the main road) and intended to make us use shortcuts through the farms via gravel roads. However as we are not driving the 4 wheel drives, our car couldnt handle the rough gravel roads and had to turn back. There are also times where it directed us off course and we suddenly went off the map. After the 4th day using it, we got smarted and ignored the instructions of going off the road and stayed only to the sealed roads. Apart from these bugs, it was all good. Would like to once again thank the company and Angela for making this amazing trip happen. We will definately we planning another trip to NZ, maybe next 2 years, and this time round we will plan for a camper van experience. Will definately seek your companies services again. Have recommended you to a friend of mine planning her honeymoon - her name is Maggie Woo. Should she contact you, i hope you give her the same level of service you have provided me. Thanks guys and keep up the good work. :) |
Meaghan Hunter and Robert Jones, Southern Discoverer 14 day South Island tour, Travelled on 5th February 2012My fiance and I got back a week ago from our 2-week Southern Discoverer 14 Day South Island tour, which was by far the most memorable trip of my life so far. This was my first experience with a pre-booked tour, and after it I don't think I'll travel any other way. We stayed in motels, and every single one was perfect for our needs (and MUCH better than any 'motels' in the States). We wanted to see as much of the South Island as possible with an emphasis on National Parks, and this trip was absoulutely perfect. Our itinerary was unbelievably helpful, and everyone associated with NZ Self-Drive Tours provided excellent service (special kudos to Graham, our private driver in Christchurch, who went above and beyond). I will recommend this company and our exact trip to everyone I can. The only thing that I think could use improvement are the driving maps and a couple of the direction sets (from Christchurch to Mt. Cook Village especially) that were a bit vague. We relied more on driving maps we got a the motels than the ones provided with our itinerary. It was so refreshing to not have to worry about lodging/itineraries while we were there. Wonderful experience! |
Jeremy Koo, Jaclyn Choo, Boon Peng Siah & Kui Lian, South Island New Zealand Tour, Travelled on 2nd February 2012Angela did a splendid job setting up our trip in Feb. We managed to do and see quite a fair bit of south island. Skydiving was definitely the hightlight, and it was a great experience. The guides provided were very easy to understand, with all excursions expertly arranged. Very smooth indeed. |
Donald and Judith Daly, 21 day North and South Island tour, Travelled on 30th January 2012We got back on Feb. 24 after our holiday in your beautiful country. We had such a good time, and want to thank you for all the careful planning that went to making it a success. We were delighted with the way everything was set up for us, all the vouchers in chronological order, and the itinerary with suggested sight seeing options. We were impressed by the accommodations which all worked very well, if we had any negative feeling it was for City Life in Wellington, where we were stuck in a room at basement level without a window that opened, and only a dirty courtyard to look at. However, it was clean and the furnishings were wonderful. The drivers were all good-natured and courteous, and the service was prompt and efficient. Now, if you had been able to make the weather co-operate, that would have been the finishing touch. As it was, nothing stopped us doing the things we wanted to do, and the purchase of a fleece jacket solved the cool weather problem. Thank you for such a great holiday, Judith Daly |
Geoff & Jean Faulkner, Custom New Zealand Tour, Travelled on 23rd January 2012Enter your story here... Hi to you all at New Zealand Self Drive Tours,We've just arrived home after a wonderful 4 week holiday in NZ organised by yourselves. I would recommend your company to anyone who wants a great holiday but isn't sure where to go,and wants the reassurance of having the carhire,hotels and any trips booked in advance. We had a great time and all the information you provided and all your organisation made it a holiday of a lifetime, Thank you once again Jean & Geoff, England |
Caroline Anita Balan and family , 15 day Northbound highlights Tour, Travelled on 22nd January 2012We have had a great holiday in New Zealand and we really have to thank Nicky for planning such a good itinerary in the limited time that we had for this holiday. We managed to see a fair bit of New Zealand and the South Island is truly breathtaking. Queenstown was especially fun with great scenery,activities and food. The routes were very good,driving was easy and relaxed and accommodation was comfortable and more than adequate for 6 people. A beautiful country that we hope to visit again |
Carolyn and Garth Colpitts, Auckland to Wellington 10 day Highlights, Travelled on 20th January 2012I CANNOT say enough GOOD things about our trip organized through NZ Self Tours. Everything was exceptionally well planned, and organized, and everything went off without a hitch!! We truly appreciated being picked up at the Auckland airport, after a long flight from NAmerica, and taken to our hotel. All of the accomodation was in very choice locations within each city. It was truly a unique experience, and we were extremely happy with the service provided by your organization!! Cheers Carolyn & Garth Colpitts |
Bob Hunt and Katherine Ho, The Southern Circle self drive tour , Travelled on 16th January 2012It was our very first visit to New Zealand and we weren't quite sure what to expect. Everything just clicked - the car hire, the hotels & the excursions. The welcome pack had all the necessary details, directions, meeting times, etc and there were no glitches - totally stress-free. We did a clockwise tour from Christchurch - The Southern Circle. We took in Dunedin, Te Anau, Milford Sound, Queenstown, Mount Cook and then back to Christchurch. Every day, it just seemed to get better and better - the only disappointment was that we didn't have longer! Our tour consultant was Angela - and she could not have been more helpful. It added a very personal touch that contributed to the overall experience - a "100% Pure" experience! Bob |
Leah and Eric Monson, Custom Coast to Coast self drive tour, Travelled on 7th January 2012We loved our recent trip to NZ and we are so glad we booked with Self Drive Tours. Our consultant, Angela, was great at responding to e-mails and organizing all of our activities. From the time we arrived to the time we left, everything went like clock work. Do not worry about driving around NZ...it's easy! |
Allen Smeaton, Coast to Coast self drive tour (custom version), Travelled on 23rd December 2011I want to thank you very much for all you help in arranging my South Island holiday. I had a great time. All the arrangements were perfect. Staff at each accommodation were very helpful; your driving instructions were spot on and matched up with my GPS unit that I had brought along. You even included some unfortunate excitement ... the earthquakes of 23/12/11. Thanks again for everything. Allen S ... Melbourne |
Jane Buser & Bill Killen, Auckland to Queenstown Classic self drive tour, Travelled on 27th November 2011Hi there - a very belated 'thank you' for all of the work which you, Kerry, did to make our visit to your beautiful country so enjoyable. Being picked up at the airport in Auckland and taken to our B+B was so nice given our long flight. And he had a key not only to the B+B but to our room. How lovely to be able to shower and unpack and then enjoy a great breakfast! Everything went so smoothly - each B+B was top notch and such a variety. From the 1861 in Christchurch to the modern one after we left Russell up in the foothills with a great view. Every hostess/host was so welcoming, gracious and helpful. And the breakfasts were delicious (yes, I'm sure I added about 5 pounds!). Bill and I thought the itinerary provided was great - very helpful and a great supplement to our NZ Lonely Planet book. We thoroughly enjoyed your beautiful country, welcoming Kiwis (a fellow in a bar/restaurant in Russell even game me their "All Blacks" flag); the golf courses just great and we were the only ones playing on a couple of them. We'd just see one and pull off (three times) and everyone was so accommodating. One of the most memorable B+Bs was the Pepper Tree. Heidi and Werner are such gracious hosts (their wine lovely) and it was absolutely beautiful. I could go on and one but suffice to say, our memories of New Zealand will be some of our most fondest. Thank you so very much. |
John & Rae Mageean, Custom Auckland to Auckland Overlander Adventure, Travelled on 24th December 2011Dear Angela, We have just returned from our tour of the North Island and wanted to thank you so very much for all your help with organising our tour. It was so well organised, but did not make us feel rushed in any way. We met lovely people, had wonderful experiences and enjoyed magnificent scenery everywhere we went. The Springs, our accommodation in Rotarua was particularly exceptional. We were made to feel so very welcome, as we were everywhere went. We are looking forward to coming back to explore the South Island. |
Geoffrey, James & Emily O'Donnell & Alison Mackenzie, Custom South Island tour, Travelled on 11th December 2011Great trip and well planned. However the accommodation at Te Anu was sub standard and spoilt that part of the trip for me. The rooms at Distinction needed a good makeover. Would rather stay in a newer place that was further away from the mainstreet than there. |
Rachel and David Adamson, Southern Discoverer 14 day South Island tour, Travelled on 5th December 2011Thank you so much for organising our self-drive tour. We had an absolutely amazing time. We were really lucky with the weather as the forecasts were poor and there was rain over most of NZ, but we managed to avoid most of it and get a good deal of sunshine. We were incredibly inmpressed by the efficiency of the whole tour and the good quality of the accommodation. The only drawback we encountered was that our 2 large suitcases didn't fit in the hire car, so we had to leave suitcases in the back of the car when we stopped en-route. Many thanks - it really was the holiday of a lifetime. Rachel and David Adamson |
Muhamad Azfar Ramli & Nur Zuhailah Hanafi, Custom Auckland to Wellington Tour, Travelled on 10th December 2011Dear Angela, I would just like to inform you that my wife and i had a wonderful time in new zealand thanks to your help. We really appreciate that you responded promptly everytime we made any requests or changes. The recommended hotels were up to our standards and we thoroughly enjoyed all the activities that you pre booked for us. It was too bad we did not manage to do the volcanic air safari however the refund was promptly settled. I must especially commend the kruse gps system that you recommended, not so much for the gps functionality but for the commentary which was incredibly informative. It really felt as though we were accompanied by a personal tour guide throughout the drive. In short, we really appreciate your help in making our trip and enjoyable one and hope that we can come again to new zealand in the future. Best regards, Muhamad Azfar and Nur Zuhailah |
Ruud, Anneline, Gerard,Geertruida & Thomas, Custom North & South Island New Zealand Tour, Travelled on 29th December 2011Feedback Hi Angela, We had a great trip. Thanks for booking the accommodation and giving advise on our suggested itineraty. Just a couple of minor comments on the accommodation. Compared to the other accommodation the Wellington, Te Anau and Dunedin apartments were (way) below average. In Wellington the location is perfect, but the size of the apartment is very small and the place wasn't properly cleaned. In Te Anau there were no cooking facilities and they only provided a very small bar fridge. And in Dunedin the place we stayed at was just very old. Apart from that, we had a great experience traveling in New Zealand and we would recommend it to anyone. Thanks and regards, Ruud, Anneline, Thomas, Gerard and Truus |
Emily and Bruce Howard, 22 day New Zealand Encounter, Travelled on 22nd November 2011Dear David, Our 22 day New Zealand Encounter was perfect. We really enjoyed our time in each location and the drive between those locations. The scenery in both the north and south islands is breathtaking. The itinerary was very well paced allowed for ample time to explore the areas visited. The optional Kruse enhanced GPS navigation unit made a great addition to the printed itinerary and maps that NZ Self Drive Tours provided. The commentary was informative and educational. Having a navigation unit also reduced stress levels when driving in the larger metropolitan areas. Accommodations were great, always clean, well provisioned, centrally located and the staff at each accommodation were all very helpful. The voucher system worked flawlessly as did the collection and returning of the rental cars for both islands. Thank you very much for putting together such a memorable visit to beautiful New Zealand. |
Vincenzo Rovei and Martine Monnier, Custom New Zealand Self Drive Tour (option 1 revised including Coromandel and Nelson), Travelled on 8th November 2011Dear David, We are just back to Paris after our beautiful tour in New Zealand and would like to say how we have appreciated the very professional organization of the tour. Everything went fine (including weather!), the reservations of accomodations, car rental+GPS, flights, transportation from airports and excursions, |
Thomas and Karen Quandt, Auckland to Christchurch 16 day Explorer , Travelled on 22nd November 2011Where applicable, hotel parking fees should have been included in the price. Did you expect me to drive around the city looking for a parking space. |
Terry & Delores Tome, Michael & Marissa, Custom New Zealand Tour, Travelled on 20th November 2011Dear Angela, words cannot properly express how wonderful our driving tour was. From the moment we arrived everything was ready for us. The information given to us was so informative. Each place that we stayed was unique. Each accommation was a 4star +. Each place that we had worked together to go to was awesome. It would be hard to choose what we enjoyed the most. We did vote that the heliocopter ride and walking on the glacier had to be a highlight. However, the Maori evening was spectacular and the glowworms would be a must for anyone coming. Mt. Cook was beautiful. We were even able to talk to the locals about their dairy operations. We have been so impressed with how professional your group is. We would recommend you to anyone. The trip was more than we expected. You have helped to create memories that will not be forgotten. We could not believe how clean NZ is and just how beautiful. Every where we went was a memorable experience. Thank you ever so much for making this the best trip ever. |
Anjan Kumar, Bay of Islands to Coromandel , Travelled on 24th November 2011We loved every moment of our stay in NZ organized by NZ self drive tours. The itinerary was so well customized to our liking that we got to see the BEST possible places in the given time in North Island. The stay was very comfortable in the selected motel which had all the necessary facilities. The car provide by Euro car was in good shape and well maintained. Hence travelling with a kid was very comfortable. The written instruction on the route was very clear and we never got lost even once. It was indeed a DREAM holiday. Overall great memorable holiday and we would like to come back to you guys for the next holiday. Thanks You! |
Taryn and Jono Jordaan, Custom New Zealand tour, Travelled on 6th November 2011A huge thank you to New Zealand Self Drive Tours for organising a fantastic, memorable and "stress free" trip through your insanely beautiful country for us! Everything went so smoothly and the travel atlas was so useful which really allowed us to relax and enjoy the awe inspiring scenery. The best trip we have ever taken. We will definitely be recommending your services to our friends and family! |
Luke Brown & Heather Rogers, Custom Southern Spectacular self drive tour Option 2, Travelled on 12th November 2011Hi Angela. Just to let you know we had a great holiday and everything went very smoothly. Highlights for us were the Milford Sound cruise and a helicopter ride around the Franz Joseph Glacier - both abosolutely stunning and the sunny weather helped! The car was great, the maps and navigation instructions you provided were very clear and the accomodation was as we requested (cheap, clean and comfortable). Thanks again, Luke |
Judith & Graham Beastall, Northbound Christchurch to Auckland 16 day self drive tour (Custom) , Travelled on 14th October 2011Our heartfelt thanks go to all the staff at New Zealand self drive tours. This was our holiday of a life time which went like clockwork. We were met in Christchurch and taken to our accomodation. From here on everything was so well organised that we couldn't put a foot wrong! The scenery is magnificent, the weather was kind and all the trips and accomodation excellent. I would like to mention especially the visit to Milford Sound and the Maoiri evening. All travel directions were excellent and we had no trouble following directions to our various resting places. This was our ruby wedding treat but sadly we have no photographic record of it to share with you. On our last day in New Zealand we took the ferry to Waiheke Island. After taking a bus trip round the island we went for lunch at Cable Bay winery and then set out to walk past Mudbrick then along the church bay path back to the ferry. Somewhere along the beginning of the path I dropped the camera. Despite spending 3 hours searching we never found it. We are contacting Waiheke in the hope that some one has found it. The Camera is not important only the memory card. Otherwise this was the best holiday ever. Graham and Judith Beastall Thank you all for everything. |
Dolores & Ed Wickes, Wellington to Auckland 5 day short tour, Travelled on 10th October 2011I just wanted you to know that we were delighted with the 5 day Self Drive Tour you organised for my husband and I. Everything was superb from the routes you recommended to the excellent accommodation in each location, all of which were very unique and with wonderful views. Your attention to detail was wonderful from the hotel pick-up in Wellington to enabling us to drop off the car at our hotel in Auckland. Your high level of service and friendly emails were much appreciated and we will have no hesitation in recommending your company to any friends who travel to New Zealand in the future. Many thanks for everything you did for us, |
Stephen Joyce & Kristy Beaumont, Custom Coast to Coast self drive tour, Travelled on 3rd October 2011Just wanted to let you know what a fantastic trip we had. I know we made it difficult for you by deciding to have our honeymoon the same time as the Rugby World Cup, however the tour you offered us was just wonderfull. Except for a small hicup with the hire car in Christchurch, which was understandably related to the earth quake earlier this year, everything was so well planned - from the directions you provided in the information booklet, to the ease of check in at each of our tours and hotels. We are already planning to take our kids over there next year and do even further South on the South Island, so you will be hearing from us. Thanks again for a wonderfull adventure and helping to create a memorable honeymoon. |
Jennifer & Mark Pfitzner, Southbound Explorer (Custom), Travelled on 1st September 2011Thank you for an excellently planned itinerary. only one small hiccup with accommodation one night which was speedily resolved. not having been to nz we were happy to have our travelling planned and we were pleased with all the places we stayed. it was a great 3 weeks and we will be back to do more! i forgot to mention the tours and train trips which had been arranged and the very detailed documents, thus enabling us to travel without getting lost and arriving refreshed and not hassled- tho' my navigator was so rapt in the scenery he sometimes forgot his role! |
Chen Family, A Taste of the South self drive tour, Travelled on 1st September 2011We are having a great time in New Zealand. The scenery is so beautiful & incredible. NZ Self Drive Tours had provided a fantastic arrangement. Thank you. Please note that Edgewater Motel & Sherwood Manor Motel were kind of disappointed comparing to the rest of the accommodations. |
Vivegananthan, Parasathy,Book Aik & Bee Kuan, A Taste of the South self drive tour , Travelled on 25th August 2011Thank you for the perfect arrangement. We indeed enjoyed our holiday in New Zealand. |
Janet Atkinson and Margaret Mersh, Highlights of the North Island self drive tour, Travelled on 5th August 2011What a wonderful holiday and I would certainly use this company again. We wanted for nothing and all our accomodation was superb. We were upgraded in the Bay of Islands to a wonderful suite. We hired a car and organised a Kruse/sav nav which was wonderful so did not miss any information. We had originally booked a coach trip but very glad we had the self drive tour now instead. Thank you very much for all the fine detail organised for us. Hope to see you again one day. |
Roberto Diaz Jr, Auckland to Christchurch 14 Day Highlights Updated, Travelled on 5th July 2011Angela and the folks at NZ Self Drive Tours made this a trip of a lifetime!!! Thanks again for all your help and the memorable times!!! |
Cassandra Best, Digby & Jack Shadbolt, Southern Explorer Christchurch to Queenstown , Travelled on 10th July 2011Just wanted to drop you a line and THANK YOU for everything you did in making our NZ trip the most wonderful, amazing holiday we have ever taken. I can't believe that it only took a few emails back and forth, and our entire holiday was taken care of - including catering for our 2 year old son. All our accomodation was great - and we met some lovely lovely people running them. It was just great to be met at the airport and handed a package with everything we needed to know contained within. It simply was the easiest and most trouble free holiday and we would not hesitate to recommend you and your company to anyone. We are already planning our return to your beautiful, stunning country. |
Patwardhan Family, Millford Sound Highlights (custom), Travelled on 9th June 2011Thank you for a thoughtful itinerary which did factor in the requirements of two kids very well. We could not find reason to deviate from the intial suggestion made and keeping it simple did work for us. All requirements were well arranged, at times it seemed also the weather! The quick response we received followed by suggestions through the disruptions caused by the earthquake did validate our decision to go through NZ Self drive tours. In summary, just the right amount of support all the way through. Just one suggestion - The map provided by the embassy remained our best companion for the drive period as it gave all information at one glance without having to flip pages. The Atlas gave all the further details we required about the place. I guess its available on their website and may be worth to include in the pack. |
Saul and Miriam Schcolnik, Islands to Fiords, Auckland to Queenstown, Travelled on 14th May 2011Our self-drive tour was excellent and we enjoyed every bit of it. The itinerary suggested was very good, as were the explanatory notes on each place. The Bed and Breakfast accommodations were especially suitable and some of them very original, such as the tree house in Kaikoura! The atlas of New Zealand is very informative and a book worth keeping. We will be sure to recommend your tours to our friends. Thank you for having organized it all so well. Saul and Miriam Schcolnik |
Suan, Joanne, Lilian, Linda & Forena, Custom Coast to Coast self drive tour, Travelled on 3rd May 2011We are a group of 5 not-so-young ladies from Malaysia and who love to travel far and near. As soon as Air Asia launch their flight to Christchurch, we wasted no time to book our flight. Other than myself who had been to New Zealand in the early 80's (when I was still a 'SYT' ahem!!), it was the first time for the rest of the group. After my first trip, I had told myself that I have to revisit this beautiful country which has everything nature has to offer, from snow capped mountains to pristine lakes and countless nature's wonders. Instead of doing a lot of work myself to arrange for our trip, I took the easy way out by contacting New Zealand Self Drive Tours. They are an efficient lot, I must say. After stating what were our preferences and our budget, within a few days I received a detailed itinerary, accommodation and car details as well as the total cost. Wow, I was impressed by their quick response and efficiency. Read the entire feedback from here |
Stephen and Alison Barr, North to South Explorer self drive tour. Travelled on 7th May 2011Thank you Angela for your very helpful and professional manner in which you put together our 17 day self drive holiday in the North and South Island, also a thank you to the people who greeted us at Auckland Airport and Christchurch Rail and Airport transfer they where very nice and knowledgeable people. the road atlas and printed tour itinerary supplied where very well put together plus the included sight seeing info books and a touring wallet to hold them in was appreciated. We had no problem with the voucher book for our accommodation,car,activities they where readily accepted. We were also lucky enough to receive a car upgrade and accommodation and meal upgrades at Wellington and Mt Cook hotels. 17 Days was not long enough to see all of New Zealand I figure we will need another 7 days to see the places we missed. I would have no hesitation in recommending New Zealand Self Drives to anyone visiting New Zealand. Steve & Alison Barr Mount Annan NSW Aust. |
Glenn and Julie Copson, 23 day Discover New Zealand, Travelled on 30th April 2011Thankyou to Yvonne. We had a great time and you have a beautiful country over there and we will be back and use you again. With all the maps you sent us and very detailed information about where each motel was, and what we could do in each place was great, we didnt get lost once. Everything was spot on.Your accomodation in each town was what we expected.Excellent service from all of you guys. It was also great to call in and see you all and put a face to who we spoke to on computer and by phone.Yvonne you do the team proud. Thankyou once again. Julie & Glenn, Bathurst NSW Australia. |
Darren & Susan Limbert, Custom North to South Explorer self drive tour, Travelled on 10th April 2011Had a brilliant time in New Zealand everthing was spot on. All the motels were first class and all the people very friendly and helpful. Would recommend anybody to travel with you. Just went by to quickly! |
Sherry,John, Catherine and Liam Gribbon, Custom Family North to South Explorer Self Drive Tour, Travelled on 18th March 2011Hi Dave, Just want to say a big thank you to you and your staff. Our trip was wonderful. Your driving instructions and the hotel accommodations were great!! We had beautiful weather, sunny most of the time and where able to do everything your company had booked for us. We would definitely do this again with you. Do you book for other countries? I would highly recommend booking with your company to anyone, the fact that you create the tour based on our interests was great. My husband and I would like to go back again on our own someday. 18 days was not enough for me I could have stayed longer. |
James and Judy Fritz, Custom New Zealand Discoverer North to South self drive tour (version 2), Travelled on 28th February 2011Your company did an exceptional job of selection of hotels for our tour. The arrangements and planning were outstanding. We were especially impressed with our Mt. Cook hotel and restaurant. Thanks for picking great rooms in great hotels. One suggestion for your information, the White House in Russell has a bar across the street that booms music on weekends till midnight. |
John & Lorraine Theel, Custom North Island self drive tour Option 2, Travelled on 11th April 2011We're just letting you know that we had a great time in New Zealand. We really appreciated the smooth way everything worked - the clear instructions, great map book, great accommodation, friendly and helpful people etc, etc. We will have no hesitation in recommending your company to anyone else interested in going to New Zealand. Thankyou for all your input and ability to work around our requests. We particularly enjoyed Gisborne! Could move there tomorrow (if we had jobs and it wasn't so far from the family!) |
Barbara & Barry Kay, Mark & Molly Wood, The Length & Breadth North to South self drive tour (with friends), Travelled on 10th March 2011We have been home about two weeks now and are still thinking about the fabulous time we had in New Zealand. We loved every single minute of it and it was also nice that our friends, Mark, Molly and Marina all came for part of it. There were lots of places I really liked so much that it is hard to say what my favorites were. However, doing the Milford Track was a stand out and we all loved Punakaki and Abel Tasman. Thank you again for everything. |
Susan and Max Kilborn, Coast to Coast self drive tour, Travelled on 17th February 2011Max and I would like to thank, and congratulate all of you for the great service New Zealand Self Drive Tours provides, your attention to detail is outstanding. The way you reorganised our itinery so that we could avoid being a burden in Christchurch at such a sad time was so easy and stress free, it must have been a difficult and busy time for you all. We both enjoyed our tour of the South Island with all the beautiful lakes, mountains and accommodation, we would highly recommend New Zealand Self Drive Tours to anyone we know travelling to New Zealand. By the way Angela the best cheeses we found by accident, were from a tiny goat's milk cheese factory near Greymouth their web site is www.gaalburncheese.co.nz and the lovely lady there also makes a great goat's milk ice cream which is perfect for lactose intolerant children and for Susans. We would like also to thank Caroline? for all her help on Saturday when we called in at your office in Wanaka. |
Nina and Graham Derrick, Custom South Island tour, Travelled on 28th February 2011We started our visit to NZ with a New Zealand Coach Tours 'coach tour' of North Island. This we enjoyed very much, although in all honesty we rushed through the island. Nonetheless everything worked smoothly and we were delighted to be met on arrival and at intervals throughout our tour to smooth our transfers to coaches. On our 2nd day in Auckland, the Christchurch earthquake struck. This put a large hole in our holiday as we had planned two visits to stay with friends in Christchurch, which sandwiched our self –drive tour of South Island. We contacted David as soon as we could and within 48 hours he took the first part out of our hands, e-mailing us an additional itinerary, including extending our car hire. It proved wonderful and gave us such an excellent view of places we had originally left out of our itinerary because pressure of time. Instead of our second visit to Christchurch we asked to include a stay in Dunedin , this was then inserted between Queenstown and Mount Cook and our onward bookings all readjusted. We had a wonderful tour of South Island seeing so much of the amazing varied scenery. The quality of the Bed and Breakfast establishments arranged for us by New Zealand Self Drive Tours was truly amazing. The support of Fine Tours was excellent, with amended itineraries being e-mailed to our hosts and our every need catered for. We can only say a big thank you to David and his team for all their help and support in making our tour such a wonderful experience. If you want to travel around New Zealand then we recommend that you make use of the expert knowledge and contacts of New Zealand Self Drive Tours. |
Kate and John Wright, Custom Lakes, Mountains and Glaciers self drive tour, Travelled on 13th February 2011We wanted to send you an email on our return to Melbourne to thank you all for arranging our tour in New Zealand. We had a wonderful 6 days and everything went according to plan. The accommodation was all very good and we thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Now we are also emailing to say that we hope everything is OK with all of you, your families, suppliers and clients. The devastation in Christchurch looks dreadful on the television pictures. We feel so lucky not to have extended our trip and to have arrived back in Melbourne last Saturday. Once again - thank you and hope you are all OK |
Leora and John Murray, Auckland to Christchurch 15 Day Highlights (custom version), Travelled on 16th January 2011We were very impressed with the thought and detail that went into the organisation of our trip. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in New Zealand and hope to make a return visit some time. We would be happy to recommend your services to other users. Many thanks. |
Ron and Christine Davis, Custom 10 day Southern Spectacular self drive tour (4 star ) - Version 2, Travelled on 7th January 2011Just a short note to thank-you for organising our recent self drive tour. Everything went off without a hitch. The greet & pick-up people were great and delivered all your information (which was very informative and useful) and vouchers. Your suggestion and recommendation of the Mt. Cook Ski Plane was spot on. This Mt Cook area was the highlight of the trip (to us anyway). It is always a little worrying to deal with people over the internet that you have never met, but we have found both you and your organisation very professional. We will recommend your organisation to other people (in fact have already done so on this trip) and plan to use your services again when we next visit your country. Many thanks once again. |
Ian and Judith Parr, Fiords, Glaciers and Mountains self drive tour (version 2), Travelled on 27th January 2011I wanted to thank you and your organization for a wonderful trip and for the way you have helped with any issues we have had. I really believe an organisation shoul be judged on what it does not what it says and you guys have been great. Best wishes and I am sure we will be using you again in the future. |
Warren Brell, 12 day North Island self drive tour, September 2010I am writing to tell you that I had a great time. It was a beautiful part of the country and I enjoyed every minute. Well, maybe not every minute, Rotorua was a little challenging for me as the smell was breathtaking, literally! It took my breath away, I couldn’t breath, well maybe not so bad but it was not a pleasant experience. I think if it weren’t raining all of my stay it probably would have been much better as I could have done a bunch of other things. The people were friendly, the town was beautiful, and the Guinness Pubs were great. Next time, I’ll stay longer in some of the selected towns to spend more time to enjoy the places and its people. So once again thank you for a well organized tour and allowing me to meet so many great people and see so many lovely places (just skip R). |
Mark Hudson and family, A Taste of the South self drive tour, Travelled on 2nd January 2011Well the family and I just got back from New Zealand today, and I would just like to write and thank you for organising such an amazing and rewarding holiday. We thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of our trip and everything went like clockwork. The private transfer people Graham and Lyndall were really fantastic, and even though we only met them for a short time, the gems they informed us of, and their friendly manner was just great. Penny at the Camelot was very good too, to the point that the second visit felt like coming back to an old friend. All of the accomodation was spot on, fitting our clan of 8 comfortably, and without any hassles. Dont remember all of the names but must admit the lady who runs the Lakefront Lodge at Te Anau was also very good to deal with, and nothing was too much trouble. So once again many thanks, I will be recommending your site and services to all our friends, as it could not have gone better, you really live in a beautiful country, which we all enjoyed....can't understand why we have so many kiwis over here in Australia when they come from such a lovely spot....mind you Australia does have its beauty too.... |
Matthew and Shelley Cahill, Coast to Coast self drive tour, Travelled on 27th October 2010Just wanted to email you to say how much we enjoyed our holiday in NZ. We had the best time and just LOVED your country! All accomodation was superb. The only not so great one was the Heritage in Queenstown. Actually when we went back to Heritage in Christchurch, I realised how much nicer it was then the Queenstown hotel and how much Queenstown need to update/refurnish. Maybe we just had a bad room. But anyway, all was fab. The Sofitel was stunning (but of course more expensive) but it made my stay in Queenstown even more enjoyable. |
Sophie and Pik Kwang Lei, 9 day North Island self drive tour, October 2010We are now just back home from our "Impressive trip in New Zealand". Me and my husband were having a wonderful and happy holiday, i would like to thank you for all the assistance in arranging the accommodation and transportation to make my trip a relaxing and enjoyable one. Everyone we met were nice and helpful. will definitely recommend your company to my friends who want self drive to travel in NZ, after they saw all our beautiful photos. Thank you again and I will need your service again in a couple of years later. |
Warren Davis and Elizabeth Belden, North to South custom 15 day tour, Travelled on 5th November 2010David, thank you for the extraordinary self-driving tour of New Zealand. We have had many trips to foreign countries and your itinerary was by far the best organized. We were so fortunate to have your help, expertise and recommendations. You helped us maximize our time and enjoyment of New Zealand while minimizing the usual hassles. It is quite obvious that your itinerary was based on a wealth of knowledge and love of your country. We could not have asked for more. It was spectacular in all regards. The over-night trip on Doubtful Sound was extraordinary. The pre-programmed GPS made life so much easier. And, thank you for the dollar savings as well. There is absolutely no way we could have done the same itinerary on our own for remotely close to the same costs. Most appreciated. Thanks, again. |
Michael and Ann Pogrel, 7 day North Island self drive tour, September 2010Now that my wife and I are back in California, I would like to thank you most sincerely for the wonderful vacation we have just had organized by New Zealand Self Drive Tours. I can honestly say that everything went perfectly (including the weather). We were met at the airport by a nice gentleman carrying a large sign with our name on it, were driven to our bed and breakfast, and our car arrived promptly at 8:30 the next morning, and we were on our way. The tour that you organized for us was perfect, and we loved every bed and breakfast and hotel that you put us up in, and the timings along the route were fairly accurate and gave us time to do some exploration on our own. We will certainly have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending you to others. Thank you very much indeed for everything you've done. |
Robert and Diane Rawlings, 21 day self drive tour, Discover New Zealand, April 2010Hi, Just wanted to thank you for organizing a wonderful holiday for us, everything went well and your package on arrival with the wonderful atlas that you had even bothered to high lite our route for us was a great help. Unfortunately we were caught up in the heavy rain while in Te Anau and were unable to get to Milford Sound as the road was flooded and had to take a detour on leaving Te Anau because a bridge had been washed away [just bad timing] The Tranz Alpine Train was well worth doing and the cars to take us from there and also to and from the airport were on time and a great help. Your country has some great scenery and the people are really friendly. We had a wonderful three weeks. Your instructions for finding hotels was very good but I hope you don’t mind me just mentioning a couple of things for your reference for future travellers was that on the street map of Wellington the ferry terminal was marked in the wrong place and on arriving at Dunedin the instructions said to turn right at the Octagon and it should have been left, also that the Scenic Circle Dunedin City Hotel is on the right and there again it was on the left. Apart from that it all went well. Thanks again and I certainly would recommend your company to anyone else thinking of seeing New Zealand. Diane |
Jim Karen Danielle and Ashley Schulz, Custom Christchurch to Queenstown 7 day tour , Travelled on 8th September 2010You will remember that you put together a self drive trip for me (Jim Schulz) and my family September 2010 on the South Island. I have been wanting to email you for the longest time and thank you for the great trip you provided for us. Everything went well and we were very pleased except for a few things you should know about. The Casa Bella Motel in Paihia, Bay of Islands was a real disappointment. The rooms were really really worn out and dirty and we would recommend you not booking that Motel again. But despite all that we made the best of it. The Waldorf Apartments in Auckland were very very nice, but I found it extremely difficult to stop in front of the property due to very limited space to check in and unload our luggage. Also I thought that we would have some kind of a view of Auckland Bay. Oh well, we ended our trip very happy and thankful for your fine work. |
Jo-Anne and Hugh Jarvis, Australia, 12 day self drive tour, South Island, May 2010Hello David, Here we are back from our trip. Just wanted to say thank you very much for all your organisation, the trip was fantastic and everything ran very smoothly. The map book was incredibly helpful! Weather was lovely, just missed out on a couple of things we wanted to do on the only two days of rain that we had, but otherwise it was magnificent. The room at the Hermitage with the huge window was amazing as was the bus trip with Real Journeys down to Milford Sound, what a great day that was! Weather was perfect at Milford Sound and the scenery awesome. Everywhere people were friendly and helpful, and happy. We will definite recommend you to anyone else planning a self drive around the South Island. Take care and thank you once again, Jo & Hugh PS We'll be back! |
Peter Isaac and Natalie Antonenko, Canada, 20 day self drive tour, Bay of Islands to Dunedin, April 2010Hello David! We've made it back! What a stupendous trip!!! We covered 3500km amounting to roughly 48hr @ the wheel, an adventure in 'eye candy' at every turn. We were delighted with the tracks you layed out for us, and certainly would never have covered the distance we did otherwise. I don't think we had a stop that we didn't want to prolong! The atlas you provided was invaluable - thank you so much for that. It wasn't until we strayed from the path that we 'clicked' to the carefully traced green highlighter ink you left for us ( ! ). We 'wandered' up to Cape Reingi on the 5th of April and discovered 2 wild-in the-downpour-at-night windy gorge roads (on the 'wrong' side of the road) stretches that got us very quickly adjusted to driving - !! It was a dramatic way to 'see' just a little bit more of the north island! We got a little bit off the beaten path on the south island too - venturing a bit deeper into the Catlins (to the Slope) and of course we had to indulge in a feed of Bluff oysters out of Bluff... (we still salivate at the memory!). We didn't realize that petrol pumps close at dark in the Catlins though, and only just managed to get into Dunedin - on fumes (whew!). We got up to the Moeraki boulders (and could have spent the entire day wandering that beach) but couldn't lunch at Fleure per your suggestion (it is closed on Tuesdays!). We'd have loved it though, I'm sure, and certainly enjoyed the spot! It was a blissful way to travel, with all of our accomodations looked after this way. We have highly recommended you to many people in our travels. Digging for anything to improve required a bit of thought, but we did have a little trouble relying on some of the in-town directions ( a few left turns were right turns, and many turn-offs were missed - especially in Wellington) but we had no critical problems and always got to where we were headed in the end. By and large the driving times you allowed were pretty close (allowing for my many many many camera stops!). Next time (and we think there certainly will be one in the hopefully not too distant future!) we will be much better able to decide where we want to be and take a bit of the 'urgency' out of the driving ! We had a fabulous trip!! Thank you again SO much for all of your help. We would hope to deal with you again on our next visit to your absolutely wonderful country! Very Sincerely, Natalie & Peter |
P & J, Australia, 18 day self drive tour, Southern Coast, April 2010Hi David, More feedback on our NZ holiday as promised ... Everything went really well thanks. We greatly appreciated the itinerary you'd put together, which saved us from having to do lots more research and planning. Your documentation containing the bound itinerary, road atlas and brochures was a great help. The loan mobile phone was a great help too (and thanks for reducing the included call credits from $50 to $20 - we used less than $10 I think!). The three Christchurch transfers were all very good.. I appreciated your driving suggestions and the yellow highlighting in the road atlas. However you could perhaps make more mention in future of some of the more scenic routes. For example we drove to Akaroa via Littleton and the Summit Road around Akaroa, both of which were lovely drives. Accommodations were all fine, some being better than others of course. We loved the Heritage Hotel in Christchurch, which was in a great location. The Akaroa Village Inn too was a great location. The Hermitage Chalets in Mt Cook were very good, and we really enjoyed the new Sir Edmund Hillary museum and planetarium there. The Wilderness Lodge at Lake Moeraki was a real highlight - a lovely place, very good hosts, great food, great walks, etc. We were very impressed and would certainly recommend this place to others, although there were only 2 couples staying there that night so it was perhaps not particularly representative. |
Michael and Dawn Hyde, Australia, 16 day self drive tour, South Island, April 2010Just a short note to say thanks for all your help in organizing our resent holiday in New Zealand we had a wonderful time and that is in part due to you and your team, so please pass on our thanks to all involved. Best Wishes, Michael |
Anne and Graeme Lange, Australia, 10 day self drive tour, South Island, April 2010Hello All, My husband Graeme and I arrived home to Queensland last week after touring the Fiords,Glaciers and Mountains 10 day self drive tour with your company. We both wanted to thank all the staff and especially Julie who was so helpful with any enquiries we put to her.We had a fantastic time, and we can see a lot of thought and planning has gone in to these tours to make it so relaxing and enjoyable for people to tour this wonderful part of New Zealand. The accommodation was just what we wanted, as the units were self contained to enable us to cook if we chose to. I feel you captured the real NZ for us to experience and have no hesitation in booking another tour with you. We have told friends about our trip and some have decided to holiday in NZ with your company. Thank you for your attention to detail which was greatly appreciated. Cheers Anne and Graeme |
Kevin and Denise Goss, Ireland, 9 day self drive tour, South Island, April 2010Erin, Just a note to say thanks. Everything worked extremely well. We really enjoyed our stay in New Zealand which was helped in no small measure by the service you provided. Regards, Kevin |
Suzy and Larry E. Strouse, USA, 9 day self drive tour, South Island, March 2010David; We have returned from our extended holiday in New Zealand and Australia with jet lag. When we arrived in Christchurch we were met and transported to the hotel that you had arranged. As they had a large group in they opted to upgrade our room to a suite. We experienced the same in Queenstown. The tour inclusive of the accommodations, planned meals, tours, wines, etc. were all superb and contributed to a very lovely holiday experience. I wish to thank you for your professionalism, your delightful itinerary, and all the service you provided in making our New Zealand experience wonderful. Sincerely, Capt. Larry E and Suzy Strouse |
Rick and Tina Martin, 7 day self drive tour, South Island, February 2010David, I want to thank you and group for a fantastic tour with great places to see and stay. Rick and Tina |
Anita Szprega and Peter Willemse, Australia/Belgium, 24 day self drive tour, North & South Islands, February 2010David... Sorry in responding to you so late after my holiday with Peter my friend from Belgium... about our holiday over to New Zealand which you helped organise in March. Overall, it was very good with a lot of driving which I did most of... hate to think how many kms I covered! Everything ran smoothly but we always started off late in the mornings...but always got to our destinations. the road travel atlas you planned for us was a great help... and we would have been very lost without it. Read the entire feedback from here |
Alan and Carolyn Scrimshaw, Australia, 16 day self drive tour, North and South Islands, March 2010 Hi David, Many thanks to yourself & all others involved, for the excellent organisation of our holiday. All went very well, we had a wonderful time & were very well looked after in all the places we stayed. |
John and Lilian Edwards, UK, 27 day self drive tour, North and South Island , February 2010Hi David, I would just like to thank you so much for organizing such a wonderful holiday on our behalf. We have come home feeling we have just been on the holiday of a life time and much of this we feel is down to your companies outstanding service and attention to detail. The detailed presentation of the tour routes and the locations of our 15 accommodations were excellent .We choose motel accommodation and the standard in most cases was first class. As you know we had an initial problem with the first hire car but that was quickly resolved by your good selves and we were soon on the road starting with the scenic tour to Mount Cook and the beginning of our wonderful adventure. We have already recommended your company to are friend who may be looking to tour New Zealand in the future. Thanks again for all your efforts in making this such a memorable holiday. Kind regards, John |
Bruce and Jean Ings, Australia, 26 day self drive tour, North & South Islands, February 2010G'day David (and Kerry, if I may), It would be remiss of me not to let you know that we had a great holiday in New Zealand, made that much more enjoyable by your excellent tour arrangements. The package you put together was first class and our trip went like clockwork. With one or two exceptions, our accommodation was more than satisfactory and, in the main, we were made to feel most welcomed at all our stays. The folk in Christchurch, Queenstown, Martinborough, Rotorua and Coramandel deserve particular mention in that regard. The chap who did the commentary on our cruise at Milford Sound; "George" our jet boat driver at Queenstown; and the compere at our night out at the Matai Maori Village in Rotorua were excellent, or should that be "ixcillent", and made those occasions even more memorable. We will be back and, most definitely, we will keep your company in mind for our return. Until then, be assured that we will speak most highly of your very friendly and professional services to any friend or acquaintance contemplating a holiday in New Zealand. Regards, Bruce obo Bruce and Jean & Ruth and Geoff. PS. We caught Art Deco in Napier and trout in Lake Taupo. Great! |
John and Joanne Rees, Australia, 17 day self drive tour, South Island, February 2010Hi Julie, Well the trip is over and we are back in Sydney. We would like to thank you for putting the itinerary together at such short notice. We are more than happy with the arrangements you made. Thanks and Regards, John |
Rosanna Ellis and Catherine Le Grys, 19 day self drive tour, New Zealand Custom design, February 2010We both wish to thank you for arranging our great tour and how good it was to meet up with you We were very impressed by your level of organisation and appreciated the detailed information pack and map book.We shall definitely recommend you to other travellers. The places we stayed were very suitable; our favourites were Punga Grove and Fenton Lodge for their hospitality and excellent facilities. The Camelot were also very helpful whilst Robin at Lakefront Lodge in Te Anau was very attentive. Garden Court in Queennstown was well equipped whilst Lake Tekapo had outstanding views. The Waldorf in Auckland was luxurious (wish had been there longer!!!) whilst the B&B in Napier was very comfortable with many added touches. The only slight disappointment was Karaka tree in Taupo where the kitchen lacked a hob, only had a plug in fry pan and had little equipment. The spa bath however was good. Just a note, our instructions in Napier were as if we were entering from the north, but we found our way. It was not a problem but we thought you should know in case you used these instructions again. Thank you again and please add us to your list of satisfied customers!!!!! Rosanna Ellis and Catherine |
Rick and Beverly Stanley, 20 day self drive tour, Auckland to Queenstown Classic, January 2010We wanted to thank you for a delightful trip in January. We were pleased with the accomodations, the people and the trips. Thank you for everything! |
Chris and Rhonda James, 10 days self drive tour, Southern Alps & Southern Lakes, February 2010Hi David, Just wanted to drop a quick note to say thank you very much for our holiday in NZ. Things went exactly to plan, your services were as promised and certainly made for a no drama pleasant experience. Again thanks very much. Regards, Chris and Rhonda James PS - Even appreciated you organising the fine weather for us. |
John and Barbara Kessinger, 23 day New Zealand Discoverer North to South self drive tour, October 2009Hi David, Sorry we are so late in our THANK YOU to you for arranging our wonderful self drive tour of your beautiful country! The trip was so well organized! Everything worked perfectly! The atlas and written directions were such a big help. We didn't get lost once and had such fun visiting all the cities and driving through out the country. We figured we drove about 2400 miles. Your suggestion to stay in B&Bs was the greatest! Every B&B was top notch and the owners were so kind and hospitable and that made our trip so enjoyable. The breakfasts were out of this world!! The weather was better than we expected. We only had a couple days of rain and they were not complete wash outs. Milford Sound was probably the highlight, we had a perfect day, bright sun and beautiful blue sky. The drive to and from the sound was spectacular and the boat ride was certainly the way to enjoy the beautiful scenery. The Dock Bay Lodge was exceptional! We have so many fond memories of the trip and many beautiful pictures that we have shared with our family and friend. We certainly appreciate all you did to make the trip work out so well. We have recommended your services to everyone we talked to about New Zealand! Again thank you for a job well done! Have a Happy and Healthy New Year. John & Barbara |
Peter Euler and Yong Mei Hao, 28 Day self drive tour, North to South Island, October 2009Hi David, it is not good to be back in reality. I would like to thank you and your staff for arranging a most memorable holiday.You even managed to fix the weather only two small rain days.When we needed the weather it was picture postcard stuff.The only disapointment was no whales on our days at Kiakoura but that is nature. It was made up by the other things that we did or saw. It will be in our thoughts for many years. I would recommend your organisation to anybody. Good luck in the future and keep me posted as we will be back when I retire. Kind Regards, Peter |
Linda and Philip Bott, UK, 14 day self drive tour, North and South Island, November 2009Dear David & Kerry, We just wanted to say thank you so much for organising such a fantastic tour for us. Everything was spot on and we have just returned from our wonderful trip down under. Not only did you arrange our transport and accommodation, you also arranged for royalty to attend our visit to the Antarctic Centre in Christchurch - talk about friends in high places! |
Judy and David Wang, 9 day self drive tour, South Island, November 2009 Hi David, We came back from new-Zealand, we really enjoyed our trip and all your arrangements, my husband and I were impressed.We joined the Miford Sound nature cruise. At Queenstown we played one round of golf in Arrowtown and rode the Queenstown Gondola. We also did the half day glacier hike in franz Josef Glacier. We visited the International Antarctic Centre before we departed. Dock bay lodge , Elizas manor on bealey, Hermitage hotel and Westwood lodge accommodation were excellent,especially Elizas manor and Dock bay lodge, Ann from Elizas manor on bealey let us earlier check in at 10 am and prepared good breakfast for us when we arriving, They treated you like old friends,Dock bay lodge have good view and very new,next to golf course, They able to provide two set of golf club for us and later check out if we plan to play golf, but we decided to join Milford sound cruise. |
The Graham Family, Australia, 12 day self drive tour, South Island, October 2009" Dear David,You certainly organised a fantastic trip for us. Can you take responsibility for the weather also? We seemed to be one day away from the rain and wind. It was lovely and sunny most of the time. We even had snow at MT Cook.Thanks for your tips on the overnight at Doubtful Sound. It was certainly the highlight of the trip. Real Journeys are a company that know how to deliver a great experience. We also got an upgrade to a cabin with ensuite. All the accommodation was great, and courtsey pickups took a lot of the hassle out of commuting. Thanks again, you were very patient with us in the planning stages, and the end result was a credit to you." |
Jeff, Jennifer, Hailey, Ainsley and Chloe Gardiner, Australia, 10 day self drive tour, South Island, September 2009" I just wanted to thank you for doing such a good job with our accommodation and itinerary, we had the best holiday in our lives, the kids weren’t bored at anytime and the wife thinks I’m the best. We went skiing at Queenstown and the kids picked it up in ten minutes and absolutely loved it, in fact we are thinking of coming back next year for a skiing holiday, perhaps you could organize that for us, I will let you know. I have also referred your name to some friends, so hopefully you get some extra business. As it turned out, we were happy that we couldn’t get the train, as it gave us the afternoon in Christchurch, and in fact the drive through that area just about follows the train line anyway, so we didn’t feel as though we missed anything. Thanks for you honesty with regards to that, you could have told us there was no difference in the price for the additional car hire, but you didn’t and it’s great to see there are still people in business with integrity. Thanks again, if you want to use me as a referral to any Aussies, feel free, as I couldn’t recommend you and your company enough." |
John and Mary Mcauley, Australia, 22 day self drive tour, South Island, April 2009" Hi David, we have arrived home safe and sound. We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday in New Zealand which we feel was brought about by your attention to detail. We wish to thank you very much and we will certainly recommend your services to our friends and family." |
Kris and Lilian Tan, Australia, 10 day self drive tour, South Island, March 2009" It has been more than a month since we got back from the NZ holiday. We would like to thank you for arranging that wonderful trip. We had a very pleasant trip and enjoy our holiday very much. New Zealand is such a beautiful country. I have recommended a few friends about this self-drive holiday. We might go to the North Island next year.Thank you for the wonderful holiday." |
Michael and Jacqueline Pratt, UK, 17 day self drive tour, South Island, February 2009" My wife and I would like to thank you for organising for us, what turned out to be, a superb holiday. The presentation and detailed planning of routes, accommodation and activities made our daily journeys easy and enjoyable. We both fell in love with New Zealand and it was sad when the time came for us to leave. Our memories of the breath- taking landscapes will remain with us forever, as will all of the activities we indulged in - Speed jet boating, Quad biking, helicopter flight over the glaciers, snowballing on the top of Mount Cook, whale watching etc. To all those in your organisation who took part in planning our trip to your part of the world we cannot thank you enough, and trust we will be able, at some future date, to ask you to do a repeat operation. With kindest regards to you all." |
Anna & Tony Mackin, California, USA - 5 day self drive tour, North Island, September 2008" We are now in Sydney awaiting our flight to Ayers Rock. I wanted to thank you for the lovely itinerary. Some comments and suggestions; Kruse was nice to have for music, would have preferred more touring info, basically did not have a lot of info on most area's and just played music. Phone was nice and easy to use, both were easy to drop off at airport, the Budget gal took the Kruse for me and the phone easily slid into the post box. Kamahi Cottage was precious, she is an excellent cook, lovely time there. Highly recommended. The Chateau was very nice, lots of skiers. My husband's back was hurting so we did not get to do very much hiking. Excellent little road cafe "Licorice cafe" excellent food! Driving was very nice, beautiful countryside everywhere. Lucky for us weather was beautiful. Waitomo Caves were great, In Aranui we were the only 2 and so had a private tour. Huka Lodge - what can I say "Heaven on Earth" most unbelievable" so glad I changed for 2 nights. Everything in bloom, staff unreal and great, got my husband a massage right away while I went on the Jet Boat. Huka jet boats - so nice, I didn't even ask about a refund and they offered it when my husband couldn't make the ride, they even dialed you up and did the credit (very nice, and I didn't expect it). Volcanic air, sooooooo NICE. My husband's back was still hurting and we got there early, the young woman at the desk dialed up a friend and Chiropractor and got my husband a treatment there in the office before our flight, so gracious. Please let her know my husband is feeling much better today. The flight was wonderful, our pilot was great and of course we had the luck of a sunny beautiful day. Had to cut short the Buried Village, but very interesting and a definite must see, especially the museum, very well done. Loved the trip, will be back to do South Island. Again thank you so much for the maps and info, all very helpful. |
Continued...After making some minor changes, all arrangements were confirmed quickly. When we arrived, we were being met by a pretty lady who took us to our accommodation for the night. Our rental car was promptly delivered the next morning and we were raring to commence our 14-day trip. The driving instructions to our destinations and accommodation were very clear and we had no problems whatsoever. We tried to visit the places recommended in the itinerary but unfortunately sometimes we did not manage to cover all due to time constraint. We had very good accommodation throughout with full kitchen facilities at most places. Oh, before I forget, I am very impressed by the honesty of the New Zealanders as well as the helpful police. I lost my handphone on the last day of our stay in Dunedin and I didn't expect to get it back. However, I was surprised to receive a forwarded SMS from the police from my son. I contacted the police on the second morning in Te Anau. The lady who took my call was very helpful and told me my phone would be couriered to Queenstown where I was heading to after Te Anau. What a relief when I was able to get back my phone on the third day after losing it. Oh, there was another encounter of a different nature with the police before the phone incident. Yours truly was the driver of the day and it was the first time I took over the wheel. As we were heading out of Mt Cook and en route to Dunedin, I noticed a police car closing in on me. I pulled to the side and the police officer informed me that there was a complaint that I was driving dangerously!! This is another incident which proved the efficiency of the police as they respond so promptly on a complaint. I was baffled by the complaint and then realised that it was my fault as I wanted to turn into a fruit stall but changed my mind at the last mintue and this warranted my 'dangerous' driving!! The officer even tested my breath to check whether I was drunk!! At the end, he just wanted to caution me about driving safely to prevent any untoward accident. Overall, we had a very relaxing trip, thanks to the well planned itinerary which allows us to stop over for 2 nights at most places. The Milford Sound cruise was fantastic due to the good weather on that day. The scenic trans-alpine train ride from Greymouth to Christchurch was a perfect ending for our trip. Thank you, Yvonne, for organising such a great trip for us and you will definitely hear from me again when we plan for our North Island trip in a couple of years. I will not hesitate to recommend your service to any of friends who intend to go to New Zealand. Kim Suan Goh |
Continued...Only got Lost in Christchurch a few times... even while walking through the Botanic Gardens! The guy who I think is the manager for the accommodation we had in Dunedin was a strange character... a bit like Basil Fawlty! Motel on York.... in Dunedin. On arriving the first thing this guy did was look down at the navy blue carpet mat in front of the the reception desk and comment of the mess we left there from our shoes... which happened to be beach sand... he was not happy.... he made us feel like we had committed a major disaster... and he was very adamant that we not get any further sand in his motel room... Anyway... lucky for us we still liked 'Fawlty Towers' despite the few little hiccups... there.All the other accommodation was good too... and the boat trip on Doubtful Sound wonderful.. Overall... I have to say... I had the best night on the last night with the friendly and helpful owners of Wilderness House at Akaroa... and the best evening meal... at a restaurant just down the road that Jim and Liz recommended to us.......the accommodation and their breakfast was also the best! So... I'd love to get back to NZ one day... at least... I know what's on offer... thanks again for everything! Thanks again and all the best.... Anita and Peter. |
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