Testimonials for New Zealand tours & holidays

From the moment we spoke to Lisa, we knew we were going to have a very special holiday, without all the hassle of researching and booking a holiday as we normally do. We loved every aspect of our...
Read moreFrom the moment we spoke to Lisa, we knew we were going to have a very special holiday, without all the hassle of researching and booking a holiday as we normally do. We loved every aspect of our tour. The itinerary allowed us to see many spectacular places in the South Island. A self drive tour suited us, we drove at our own pace and had the very handy, user friendly App to assist us with driving distances and suggestions of where to stop along the way. Collection of the car at the airport was a breeze and so started our adventure. Our stay at the Mayfair Christchurch was very comfortable and we set off well rested. On arrival at the Hermitage Hotel in Mt Cook, we were blown away with the view we had from our room. It was a sunny day and the view was spectacular. We had perfect weather conditions for our helicopter ride and glacier landing and that was absolutely one of the highlights of our trip. Next stop was Camp Estate at Larnach Castle. We had lots of different staff members looking after us and they were all so welcoming and lovely. We had very rainy weather while in Dunedin but it did not put a damper on our wildlife cruise or visit to the Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance. We thoroughly enjoyed our group dinners at Larnach Castle. My favorite part of the trip was our stay at Fiordland Lodge, it has become my new happy place. When we arrived, we felt like we were being welcomed into Hayley’s home, she was such a perfect hostess. We have never stayed at a luxury lodge before and we loved it, it was so relaxing to be there. We were spoilt by the chef with our daily canapes, multi course meals and breakfast each day. The lodge was located an easy distance to Te Anau township and we enjoyed walking around in the sunshine and taking in the beautiful surroundings there. We enjoyed our drive to Milford Sound, stopping many times along the way to take photos and to take in the scenery. The cruise of Milford Sound was very special and I can only imagine what it would be like to go on a rainy day and to see the myriad of waterfalls cascading down. It was with great sadness that we left Fiordland Lodge and headed to busy Queenstown, where parking the car proved to be very difficult. We could not believe the size of our villa at Azur Lodge, it was huge and with such a magnificent view. We really enjoyed our ride on the TSS Earnslaw Steamship, our meal at the stunning Walter Peak Station and watching the herding of the sheep by clever & hard working cattle dog Mia. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Queenstown, a very pretty place with the dramatic backdrop of the Remarkables and definitely the place to go if you like adventure sports. The drive from Queenstown to Franz Josef Glacier was interesting with dramatic changes in the terrain. A pleasant surprise was the 5 course meal we were served each night at Te Waonui Forest Retreat, the food was delicious. Unfortunately for us, a storm was coming and our heli hike was cancelled but not to worry, we had a lovely time enjoying a massage at our hotel and the money paid for the heli hike was refunded into our bank account. Another highlight of our tour came at the conclusion. Without any fuss, we were able to drop our car at the Greymouth train station and board the Tranzalpine Scenic train for our ride back to Christchurch. It was such a special experience to be seated in a very beautiful carriage with great and varied views out the expansive windows and delicious food and drink served along the way. I loved the open carriage for taking photos, even though it was quite rainy the day we travelled. We were collected from the railway station in Christchurch by a very friendly driver who transferred us back to the Mayfair Hotel where we were treated like VIP guests thanks to Lisa. The same driver collected us early on the final day & transferred us to the airport in time to check in for our flight home. Thank you to Lisa & New Zealand Self Drive Tours for such a wonderful holiday, we loved it all.

We can’t specify any particular day, everyday was great and we really enjoyed the entire itinerary. Louise done a fantastic job from our first contact until we returned home. Everything ran...
Read moreWe can’t specify any particular day, everyday was great and we really enjoyed the entire itinerary. Louise done a fantastic job from our first contact until we returned home. Everything ran like clockwork. Our only comment was to do with the Fable hotel in Christchurch. It’s in a great location, central to everything, but they made a few mistakes that could easily be fixed. The breakfast they serve was cold and they put us in a queen room on our second stay over instead of a superior King that was booked. We highly recommend Fine Tours if your thinking of visiting New Zealand.

Overall, we were just so impressed with how everything went so smoothly. With something like 20 hotels, transfers, ferry, train, car, flights to/from Stewart Island, rental rentals and several...
Read moreOverall, we were just so impressed with how everything went so smoothly. With something like 20 hotels, transfers, ferry, train, car, flights to/from Stewart Island, rental rentals and several excursions there was never a single glitch – simply amazing! We were also very impressed with all of our hotels. They were so perfect for us, especially the locations as we were able to walk to almost everything. I can’t think of a single thing, and that’s saying a lot about your service. I would highly recommend your services to anyone considering a trip to New Zealand.

We thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of our driving tour through New Zealand. Stunning green landscapes, ice capped mountains and many rivers. Flying over snow topped mountains, cruising Milford...
Read moreWe thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of our driving tour through New Zealand. Stunning green landscapes, ice capped mountains and many rivers. Flying over snow topped mountains, cruising Milford Sound, Te Pa Tu cultural experience and Hobbiton were highlights. People were friendly and the food amazing! Our itinerary was carefully curated by Louise Hodge, who listened to our requests, made suggestions of things not to miss and supported us when wild weather required changes to our trip. The Fine Tours team was excellent, always available and helpful. We found the Fine Tours App to be very useful! Thanks to the whole team, we had a fantastic holiday!

We can’t say enough about how professional and well-designed our trip was. Every detail was handled with precision, from the route, to the activities planned along the way, to the various...
Read moreWe can’t say enough about how professional and well-designed our trip was. Every detail was handled with precision, from the route, to the activities planned along the way, to the various transfers to and from boats, airports, etc. Christina was on top of the overall plan from start to finish, including adjustments due to weather, road conditions, and the like. The vehicles provided and the hotels along the way were top notch! We would recommend Christina and New Zealand Self Drive Tours without hesitation, and will definitely use them for our next trip to New Zealand. Many thanks for a job well done!