Roberta Oswald, Betty Hrycyshyn & Elizabeth Johnston, Photography Bonanza around New Zealand Holiday, Travelled on 31st October 2019
We are back from our wonderful NZ trip. It was spectacular. You did a great job planning it. Everything ran smoothly and the accommodations were terrific, including Penguin Place! Please enjoy the video of the trip and have a wonderful Christmas.
Charles & Katherine Charalambous and Fiona & Keith Murray, Queenstown to Christchurch Food and Wine Tour, Travelled on 18th November 2019
Thank you Kasmira for your good work. Steve Simpson and yourself put it together nicely to make our holiday an enjoyable and memorable one. Our only regret was not experiencing Milford Sound because of the weather. Our group of 10 loved the South Island of New Zealand. Your program was well thought out and we grouped together and made the most of what was offered. Keep up the good work for we will return to enjoy more of your beautiful country.
Balasubramanian Family, Auckland to Christchurch Wonders of New Zealand Tour, Travelled on 8th November 2019
We had a wonderful time in New Zealand. Excellent itinerary, beautiful scenery, the central location of hotels/motels, comfortable accommodation, attractive add-ons. Lakes and waterfalls everywhere; sheep grazing green fields; oceans and boulders; snow-capped mountains; dolphins and seals. Top of the list -- Milford Sound overnighter, Franz Josef Helihike, Glow Worm Cave, Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, Redwood Treewalk, Catlins Beach Resort, Punakaiki Beach Resort. Favourite City - Queenstown (with zipline activity) Others - Huka Falls River Cruise, Doubtful Sound, Penguin Conservation, Te Puia.
Richard and Margalit Buchta, Southern Coast and Stewart Island Nature Tour, Travelled on 7th November 2019
Great trip all around, all planned well. Additional night trip on Stewart Island to see kiwis was rained out, while glacier trip was cancelled due to bad weather. Enjoyed Queenstown and area which in hindsight could have been extended to see more. The accommodation was great although I had expected hotels with rooms with lake views in Te Anau and Queenstown.
Julie Williamson & Cary Payne, Auckland to Christchurch Highlights Tour, Travelled on 22nd November 2019
Jo, Cary and I just returned to Denver after a great trip around New Zealand. I wanted to thank you for encouraging us to stick with the Milford Sound tour. It was fantastic, even in the rain, and perhaps because of the rain- the waterfalls on the sound were just amazing. Trips and Tramps did a wonderful job as well. Our trip was amazing, and we had a great time. Thanks for being so responsive to all of our questions, and helping to reroute mid-way through. We were really glad to do the drive from Queenstown to Lake Tekapo instead of flying to Christchurch - it was a beautiful drive up there. Everything went well, and the days flew by!
David & Angela James, Auckland to Christchurch Highlights, Travelled on 5th November 2019
Thanks for organizing a great trip, we both thoroughly enjoyed our time in New Zealand and will hopefully return at some stage to explore the South Island.
Duncan & Donna Graham, Wellington, Walking and Wildlife Tour, Travelled on 9th November 2019
Shelley did a great job organizing our trip for us. The Te Papa museum has great exhibits and is a comfortable venue to explore. Although it was pouring rain for our first Tour to Matiu Somes Island we had a wonderful tour. Our guides were knowledgeable and we were able to spot a number of birds as we learned about the preservation efforts on the island. The ferry to Picton was a rough ride & quite foggy for most of it. We could tell it would be beautiful in better weather, but enjoyed the trip anyway.The drive to Abel Tasman was exciting but again very windy & wet. The Abel Tasman Marahau Lodge was beautiful - very private and well appointed. We were able to enjoy the sun on our private patio before walking a trail through the Park & enjoying good food at the Pizza Place. The cruise to Tonga Island Reserve was great - lots of dolphins & seals & finally warm sunshine. The hike back was vigorous but interesting. The west coast was stunning although the rain moved in again. Pancake rocks are extraordinary & we were able to get in a quick trip upon arrival & the next morning between the rain drops. The tree house was great, although we were loading & unloading in the pouring rain! The drive to Arthur's Pass was quite scenic. Our accommodation was on the outskirts of town so other than walking to & fro in wet cold weather, we didn't explore the trails. The drive to Kaikoura was stunning and our accommodation the best. We had an amazing view of the snow caps, rolling foreground & the sea from our window. It was a pleasant walk to the bustling town. Our whale watch was successful. We spotted our whale, watched him spout & dive and saw several albatross, dolphins & sea birds. Knowledgeable guides rounded out the trip. The drive to Christchurch was comfortable and we were able to return the car easily & sign in at the airport. All In all a great adventure hindered only by the rain, but we just carried on & enjoyed it regardless.
Anita & Tom Medina, Spectacular New Zealand Highlights Trip, Travelled on 7th November 2019
Nichole designed a fabulous trip for us and included so many nice details we wouldn't have thought of. We had such a fabulous time and would love to return someday. We highly recommended your company to friends. Thank you for the wonderful experience in New Zealand!
Ravi Shah and family, Milford Sound Highlights Tour, Travelled on 11th November 2019
Hey Chelsea, Thank you for arranging a wonderful trip. Everything was perfect and the family had a ball. Really appreciate all the effort you put in down to the minutest detail.
Ravi Shah and family, Milford Sound Highlights Tour, Travelled on 11th November 2019
Thank you, Chelsea, for helping us organise an amazing tour. All the arrangements were perfect given that we had some very specific requirement. You were also able to accommodate our dates, especially during the busy period. Thanks once again for being prompt in your responses and clear in your comms. What made it even easier was your ability to understand our needs and dealt with them in a friendly manner.
Theresa Machin & Family, Spectacular New Zealand Highlights Trip, Travelled on 5th November 2019
Hi Nichole. I want to let you know how delighted we are with the arrangements you made for us. Everything went without a glitch We so enjoyed all the accommodations that you booked for us- they were perfect amounts of space and privacy. Of exceptional notation are the managers, Kerry, at Vinters Retreat, and Matt at Merivale Manor. They went beyond for us- our daughter left her wallet in the Wellington hotel, only realizing she forgot it once we had boarded the ferry to cross to the South Island. The front desk at Wellington arranged for the courier pick up- we naively suggested it be delivered to Vinters Retreat- as we were there for two nights- not appreciating the travel/courier implications. Kerry kindly assured us that she "would handle it for us" and she arranged to have it redirected to Christchurch When we arrived at Merivale Manor, we learned that Matt had travelled to the airport to pick up the couriered wallet so as to ensure that our daughter had it. Their service was exceptional. Also, Kerry upgraded our room arrangements to a three-bedroom unit, figuring that by Day 5 they might like their own bed and their own room. Our girls were thrilled and so appreciated her thoughtfulness. Our wine tour was by van, as weather was rainy- our guide, Kaya, was so knowledgeable, and so lovely to spend a day in her company We so appreciated the Milford Sound bus excursion- a great break from driving in our car. The car was very roomy, and lots of room for our luggage. Car rental was hassle-free picking up and returning I can't say enough about how pleased we are with all the arrangements you so thoughtfully made. We so enjoyed all our excursions Our trip is one of our lifetime highlights, thanks to your commitment to quality service, and upheld by the accommodations you selected for us. The scenery of New Zealand is exceptional- unsurpassed by the warmth and hospitality we experienced from your services. We have wonderful memories to cherish.
Susan Peterson & Cathy Porter, North Island Adventure, Travelled on 31st October 2019
Thank you so much for a wonderful experience in New Zealand and with your service. Everything was perfect so well organised and exactly what we wanted. The only downfall was our stay at wellington the room was not 100% clean, also no parking there. It was a great position, but Abel Tasman round the corner would have been a better choice. Thank you again for a job well done, I have told everyone of your wonderful service and would not hesitate to call you again on my next trip.
Susan & Colin Wales, Elspeth Lowes, North to South Explorer Self Drive Tour, Travelled on 1st November 2019
Thanks, Kasmira for all your arrangements for our trip! We were pleasantly surprised by the standard of the hotels that you had booked, we didn't expect 4-star treatment and even had an upgrade to the penthouse for our second stay in Auckland! Unfortunately, the app would not work on my phone so we missed some of the detailed info there and, in retrospect, we should have opted for longer stays in fewer places as the amount of driving became too much. Maybe that is something you could mention to older clients like ourselves. Highlights were: the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, Lake Taupo and environs, Hamner Springs, Lake Tekapo and having a lovely clear day as we approached Mt Cook. Special thanks to Louise who helped Colin arrange a motel close to the Timaru Hospital following my accident at Mt Cook, to the Heritage Hotels guides and staff and to the NZ Health Services for such good care!! Will send you some of my stand-out pics, we certainly enjoyed the wide variety of beautiful scenery and interesting experiences.
Ed & Deborah Gray, Auckland to Queenstown - From The Worlds Fastest Indian to Auckland Americas Cup Boating, Travelled on 17th October 2019
Abby, our trip through your country will be on our minds for the rest of our lives. Around every corner was something new for us to marvel. This was our 35 anniversary of marriage. On our 25th we went to Hawaii, but we both have agreed that New Zealand is Hawaii on steroids. The addition that we made to Invercargill was great, my motorcycle friends back home are already jealous that I have photos of the Worlds Fastest Indian. Transition from North to South Island went smoothly (except for a windy and rough crossing). Cars were great, great fuel mileage. Most hotels we stayed in were outstanding, especially the Chateau Marlborough Now for a couple of negatives, for your guests I think reserved parking at hotels should be included. A hotel change in Queenstown I think is in order. There was no lift to our floor, so baggage had to be carried to our room. Abby I hope my short story helps you and your company to continue to provide great memories for your clients. Again thank you.👍👍👍👍👍👍
Sheryl & Paul Gray, Kerri & Gregory Crawford, Customised South Island Coastal Tour, Travelled on 25th October 2019
Our trip was expertly arranged and I will have no hesitation in recommending it in the future. Communication was excellent and delivered in a timely manner every time. Thank you for organising this trip and allowing us to share your beautiful south island with magnificent vistas everywhere. A trip to remember.
Larry & Linda Lawrence, North to South Explorer Self Drive Tour, Travelled on 24th October 2019
We had a great time with New Zealand Self Drive (NZFT) assistance, however, we had a few incidents that were, in the end, handled very professionally and to our total satisfaction. Ms Amy Ellis, General Manager, listened to our concerns and rectified each very smoothly and quickly. We have nothing but the highest regard for her intervention in the incidents which could have marred the trip we have planned and looked forward to for several years. Also, the ladies we dealt with on the phones and chat with were helpful. NZFT is fortunate to have Amy Ellis.
Jack and Peggy Cahill, Customised South Island Natural Discovery Tour, Travelled on 24th October 2019
Memories of our amazing trip to New Zealand will be forever in our hearts, and part of that great experience included your care and your professionalism. Jack and I sincerely thank you for being available to us in every detail. The trip was so easy, in great part, because of you, allowing us to enjoy every moment. We thank you. Please know we shall smile whenever we think of you.
John & Roz Frogley, A Taste of the South Tour, Travelled on 23rd October 2019
Nicole, thank you for your recent email regarding our trip. Roz and I had a great time touring the South Island of NZ, particularly because of the attention to detail with the itinerary you prepared for us. As it was a special occasion for us, being our golden wedding anniversary, we were absolutely thrilled with the surprise extras you had arranged at nearly every nights stay. From a lovely room upgrade at the Distinction Hotel in Christchurch on our first night, next a magnificent anniversary meal at the Hermitage at Mount Cook which was a wonderful and very meaningful surprise; so thank you so much for this Nicole. We then found an anniversary treat arranged by the management of the Millennium Hotel in Queenstown waiting for us on our arrival there - this consisted of a special dessert tray which we enjoyed. Another highlight was the dinner cruise to Walter Peak Station on the SS Earnslaw. We were greeted by staff there who had been informed of our 50th anniversary and so, they looked after us incredibly well. We met with a lovely greeting of, 'so here you are at last - we have been waiting for you both'; as we had had to reschedule from the previous evening due to the avalanche at Milford Sound. We were shown to a table for two and provided with a couple of glasses of champagne. Then our two hostesses kept coming back and making us feel very special on the night. It was a lovely dinner and the entertainment provided by the sheep shearing and the exhibition put on by the sheep dogs was fabulous. On our last night, Nadine at the Distinction Hotel in Christchurch (again) arranged a surprise anniversary dessert treat for us in the restaurant. So, wonderful memories of our special anniversary - and that is not forgetting all of the marvellous scenery which New Zealand can boast about. The car selected by you was perfect for our tour and it behaved very well in some rough weather which we encountered, but then again it is the rugged west coast of the South Island and we know it can have inclement weather; it didn't spoil anything for us though. The two times our itinerary had to be changed or, rescheduled was not too great a hardship. The road was cleared in time for us to embark upon our cruise at Milford Sound and we had a great time there. Overall Nicole we really cannot thank you enough for the care and attention you and your other colleagues have shown to us before and during our time in New Zealand. It is a great credit to you all that even through adversity (such as the two avalanches) a wonderful holiday can be secured. Thank you all again - we will certainly be recommending you and your service to anyone we speak to into the future.
Jerry & Libby Hubbard, The Natural Wonders Of New Zealand, Travelled on 23rd October 2019
Nichole White, with New Zealand Self-drive Tours, did an amazing job preparing an 18 day trip of a lifetime that took my wife & me from Auckland to Queenstown, with many stops in between. I highly recommend the self driving tour that was smartly planned and flexible so we could deviate from the schedule when we wanted. The entire country is beautiful and the New Zealand people are wonderful - very nice and go out of their way to help. The New Zealand Self-Drive Tour App was very helpful, particularly for our schedule that kept us on the go. The App is easy to access with your daily planner clearly laid out, including maps and quick links to many special things of interest along the way. This vacation exceeded all expectations, due largely to Nichole White, who did not miss a detail.
George & Leah Bemis, Discover New Zealand Tour Customised for George & Leah, Travelled on 21st October 2019
An excellent trip and again very much enjoyed our stay in New Zealand. Looking forward to returning to your country as it is a favorite place of mine to return too.
Mark Wensrich, 17 Day Christchurch to Auckland Must Do Tour, Travelled on 18th October 2019
A vacation it took me a lifetime to save up for, and the vacation of a lifetime. I felt at home in New Zealand.
Anne Hynes and Cal Clark, 8 Day Northern Highlights Tour, Travelled on 21st October 2019
I wanted to let you know we had a fabulous trip! New Zealand is so beautiful and the people are so wonderful and helpful as well! When we arrived, our driver was waiting for us just as planned, and when we got the hotel they had a room available for us and it was an executive upgrade! At the end of our trip with NZ touring we then ended up staying at CityLife for the remainder of our stay as well- It is a wonderful hotel with great service and such a handy location! ( Luckily we missed the downtown fire issue) . Everything else with the driving tour went just as planned, all our activities in the itinerary were amazing and our motel stays/ breakfasts were great too! We loved that most of them were “suite” style with separate bedroom, living and dining areas! Some of our favourite things were the first-night harbour dinner cruise – we actually went sailing on a sailboat for this – totally unexpected and amazing! Bay of Islands is a wonderful place to be, I actually could have used another day there – beautiful! ( As FYI, we never did get to the Waitangi Treaty grounds, our own choice, as we needed some rest!) The Redwoods Night Lights Treewalk is actually above ground up in the trees – everyone needs to do this! And the Waiheke wine tour and dinner was my personal favourite. All in all, Cal and I would like to personally thank you for the time you took to set up all of this for us and making changes to suit our needs. And you really came through for us on our trip when we had to switch our reservation nights for Redwood/Maori events – that really saved us and we were so glad not to miss either of them! Along our travels, whenever we talked to people we let them know about New Zealand Self Drive Tours, New Zealand Fine Touring, and how helpful you were in setting up our trip! Fun fact – we really loved that at every hotel there was a carton of milk waiting for us to have with our tea – it is a nice touch! And I also wanted to ask if New Zealanders drink milk?… whenever we asked for cold milk as a beverage this seemed to be an odd request – lol!
Patricia Seymour & Joy Enever, The Wonders of the South Island, Travelled on 15th October 2019
We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday in NZ. The only slight criticism was the helicopter ride.. for the price was not worth it. The day was very inclement (not unusual) however, disappointed we didn't fly over the mountains with snow-capped summits, instead landed for 10 minutes on a hill close by, spent 10 minutes there, and straight back to the airport... I guess if we had cancelled they would miss out on their $'s. Our accommodation was fantastic... thankyou. Overall, a great job...thank you all.
Jenny & Gregory Quilliam, Coast to Coast Self Drive Tour, Travelled on 16th October 2019
Our trip was excellent, with the meticulous organisation by Louise. Enquiries were responded to very promptly. Accommodation included some interesting and historical sites, with uniformly helpful hosts. We will be signing up for a similar driving tour of the North Island later next year. Many thanks for a great driving holiday.
Kerrie Davis & Julie Connor, South Island Grand Tour, Travelled 12th October 2019
Just wanted to thank you for your assistance during our Self Drive tour of New Zealand. The itinerary and paperwork provided were absolutely fantastic and everything worked so well. Thank you for contacting us about the change to the train trip from Greymouth to Christchurch. If you are still in touch with Abby, it would be great if you could thank her for preparing such a fantastic itinerary for us. We feel we saw so much of the south island in our 23 days. We look forward to returning to New Zealand in the future.
Diane & Peter Williamson, 21 Day Discover New Zealand Holiday, Travelled on 20th September 2019
We had an amazing holiday due to Jane’s great work with our bookings, from our pick up at Auckland airport to our drop off at Christchurch airport. The accommodation, hire cars & transfers ran like clockwork. Spectacular scenery & friendly locals made the trip memorable. A highlight was the Mitai Maori experience at Rotorua. It was unfortunate that the fishing trip at Queenstown was cancelled at last minute due to lack of participants as this was something Peter was really looking forward to. We loved New Zealand and would thoroughly recommend booking through Jane and the wonderful staff at New Zealand Self Drive Tours. They look at your interests & what sort of holiday you are looking for and make an itinerary with suggested activities. A phone call to them anywhere along the way with any questions were quickly responded to and nothing was too much trouble for them. We had a fantastic trip and look forward to returning and exploring some areas we missed.
Nolan & Tara Berg, South Island Day Self Drive Tour, Travelled on 26th September 2019
Nicole, we very much enjoyed our New Zealand trip. We had a wonderful time, made lots of memories, and took over 1500 photos to remember our trip of a lifetime. We did endure a bit of rain during our stay, but as we were mostly prepared for that, we still saw and did most of what we had planned, although we did get a bit wet a couple of times. Our only regret was not taking more time for this trip, like another month! While a great overview of the south island, it does require a bit of driving on some days. We especially enjoyed multiple days stays in one location where there was plenty of opportunities to explore. I've decided we will have to return and do more thorough research in several areas again someday. We have been asked by our family and friends "Which stop was you favourite". We have been unable to come up with one favourite, more like 10 or 15. A beautiful part of the world we felt very fortunate to visit. We thank you very much for the coordination of the entire trip, including transfer from the airport, rental car and of course, all the accommodations. We also appreciate your update and coordination of the change that was made to drop the train trip after the rail closure. All the accommodations except for one, we would highly recommend. We appreciated the personal touches and quality of the chosen accommodations. The only accommodation we did not feel was in the same category as all the others was the Charles Court Motel in Greymouth. While adequate, we, unfortunately, had been spoiled by all the other accommodations and just felt this one didn't meet the same standard. The appearance is a bit tired. Since we ended up driving back to Christchurch the last day, if I had planned ahead, I may have requested we stay again in Arthurs Pass. Thanks Nicole for coordinating a wonderful experience. One we will never forget.
Ahmad Zaidi Hatta & Norsabrina Razak, Fiords, Glaciers and Mountains Self Drive Tour, Travelled on 7th October 2019
Our greatest holiday so far. The well-prepared and tailor made trip was great and hassle-free. It was quite a relax journey although we drove almost 2,200 km which took us from Christchurch, Akaroa, Lake Tekapo, Aoraki Mt Cook, Te Anau, Milford Sound, Queenstown, Wanaka, Franz Josef Glacier and Greymouth. The trip also took us on board the Tranzalpine train from Arthur's Pass to Christchurch. Our consultant, Nicole was ready at hand to accomodate any last minute changes to the plan such as the heavy rain at Te Anau glow worm cave and train derailment at Greymouth. We wished we spent more time at Aoraki Mt Cook and Wanaka. Nevertheless, it was smooth as all arrangements were well laid out and planned. Thank you very much from both of us for making this trip one of our best holidays so far.
Chris & Lynette Rasmussen, Contrasting Landscapes of the South Island Tour, Travelled on 14th September 2019
We had a wonderful 26 day holiday which was organised by Nisse Perry. Our holiday which was our 4th amended plan after adding days/day trips and changing things to sort our travel plans around air flights. Nisse did a fantastic job planning our trip based on our requirements and was a pleasure to work with by phone or Emails, even with an overnight cruise change just before starting our trip. The handed over Travel Package had our day to day itinerary, additional suggestions for each day, travel map book, motel/car rental info with local contact info for all parts of our holiday. We have no hesitation recommending Self Drive Tours. We hope to return to New Zealand one day and will use NZ Self Drive Tours in the future. Thanks
Dilip Chari, Dhruva Narasimhan & Families, Auckland to Christchurch Essential Highlights Holiday, Travelled on 28th September 2019
Our 12 days North + South Island Tour was amazing, loaded with the activities and paced perfectly and we enjoyed every minute, experiencing the phenomenal New Zealand scenery. Everything was laid out appropriately and the journeys were spot on. All the accommodation was centrally located making it easy for us to explore the place, and we really liked our stays at Rotorua, Mt. Cook, Franz-Josef and Kaikoura. There were absolutely no problems with our tour. Everything went as planned, except for the U-fly in Wanaka, which was unavoidable, given maintenance-related. Shelley was a great help answering all of our many questions during the planning stages and helped to facilitate a special trip for us. We recommend NZ Self Drive Tours. Thank you, Shelley, for providing very clear instructions and all the information we needed for a wonderful and perfectly organised holiday.
Eamonn & Deirdre Mahony, Auckland to Christchurch Highlights, Travelled on 15th September 2019
We had the holiday of a lifetime all made better by the fabulous job that Jane did organizing every detail from being collected from airports and train stations to booking every hotel, ship and train and giving us great directions of where we stayed and things to do at that location. It took all the pressure away from us and we could enjoy every day of our holiday with no worries. Thanks again Jane for the fabulous job you did to make our holiday one to remember.
Melanie & Keith Rozairo, David Stralow, Leanne Campbell, The Southern Circuit, Travelled on 29th September 2019
I would like to sincerely thank Chelsea for the amazing holiday that she organised for us. From the picking up of the car, accommodation check-in and booked activities everything flowed smoothly. Everyone we dealt with was helpful, courteous and friendly. We appreciate all the detailed information, maps and local knowledge. We enjoyed this beautiful country so much and highly recommend NewZeland Self Drive Tours
Gail & Max Hart, Taste of the South Island tour, travelled on 21st September 2019
Kasmira, Max and I would like to express our appreciation for the excellent service we received with regard to the organising of our recent tour. Every part of the tour was spot on including the accommodation. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and will definitely be returning to New Zealand in the future when we get the chance. Obviously we were disappointed at missing the Milford Sound and Mt Cook cruises but realise these things can't be helped. Once again thanks again for your professionalism.
Michael & Marion Imer, Family Fun North Island Tour, Travelled on 21st September 2019
Rommy was wonderful! Everything arranged as we wanted, flawless execution. Great travel company to deal with - prompt and efficient in all aspects. Highly recommended.
Eamonn & Deirdre Mahony, Auckland to Christchurch Highlights, Travelled on 15th September 2019
Well, we are back home, working and into our daily routine. We want to thank you for the amazing amount of work you put into making our holiday one to always remember. We were delighted to have a taxi waiting for us when we arrived in Auckland with the lovely bag full of all the details of our trip. You thought of everything. We loved all the hotels we stayed in and our extra night on the farm was perfect. I kept the book you made out for us on my lap every day and we did some of the things you suggested to do along the way. We were blessed with the weather which showed off your fabulous scenery at its best. The trip from the north to the south island was also beautiful. Everything was fabulous and so well organized. Thanks to you and your team for a once in a lifetime holiday.
Melanie Sailer and Linda Johnson, North Island Highlights Tour, Travelled on 8th September 2019
The trip was amazing! Everything was laid out really well and the tours were spot on! Working with Sissy was easy and she was very accommodating! The guides were great! One recommendation would be on the driving directions to outline to estimated times to get from one point to the next. The distances were listed but not the amount of time it would take (estimate of course). While easy enough to find out after plugging it into an app, having it on the trip book would make the planning a bit quicker. Otherwise everything was amazing! North Island is truly a land of beauty and diversity!
Vishwak Vajendar & Shubha Arehole, Auckland to Queenstown Honeymoon Tour, Travelled on 6th September 2019
It was our Honeymoon trip and we had a wonderful time in New Zealand. Right from the beginning of making am enquiry till I took my flight back, it was very smooth and flawless. All the information I needed was provided to me way earlier (Digital and Printed copy) or upon landing which helped me plan accordingly. So happy that we chose NZ Self drive tours for our trip and there was never a single moment of regret. Nicole Andrews, who helped me in putting this together with NZ Self Drive Tours, is a very friendly person I have ever talked to. She did a fantastic job in getting to know what my needs are and build a trip based on my requirements. I highly recommend NZ Self Drive Tours if any one plans to have a self drive tour in NZ.
Steve, Delwyn & Jacob Craig, Southern Explorer Tour Christchurch to Christchurch, Travelled on 1st September 2019
Overall we are very happy with the package we were provided with, I would no hesitation recommending you to my friends , all of the accomodation was very good , the views at mt Cook from our balcony were exceptional, the standout motel was at Franz Joseph Glacier, very high quality and service, The vehicle supplied a Toyota Highlander was a solid performer, perhaps slightly bigger than expected but very comfortable , we enjoyed everyday with lots to see with the possible exception of day 3 from MT Cook, very limited things worth stopping for , But one average day out of 11 great days is exceptional...thanks
Gil, Marie Yvonne & Noah Sanchez, Auckland to Christchurch Self Drive Tour, Travelled on 18th August 2019
We took a 10 Day self-drive tour this August '2019, that started in Auckland and ended in ChristChurch . Christina Brockie was our travel advisor, working with her was a breeze and a pleasure. On our arrival at Auckland, we were met by their representative at the airport who then brought us to our hotel and handed over our travel package. The package contained our itinerary, hotel/car rental info and local contact info of the New Zealand Self Tours team. They also compiled everything into a booklet broken down by day plus some suggestion of side trips and activities for the place we were to visit. All the accommodation for the most part was to our expectation, a couple of the Hotels (Wellington and Marlborough) were really nice. All the hotels were very clean and centrally located making it easy for us to explore the place. Our room in Sudima Lake in Rotorua was dated and needed an update. The rental car provided was through EuropCar, the SUVs were new. On the way to the South Island, we dropped our SUV in Wellington to grab the ferry on arrival we went to EuropCar and the SUV was ready for pickup. Easy in and out. Even though it was winter season in NZ, it was mild for the most part. So, we were able to spend a lot of time outside. The good thing about traveling off season, is that we did not have to fight the crowds. If we had a couple more days to spare, we would have made our way to Queensland from ChristChurch. We have done several self-drive tours in the past in other countries and this is the format we enjoy. It allows get around on our own schedule, explore place that are off the beaten path (i.e. Waiheke, Tamaki Maori Village, Akaroa) and get some feeling of the local culture. Using New Zealand Self Drive Tours, certainly hit the mark.
John & Gina Reid, The Wonders Of The North Island - Off-The-Beaten Track, Travelled on 6th August 2019
Hi Nichole John and I had a wonderful holiday, just what we wanted and everything flowed seamlessly! All our hosts and their accommodation were spot on and so friendly as well. The trip itself was perfect with heaps of great scenery, walks and drives; we came home so relaxed that all our friends remarked on it! Thank you very much.
Sean Patrick, Mandy (Bee Lian), Fynn Patrick, Anna Mae Jermyn & Koh Xiu Ming, Customised North Island 10 Day Family Highlights, Travelled on 2nd August 2019
Shelley has been great in planning for both our trip to NZ. She is especially helpful when we have a little accident with the car and love the quick response from her and the office. My kids especially enjoy the Hobbit tour (the dinner was fantastic) and glow worms cave. All the accommodations are well planned too. View at the Castaways Resort is breathtaking but not impress with their only restaurant there. Foods are a little on the expensive side, service was great but we end up smelling like BBQ when we walk out. Especially love the little booklet prepared by Shelley. Very clear instructions and has all the information we need. Overall, we had a wonderful vacation. Thank you Shelley.
David & Dawn Tesarowski, The Natural Wonders Of New Zealand - North & South Island Adventure, Travelled on 23rd July 2019
We were extremely pleased with the tour arranged for us by Nicole White. The cars, accommodations and excursions were terrific and we enjoyed them all. From our first contact to the last, Nicole was the ultimate professional and engaging. Communications were timely and we were informed of any change to schedule with as much notice as possible, e.g. name change for a hotel, weather-related cancellation of a tour. We wholeheartedly recommend New Zealand Self Drive Tours.
Jeannette Vinke and the Ahsan family, Christchurch to Christchurch 14 Day Highlights, Travelled on 29th June 2019
Chelsea did a fantastic job. We had a great holiday, and very relaxing as all was organised perfectly. Thank you!
Anne Woo & Michael Withington, 11 Day Christchurch to Auckland Essential Highlights, Travelled on 30th June 2019
We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and had an amazing time. We were lucky to have such good weather too. The itinerary was well organized. Everything went very smoothly. The car (Toyota Corolla) we got in South Island was noticeably superior than the car (Holden) we got in North Island. The hotels were well chosen. The best ones were the Rees Hotel (clean, modern room with a great view and friendly service) and M Social (very slick and comfortable room). The Millennium Hotel in Rotorua was disappointing (the bathroom looked tired and the heating wasn't working properly). The highlights of the trip were the Mount Cook Observatory, Milford Sound cruise, the helicopter ride and the Hobbiton tour. Thank you for arranging such a wonderful trip!
Brittany Arnott and Adam Strauss, 15 Day New Zealand Grand, Travelled on 29th June 2019
We chose the fourteen day New Zealand grand tour and added an extra day in Rotorua. This trip was a fantastic way to see the sights of both of the islands in an extremely fast-paced way, cover as much ground as possible and spend loads of time on the road experiencing the phenomenal New Zealand scenery. What I will say is if we were to do another NZ Self-Drive, we would spend closer to a month just to really get the most out of each unique place we were visiting. I think that the long drive times were perfectly fine for us as we’re both young and adventurous, but anybody older than us may struggle with doing the longer driving legs with only one registered driver (you can’t hire a car on a probationary license in NZ). The accommodation chosen (motel/hotel 3-4 stars) were above and beyond expectation. In several of the accommodations (notably in Te Anau and Dunedin) we were provided with upgraded rooms, and everybody we dealt with at each facility were extremely friendly and helpful. The exception to this was the accommodation at the Mercure Resort Queenstown, which I found to be subpar for a four star hotel with a world-renowned reputation. Accommodation highlights were definitely Punga Grove Motels and Suites (seriously - don’t sleep on Franz Josef. It was literally my trip highlight) and the Nautilus in Napier. As for hire cars, we were sorted out by Europcar and met with professionalism and efficiency in all three locations we dealt with - Auckland, Picton and Christchurch. Throughout the entire booking process; from choosing an itinerary, to finalising and booking, to arrival and departures procedures were handled by Chelsea at New Zealand Self-Drive Tours. I genuinely feel as though Chelsea went above and beyond to put my mind at ease and ensure that every step in our trip was planned meticulously - as I am a fastidious person, this suited me very well. The activities and recommendations provided by Chelsea were great suggestions. If we were to do this again, I would add in some of these activities as part of the booking process to ensure that we were doing things in the most cost effective way possible. We would 100% choose this company to travel with again. Everything was planned perfectly, and Chelsea was beyond fantastic. Thanks a million!
Russell & Catherine Johnston, New Zealand's Contrasts, Travelled on 20th June 2019
Hi Jane, What a wonderful trip. Everything went smoothly as promised. Our accommodation was top notch and we do not have anything negative to say. We appreciate all the time and effort that you put into making our holiday first rate and we would have no hesitation in recommending your company to all our family and friends. Thank you once again.
Dawn & Clifford Smith, North to South Island Explorer, Travelled on 21st June 2019
We had the most amazing self drive tour of New Zealand. Nisse helped us with the planning and we could not have been happier. We spent 15 days driving through the North and South Islands and was not disappointed. We saw so much beautiful scenery and we were able to stop when wanted to, go off the beaten track and just experience New Zealand like a local. The people of New Zealand are so friendly that you never felt like a tourist. Our favorite scheduled activity through our self drive was the Whale watching tours and the Milford Sound Cruise. Our favorite stop that we found off the beaten path was the Glenorchy Animal Farm where we were able to feed the sheep and alpacas and many other domestic farm animals. My husband is sold on the self drive tours now. I highly recommend NZ Self Drive Tours and our tour specialist Nisse.
Katharina Franck, Top of the South Island Explorer, Travelled on 19th June 2019
Brilliant trip. Very well organized and a great selection of hotels to stay in along the way. Thanks.
Doug & Jordan Akin, South Island Outdoor Spectacular, Travelled on 27th May 2019
Hi Laura, We had a great trip. Thanks for everything. The customer service from your company was great! Regarding the the specifics of the trip, the hotels were generally very good. Locations of all were excellent, all attractions were very walkable from each hotel. The walls of the hotel in Wanaka were a little thin - we could hear our neighbors pretty well, but the view from the room was SPECTACULAR! Probably our favorite place to stay was at Mt. Cook. The hotel there was great. We loved the night sky there too! I don't know if this was planned, but the route was good, saving, in my opinion, the best for last which was the Milford Sound cruise. The weather didn't cooperate fully, we had to reschedule the heli-hike. But that may have been in our favor because I think the Mt Cook heli-hike was probably better than the Franz Joseph heli-hike. That was one of the highlights of the trip along with Milford Sound and hiking up Iron Mountain and Roy's Peak. It was a little disappointing to miss the train trip, but the weather was to blame for that. And we got to keep the car and make the trip over Arthur's pass at our own pass. Arthur's pass was spectacular too. Also, the jet boat tour up the lake was just ok. But it was a good way to start the trip because the trip was like a crescendo - generally it just got better and better until Milford sound. The snow on top of the mountain at Queenstown prevented us from getting to the summit, but we knew that there was a chance of a lot of snow. Generally, I think the timing wasn't bad for the trip - except for the rain! We could tell that it was a downtime for most of the hotels which left the towns uncrowded. To sum - it was a great trip, your service was great and we were very impressed that EVERYTHING in your control went according to plan. Thank you very much! If we return, and we certainly would like to, we will use your company. Thank you very much Laura for everything!
Jeffrey Hay and Friends, 21 Day Discover New Zealand, Travelled on 6th May 2019
Thanks for a fantastic holiday!
Peter & Megan Burke and David & Carolyn Le Lievre, Customised 24 Day Discover New Zealand, Travelled on 20th April 2019
Shelley you did a wonderful on our second tour booked through NZ Self Drive Tours. You took us to places we would never have found on our own which were delightful with a sense of discovery. Loved Bay of Islands, Nelson and Clyde.
George & Rosemary Ruban, The Essential South Island 9 day Tour, Travelled on 13th May 2019
Overall, the trip was magnificent. Accommodation, car, itinerary were all great. However, a couple of comments that might make an improvement. 1. Having our hire car dropped off at 9am in Christchurch and having to be at Aoraki Mt Cook by 1.30 pm was a very tight schedule, given road works and unfamiliarity with the car and the roads. It was a rush and there was no time to see some of the sights on the way. An earlier drop off would make it easier. (In the end, our planned activity was cancelled, so it was a rush for nothing.) 2. The day trip to Doubtful Sound was too long. Two hours in the bus, another hour across the lake, another hour in another bus, to get to the cruise for 3 hours, then the whole thing in reverse was trying. Twelve hours in total! Doubtful Sound is beautiful.... perhaps an overnight stay on the Sound would be more rewarding if it can be worked into the itinerary. We really enjoyed the scenery, the friendly people, boutique accommodation, fantastic wine and food and fresh air. The highlight was the helihiking on Franz Josef Glacier. Unforgettable! We were dodging bad weather a lot of the time, but the sun shined on us on that day. Brilliant! Thanks for organising our trip.
William McCarvill, Jane Bell, Judy Maurer & Donald Maurer, The Natural Wonders Of The South Island New Zealand, Travelled on 30th April 2019
All arrangements worked perfectly. The Toyota fit all of us and baggage including wheelchair comfortably. The Kingsgate motel in Te Anau was a bit worn. Doubtful Sound was a nice overnight. Needed more time in each place to really get to know it.
Arch and Peggy Payne, Fiords, Glaciers and Mountains Adventure, travelled on 5th May 2019
Our South Island driving tour was an excellent adventure! Every arrangement you made for us worked perfectly. I especially appreciated your ability to “reverse” our tour plan -- and re-set every reservation — when we learned that the Trans-Alpine train would be cancelled at the start of our trip. All of the hotel and excursion reservations went off without a hitch. We enjoyed excellent weather throughout the trip, except for one rainy day in Franz Joseph, and were able to complete all of the scheduled events. As I am sure you’ve heard before, “we will be back” and plan to spend a good deal more time experiencing NZ. We made the most of our 10 days, but that is nowhere near enough time to see and do everything available on the South Island. Thanks for all of your help!
Kacey Kurimura, The Southern Circuit Self Drive Tour, Travelled on 29th April 2019
Thank you for an amazing trip! Your staff was so friendly and helpful! All of the hotels were really nice and had very friendly staff too. It was really nice to only have to take care of my flights and have everything else taken care of. Thanks for making my first trip to New Zealand an amazing experience. I can't wait to come back. I will definitely recommend your company to my friends that want to go to New Zealand. Thanks again for ecerything.
Julie O'Neill, The Essential South Island, Travelled on 23rd April 2019
A big thanks to Nichole for the fabulous itinerary and the precision booking of my activities, everything went like clockwork (weather allowing). The trip was seamless and having the timings of activities and travel time was super helpful. Overall with the single lane (but good) roads and stopping for amazing photos I added 60-90 minutes onto every journey and it worked well. Also having the car allowed me include other notable places into the mix including Glenorchy (from Queenstown) and Akaroa (from Christchurch). Traveling solo means having a defined route (and reliable contact; Nichole) were important to me and ensured I had a fully loaded experience (with backup if ever needed). Accommodation was a good standard and in great locations (I had booked motels) with call outs to the Mount Cook and Hanmer Springs stays which were both pretty spectacular. There were too many highlights to mention however the inclusion of Kaikoura for whale watching definitely provided the final high on an amazing trip. Can’t wait to come back and do it again (yes it was that good!). Self drive was for me the best way to do it and Nichole with her obvious passion for this wonderful country ensured I had the best experience.....bravo!
Zulkifly Johari, Zurhea Chung Abdullah, Dinesh Gill & Pay Fern Chew, The Southern Circuit Self Drive Tour, Travelled on 26th April 2019
Thank you very much for the arrangements and preparations. We had a fabulous time - all the arrangements made from the moment we were picked up at the airport on arrival to the final day of our vacation when we were dropped off at the airport - was just fantastic. We had no issues at all, the rental car, the accommodations, the drive instructions, tours... everything was great. We could not have asked for a better planned holiday. Huge thanks to Laura Davidson for patiently working the details with us, and coming up with a holiday that suited us perfectly. It was everything and more than we had expected or hoped for. New Zealand is truly a most beautiful country, some of the sights literally took my breath away. I will certainly plan to be back to see more of it. Thank you once again for all the preparation and arrangements.
Rich Reilly & Elaine Warmuth, Queenstown to Auckland Explorer, Travelled on 11th April 2019
The entire tour was great!! Most of your suggestions exceeded our expectations, and the weather certainly cooperated. Your prompt refund for the cancelled sailing cruise is greatly appreciated, and we would suggest you add "She's A Lady" to your list of sailing options in Paihia. Captain David did sail on our planned date. Kia Ora
Aniruddha, Lilian Jessie & Layla Kadambini Paul, Southern Lakes, Milford Sound and Glacier Scenic Explorer, Travelled on 21st April 2019
Shelley Ryder of New Zealand Self Drive Tours organised the perfect vacation for us! She took time to understand our preferences (we were a family with a 10 year old daughter), which were quite varied - adventure and outdoorsy stuff for my daughter and me, and fine dining, nice hotels and great scenery for my wife. All the hotels we stayed in were top notch and the rooms thoughtfully selected for a family of 3. The sit down set menu dinner at Te Waonui was special. The activities that she recommended - jet boarding, Milford sound excursion, bungee jumping, helicopter landing on glaciers - were amazing. But above all, it was her commitment to her customers - us - that won us over. We requested for a last minute change, that too on Anzac day which is a public holiday, and she went out of her way to accommodate our request. That's amazing commitment. This company came to us as a recommendation and I'm so glad to say that it lived up to the recommendation and more. I'll be happy to pay it forward....
Craig Hill, Deborah Carroll & Regan Hill, Southern Highlights Tour, Travelled on 19th April 2019
Thankyou so much for helping my family and I have a fantastic experience in New Zealand. Everything went perfectly and we had a wonderful time. Will definitely use you guys again and have already recommended you to three other families!
Susan and Herbert Graf, Auckland to Christchurch Self Drive Tour, Travelled on 15th April 2019
My husband and I were met at Auckland airport and without delay we were taken to the Sofitel Viaduct Harbour. We were very impressed with the high quality of the accommodation and very relieved when we were shown to our room straight away at 6am! Later in the day we visited the harbour district and walked in to the city centre where we visited the Art Gallery and the Sky Tower. That night we went on the Harbour Dinner Cruise where we met great staff and a diverse group of people of differing nationalities. Fortunately the weather was mild and the sea smooth so that we could enjoy the food and drink. The next day we were very happy to get an upgrade on our rental vehicle and then proceeded out of Auckland toward Rotorua. We enjoyed the trip very much - the countryside was beautiful and the driving conditions were excellent.
Read morePaul & Rebecca Clark, Auckland to Christchurch 12 Day Splendour, Travelled on 14th April 2019
Thank you to Jane for preparing our holiday so well. It was our first time travelling in New Zealand, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. All our reservations for accommodation, activities, car hire and ferry were correct and easy to obtain. All we needed to do was to show up at the right time and enjoy! In the planning process, Jane did a great job in arranging everything we asked, and if there was a variation, she contacted us promptly with alternatives that worked. All my email correspondence with her was handed in a very professional and timely manner and it took all the stress out of the bookings! We appreciated all the extra information on activities that we could do, various sights along the way to look at, and what each accommodation place provided in terms of parking, laundry facilities and kitchenettes. The best accommodation was at Hanmer Springs, but all places were adequate. When we next travel in New Zealand, we are sure to use this company again.
Roy Ong and friends, Fiords, Glaciers and Mountains, Travelled on 13th April 2019
Dear Chelsea, Thank you very much for planning our holiday. We had a very wonderful time driving & enjoying the sights in NZ. Check in was a breeze for all the accommodation you arranged & the staff were helpful & friendly too. Staff at Mt Cook & Kim at Lakefront lodge gave us a very warm welcome. The activities booked were spot on too. We even managed to change the date for the cruise at Queenstown. We really enjoyed some excellent food & services along the way. Rob who pick us at the airport welcome us like friends & provided with us with a brief about Christchurch & gave some suggestions as well. Steve who send us off on the last day was also very friendly & helpful and managed to pick us earlier when requested. Overall it was an excellent holiday & I would not hesitate to recommend your services to all. Once again, thank you very much.
Heather Marshall & Suzanne Wilson, Your customised Southern Highlights Tour, Travelled on 12th April 2019
Thank you for organising our Southern Highlights Tour. We both had a wonderful time and it was fantastic to have our accommodation booked and activities paid for before we departed. All the accommodation was excellent except for the motel in Invercargill, Tower Lodge Motel. The accommodation was suitable for our needs but we could hear everything in the next door room. That is the only complaint I have for the whole trip. The book that we were given at the beginning of our trip was extremely useful and detailed our itinerary, activities and reservation details. We knew that we had some tight time frames in our itinerary for the activities we wanted to do but you accommodated all our requests and with the flexibility to include other activities that we had not booked. Highlights of the trip was the Glacier Explorers boat trip at Mt Cook and the accommodation. The view of the mountains from our room at Aoraki Court Motel was spectacular. There is so much to see and do. There were many firsts for me as I had never been to the bottom of the south island or to the west coast; the glow worm caves at Te Anau; the helicopter ride over Franz Josef glacier; visiting Stewart Island; the skyline gondola ride and spectacular views over Queenstown and buffet dinner (which had just about everything you could wish for); the quaintness of Arrowtown. Thank you again for helping to make this such a memorable holiday for both of us.
Kaye Cooper & Becki Hyde, Fiords, Glaciers and Mountains Self Drive Tour, Travelled on 1st April 2019
We had an awesome trip, everything was arranged perfectly and the accommodation was great. Despite the disappointment of not being able to catch the train from Greymouth back to Christchurch our diversion to Dunedin was most enjoyable Thanks again for arranging everything so well and we will certainly recommend visiting the lovely South Island of New Zealand.
John Noiseux & Nicholas Piasecki, Extended Fiords, Glaciers and Mountains, Travelled on 25th March 2019
Thank you soo much for coordinating our trip. Laura was so helpful - and I’m sure there were a lot of folks needing some adjustments to their itineraries after the west coast bridge washed out - but she was right in it - helping rebook accommodations - providing suggestions. Super awesome to work with! The accommodations that we were connected up with were all very nice. And it was the perfect rental vehicle for the terrain we were on - I would have gotten a smaller car and we would have regretted it over and over. Laura’s advice for spending an extra day we had to fill in Wanaka added one of our favorite hikes of the whole trip. And she was so right about stayin in Punakaiki instead of Greymouth. It was our first time Not completely planning our own trip and we are both so glad we let you guys do it. Thank you so much and all the best!
Ricky & Virginia Lester, Central Highlights Self-Drive Tour, Travelled on 7th April 2019
My wife and I were planning a visit to New Zealand for the first time and felt the need for "on-site" planning help. Nicole proved to be a tremendous resource for planning the driving trip and acquiring the needed car, routes, event tickets, etc. (including air flight from north island to south island and alpine train trip to Christchurch). Having someone meet us at airports to drive to the hotel was a great comfort. There were no hiccups at all during the wonderful 12 days in NZ. Highly recommended!
Rich Reilly & Elaine Warmuth, Queenstown to Auckland Explorer, Travelled on 11th April 2019
Our trip was an amazing adventure! Definitely one of our BEST trips ever! Thank you, thank you!
James & Micki McLaughlin, A Custom Southern Circuit Self-Drive Tour, Travelled on 3rd April 2019
In early April 2019 we had a delightful self-drive tour of the South Island, prepared for us by Christina Brockie of New Zealand Fine Touring. This trip was the culmination of much planning over several months with Christina, involving many emails and phone calls. She was able to determine the type of trip we wanted and get a feel for how we like to travel, and patiently made suggestions accordingly. It was great to have someone with so much local knowledge who could make recommendations for/against any particular matter. As our trip got underway, we were faced with the aftereffects of an earlier storm on the West Coast, which had closed Hwy. 6 from a bridge washout at Franz Josef Village - the only highway on the coast (that route being a necessary part of our planned travels). Christina kept close contact with us about this after we arrived, as we all still hoped that the bridge would be reopened in time for that portion of the trip. However, when it became obvious that other plans had to be made, Christina quickly found substitute housing and activities for us so that our travels could continue without interruption. She also has assisted us in vouching for the matter with our trip insurance policy when a particular motel denied reimbursement due to our ‘late cancellation’ despite the bridge problem. On another unrelated matter, she guided us in dealing with a malfunctioning GPS unit in our rental car to get a replacement. Early on in our trip a dental issue arose for one of us late on a Friday at a place where no area dentist was available. A call to Christina resulted in a contact for emergency dental help in Dunedin (over 3 hours away), and we were able to complete that appointment and finish the trip without further incident. We would have been lost on this without her help. This trip was our combination anniversary/retirement/birthday celebration. It was also the “trip of a lifetime” for us. We owe so much of the success of our adventure to Christina and New Zealand Self Drive Tours. She was always cheerful, candid, professional, quick on correspondence, and easy to deal with (and also took our Texas accents in stride). We’d highly recommend her and the company to anyone seeking assistance to travel in New Zealand. New Zealand seemed to be the cleanest, most beautiful, and one of the friendliest places we have ever been. Seeing it by self-driving also allowed for occasional spontaneous detours to experience even more of this marvelous area at will. Other travelers would do themselves a favor by contacting New Zealand Self Drive Tours!
Trevor and Helen Bentley, North to South Explorer Self Drive Tour, Travelled on 31st March 2019
Wonderful holiday fantastic support from Chelsea lodge who efficiently organised everything we asked. The car hire was really good and accommodation was very good as it was always close to center of towns / cities and of a great standard. The travel pack with map and instructions was a real asset and top idea as were contact numbers if needed. Everything we saw and did was wonderful except Mt Cook where it rained nonstop and was clouded out plus we found the accommodation there was average but you expect that in alpine regions unless you want to spend the earth and we specifically asked for and changed the itinerary to go there. However Franz Joseph more than made up for it with sunny days up on the mountain....thank goodness the bridge was replaced just in time! Fantastic experience and would reccommend the package to anyone, many thanks.
Alicia and Mike Brodner, Customised Taste of the South Self-Drive Tour, Travelled on 30th March 2019
Shelley, We can’t thank you enough for all your care and attention to our self drive trip to the South Island of NZ! Everything was perfect! Thank you especially for handling the last minute changes due to the train not running on the day we had planned and the rerouting due to the bridge wash out on the Western shore. We were disappointed not to see the glacier side of the island, but enjoyed our travels on the East Coast and through the interior. You were most gracious and the accommodations you picked for us were lovely. We especially love the B & B near Twizel, the Manuka Luxury Lodge. Peter and Jo were amazing hosts and the site was just beautiful. We only had one night there but would stay again for sure if we are in NZ. We highly recommend NZ Self Drive Tours and especially Shelly Ryder as a Travel Agent. All the best. Your country is just beautiful!!!
John Callaghan & Marc Levan, Fiords, Glaciers, and Mountains 12 Day Self Drive Tour, traveled on 22 March 2019
We really enjoyed our holiday though it feels like an eternity ago and were very pleased with the help and advice you gave us, both in preparing for and during the trip (particularly that flooding event). We’ll be back, that’s for sure. Probably a similar sort of holiday but this time around the north island. If we choose a self-drive we’ll definitely be using you guys again.
Mary & Peter Somerville, Our Epic New Zealand Wine Journey, Travelled on 26th March 2019
It has been a week since we returned home from our 3 week self driving tour of New Zealand. What great memories we have! First of all I want to thank Brigett for helping me organize the trip. I honestly did not really know what to expect. However, I was pleasantly surprised by everything! There were absolutely no problems with our tour. Everything went as planned...I could not be more pleased. All reservations for places to stay and the various tours we had planned were confirmed and we were welcomed everywhere! We had a wonderful vacation. New Zealand is indeed a special place to visit. People could not have been more welcoming. I am so glad we decided on a self-driving tour. We were able to stop whenever we wanted and had plenty of time to see things at our leisure. Brigett was easy to work with and had great ideas about what we should see and do. If you are lucky enough to be able to plan a trip to New Zealand, I would not hesitate to use Brigett and the NZ Self Drive Tours people to assist you!
Gene & Karen Bruni, Christchurch to Auckland Must Do Tour, Travelled on 25th March 2019
It was an Amazing trip of a lifetime! And it all started with the Excellent guidance of Laura Davidson and N.Z. Self Drive Tours! Every detail was well planned and set in motion from the very beginning, and we would recommend Laura to anyone considering seeing N.Z.
Di Margetts & Helen Jessop, A Customised Southern Icons Self Drive Tour, Travelled on 5th March 2019
My friend and I worked with Christina Brockie to customised one of the Southern Self Drive Tours. Christina was so easy to work with and any variations requested were no problem for her to organise. We travelled in March 2019 and would do it all over again given the opportunity. Every where we stayed was excellent and exceeded our expectations. The staff were friendly and helpful. All the activities we chose were well organised and fun. We especially loved the overnight cruise to Doubtful Sound. With all activities we noticed Maori History was given as well as white settlement. As the Australian on this tour I was particularly impressed and hope we can take a lesson from NZs example. The driving distances and times were very doable without being tiring. (the driver was 75) At Mt Cook the weather was foul so the planned walk was cancelled but we went on a 4 wheel drive explore of the ice lake area. Most knowledgeable driver and guide so we still were able to something of the area. Te Anau was lovely and especially the glow worm caves. It was really quite a spiritual experience given we were asked to be silent. We strongly commend this experience. next was a Milford Sound Nature Cruise. Once again superb scenery and excellent commentary. Then came overnight cruise on Doubtful Sound. If we HAD to choose a highlight this would be it. Fun, enlightening and again almost spiritual experience when we were asked for silence for 10 minutes. The engines were switched off and we simply stood on the decks and heard the sounds of silence and waterfalls in the distance. Cannot recommend this trip more highly. In Queenstown we met up with two young English friends who happened to be working there as part of their travelling visa. What a bonus. While there we also went on the Shotover Jet boat experience; experience being the operative word. This was also a highlight and urge anyone of any age to do it. I was 75 at the time and it was such FUN. The driver was so clearly competent and gave us clear, concise information to maintain our safety. Would do it again in a heartbeat. We also want on TSS Earnslaw Gourmet BBQ dinner and farm tour. Gourmet is the correct description. 5 star meal suitable for both meat eaters and vegetarians alike. Franz Joseph was lovely however the flight was cancelled given both weather and we discovered the immediate response to the Christchurch Massacre included grounding aircraft. We were delighted by the Grey Mouth to Christchurch train with its stunning views and excellent service. Arriving back in Christchurch we both felt very subdued and the shock of the massacre was palpable in the atmosphere. We abandoned walking around the town, believing people needed privacy and space so took a day tour and cruise to Akaroa. Again we recommend this tour to anyone. So interesting and informative as well as fun. Thank you Christine and NZ Self drive tours. We could not and did not have one minute of regret, irritation, stuff up or lack of service. For anyone looking at what they could do in 12 days we cannot recommend more highly following a similar route. Enjoy and THANK YOU .
Linda & David O'Brien, North Island Highlight Tour, Travelled on 30th March 2019
Hi Abbey! Firstly let me say it has been a pleasure dealing with you throughout all the stages of our holiday. At all times I felt we were in good hands. Our trip began so well with being met at the airport and the scenic drive to our hotel. Our driver told us about the Street Food night in Cuba Street and we enjoyed time there later that evening. Hotel Ibis ( as we have found in other places around the world) was comfortable and a short taxi ride to pick up our nice, almost new Mazda. All was handled very professionally at the Budget office. We were on our way. We found the directions in our handbook very helpful and found our way mostly with ease throughout our journey. The notes re places along the way certainly made our travels more interesting. The weather was generally kind to us with the exception of the day we drove from Napier to Rotorua when much needed rain poured all the way. However this did not adversely affect our trip. Having two days in a number of places was much appreciated. We especially loved our trip to Waihiki Island in Auckland as well as our time in Pahia and exploring the Bay of islands. All in all we had a lovely holiday.
Helen & Tom Gregson, Your Customised Cape to Capital Self Drive Tour, Travelled on 23rd March 2019
We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and were very impressed with all the arrangements made by New Zealand Self Drive Tours. We appreciated being met at Auckland Airport and driven to our accommodation. The information package was extremely comprehensive and covered all our destinations plus suggestions as to what other activities we could undertake. We did not experience any problems with any of the arrangements which you had made on our behalf.
Arthur Dewar & Diane Haggerty, Customised New Zealand Grand, Travelled on 20th March 2019
Holiday arrangements were easy to follow. Map book & brochures were excellent. The Car GPS was hard to see & perhaps a little old. Had to press quite hard for it to accept our input. Annoying to have to sit it over the radio screen. Prefer more modem GPS within the car dash. Found it better to use our own phone. Accommodation was satisfactory, but some was a little under spec I think. Overall we were pleased with what you did & would recommend your service.
Ron, Lori & Brooke Belluomini, Milford Sound Spectacular 8 Day Tour, Travelled on 18th March 2019
Hi Louise, We had an amazing time in New Zealand. Everything went according to plan and on time. All reservations were ideal and seamless. Your services were very reliable and helped make our trip perfect. The only change we made was stopping in Queenstown. We would have liked more time there. We did push the Glow worm tour to a couple of hours later so we could spend some time in Queenstown. We would recommend your tour company to anyone that is planning a trip to New Zealand. Thank you again for everything.
Karen & David Cook, Essential Southern Extravaganza, Travelled on 12th March 2019
Our trip to New Zealand was absolutely wonderful and we give both Brigett and NZ Self Drive Tours 5 stars! Brigett was wonderful in helping us customize our trip to include special activities like kayaking. All of the arrangements were perfect, and everyone was expecting us when we arrived. Mother Nature caused a few glitches, but we were warned of the problems and other arrangements were quickly made for us. The company has done a great job in selecting excellent providers for accommodations and activities. We were booked for private tours and our guides made sure that we weren't held up or inconvenienced by large groups. I can't imagine a better way to see New Zealand!
Leonard & Rosdiana Ginocchi, Classic New Zealand Driving Adventure, Travelled on 4th March 2019
We are in Christchurch departing to the USA in the morning. My wife and I want to thank you for the truly wonderful job you did with the schedule and suggested activities. We very much enjoyed what was a somewhat hectic but very interesting schedule and really enjoyed visiting many of the less “touristy” small towns like your hometown of Wanaka. I could live comfortably there. The guides on all suggested activities were “tremendous” and really “into their jobs”. Thanks so much
Richard and Jennifer, 26 Days Exploring Aotearoa Great Outdoors Tour, travelled on 2nd March 2019
Shelley from New Zealand Self Drive Tours worked with us to arrange a month long vacation to both islands. She was very accommodating from the start helping us devise the best route for all the places we wanted to see. She also made suggestions on tours, activities, where to spend more time and where to spend less. Once the decisions where made and we were happy with the itinerary Shelley arranged everything for us. From the initial greeting at the airport, all accommodations, all car rental pick up and drop offs, ferry tickets, train tickets, tours and activities. We had one small miscommunication regarding the car rental and Shelley took care of it promptly. Everything went off without a hitch. The accommodations were, on the whole, excellent as were the drivers, guides and activity companies. We are very satisfied with New Zealand Self Drive Tours and would recommend them.
Douglas & Barbara Click, 24 Day Discover New Zealand, Travelled on 8th March 2019
WONDERFUL TRIP....EVERY detail was covered perfectly....the places we stayed where very hospitable and clean...the suggestions of where and how much time to spend at any one place were spot on! You did a top notch job....(not to mention rearranging everything when the trip up the western side had to be changed due to washed out bridge etc). Thank you!
Margaret and Malcolm James, South Island Coastal Self Drive Tour, Travelled on 6th March 2019
Thanks so much for your wonderful organisation of our trip Chelsea. All went very smoothly from the beginning, with Adrian picking us up from the airport and Christchurch railway station to our leaving our car at Christchurch airport at the end of the holiday. All the accommodation was great and the excursions also well planned, especially the Milford Sound cruise as the morning trip was a more convenient time than later, as there were numerous tour Buses taking up lots of spaces in the car park. The Queenstown SS Earnslaw dinner cruise was amazing. This is a must and the Gondola ride was spectacular, thanks so much, Chelsea! I adored the whole adventure! The TranzAlpine trip was breathtaking! The Queenstown motel complimented NZ Fine Touring for their excellent organising. We were deeply saddened by the Christchurch mosques incident. We were also shocked by the Waiho Bridge destruction, near Franz Josef and it was a shame that the open bridge carriage on the train was shut, but it's understandable. We will definitely come back to our favourite places in the South Island and possibly include the North Island.
Ronald & Laura Green, A South Island Explorer, Travelled on 5th March 2019
Everything was great, your choice of hotels was terrific, especially the Fletcher Lodge in Dunedin, which is a spectacular old house. I wish we could have spent more time in Christchurch as we found it to be a delightful city, fortunately we had left before the terrible shootings. The Merivale Manor was very comfortable and we enjoyed our short stay there. We enjoyed the Punt trip on the Avon as well as the Tram and Gondola rides. So once again we enjoyed visiting your beautiful country and will maybe return at some point in the future and thanks so much for all your guidance and attention.
Edwin Saw Group, Revised Essential South Island 10 Day Tour, Travelled on 17th March 2019
We (19 of us) have a wonderful time doing a 10 days Self Drive Tours expertly and meticulously arranged by New Zealand Touring Company. At time when we needed assistance, they were prompt to attend to our needs. All arrangement, from pick-up transfer, accommodation, tours and optional activities including the Info Pack were very thoughtfully planned. We thank Jane for a memorable holiday in South Island.
Ciy and Sharon Young, Auckland to Wellington Highlights, Travelled on 16th March 2019
Our time in New Zealand was excellent. Everything went as planned. The weather held and the crowds stayed home. All of our side excursions were very enjoyable. Our favourites were: 1. Weta Cave 2. Hobbiton 3. Zealandia Our communication with you was excellent, the material provided was good, I suggest you add postal codes to the itinerary locations as they make use of the GPS in the car much easier. Thank you
Judy and Keith Parker, Auckland to Christchurch 14 Day Explorer, Travelled on 13th March 2019
Thank you Chelsea Lodge for an amazing trip! We were so happy with all the arrangements you made for us. It was such a pleasure to travel without worries about where to stay and to have all our activities taken care of. New Zealand is such a beautiful place but it is the people we met that will stay with us. So warm and welcoming. We have already recommended your service to a number of friends who have been inspired by our experience. Thanks again for a great adventure!
Mitch Sogin & Laurel Miller, Spectacular South Island Self Drive Tour, Travelled on 11th March 2019
We had a wonderful time in NZ. Overall the schedule worked quite well. Each day we experienced wonderful walks that on average exceeded 16 km. We especially enjoyed the Wanaka area and the walk to Rob Roy glacier. The hooker trail was interesting but as expected many many people were on that track . We found numerous other walks that revealed the amazing beauty of NZ. Even the drives between locations were enjoyable. As for lodging, the only disappointment was the Millennium Hotel in Queenstown. Initially they booked us into a room that was below street grade and directly faced a very noisy intersection of two busy streets. They did find a way to move us later in our stay to an interior courtyard room but overall the room was significantly inferior to every other hotel that we visited. The one thing we learned is eating out every night (something we normally do not experience because of a tendency to rent condos or homes with cooking facilities) quickly gets old. We want to thank you for organizing this visit and I suspect we will plan to return to NZ for a longer period of time in the not too distant future. Best wishes.
Joe Wilhoit & Chuqiu Wu, Auckland to Christchurch 10 Day Highlights, Travelled on 5th March 2019
We did a 10 day tour starting In Auckland on North Island and ending in Christchurch on South Island with Jane as our agent . It was great trip, although we had a few days of rainy weather. Being from the US I was a little nervous about driving on left side of roadway, but I didn't have too many problems, I managed not to make very many other drivers angry ..lol The itinerary that Jane put together was very nice and we did a lot of the suggested activities plus more. The accommodations were nice except parking at Wellington NZ hostel was a little bit of hassle. Also the rental car shuffle from North Island to South Island was a little bit of hassle; if you can retain car on ferry that would be much better. If you are interested in some beautiful country and nice people New Zealand is the place to visit. After you been there a few days and get your bearings you can wander off and enjoy very many delightful things to do. Now that I have been there once the next trip you can customize things that you missed the first time. I will be returning for sure Thanks Jane and NZ Self Drive tours
Ken & Lesley Hobday, Jon & Julie Limmer, Custom Ultimate North to South New Zealand Tour, Travelled on 5th March 2019
With many thanks to NZ Self-Drive Tours and specifically to Brigett Turner, we enjoyed a wonderful and unforgettable 16 day trip through the North and South Island in early March. Special memories include our tour of Te Puia in Rotorua (with an extremely informative Maori guide), our heli-hike on the Hooker Glacier in Mt. Cook N.P., the beauty and hospitality we experienced at Hidden Lodge B&B in Queenstown, cruising Milford Sound, and hiking in the Franz Josef Glacier area. Everything was exceptionally well-organized and the lodgings Brigett chose were all quite memorable. We have already recommended NZ Self-Drive Tours to friends and will continue to do so. Thank you so much for helping us make memories!
Ann Killian and Catherine Phillips, The Customised Day Discover New Zealand, Travelled on 4th March 2019
Thank you for organising our holiday in NZ. Had a fantastic time. The itinerary and organised activities were well planned and most enjoyable. All accommodation was spot on - very clean and centrally located in each town/city, all motel owners were very helpful. The only complaint would be is that some of the beds were a bit uncomfortable. All planned activities were great. Such a variety, I think we traveled on just about every type of transport you can do! It was great that while traveling in between destinations there was enough time to do our own thing as we researched each night and found other sights along the way. The locals were very friendly and guided us to the best spots to see. NZ is such a beautiful country and so scenic. We will definitely recommend our friends to go and see for themselves. Self driving was a great way to see everything as Traveling on a bus tour would not have been suitable for us. Thanks again it was fantastic. Ann Killian
Will & Laura Rollin, Your 21 Day New Zealand Adventure, Travelled on 28th February 2019
We want to thank NZ Self Drive Tours for such a wonderful and exciting trip! Our trip was amazing, we just wish we could have spent more time in your fabulous county. The activities and pace were perfect and we enjoyed every minute. Heather was easy to work with and really listened to what our desires were. She helped to facilitate a special trip for us. We had no glitches and everything flowed perfectly. All our reservations and activities were well planned and exactly what we asked for. We were able to spend time exploring on our own and meet some new friends and see some amazing places. We liked having the ability to do our own thing and not worry about where to stay or keep to a specific schedule. We want to return again and again to further explore and experience all New Zealand has to offer. The only thing that we think we would have changed was not staying in major cities, though we did enjoy seeing them, but to stay more rural and spend more time hiking and exploring small towns and villages. We loved Te Anau, Franz Joseph and Kaikoura and exploring the area around Queenstown (Arrowtown, Kinlock, Greenstone, etc.) The Rainforest Retreat was awesome and we loved it! We loved the county side of the Fiordlands and the Milford Sound and the beaches were incredible. Our Canopy Tour was both fun and very educational. We explored several museums in Auckland, Christchurch and Rotorua. The Tamaki Village was wonderful. Thank You again for such a wonderful experience and we can't say enough about what an exceptional trip. We will definitely recommend your company to our friends. Thanks Again!
Lucienne Godbout & Gilles Beaulieu, Custom Essential New Zealand, Travelled on 21st February 2019
We have been back home for almost two weeks and our savouring all are memories from New Zealand! We truly enjoyed our New Zealand self-driving tour and your work in getting our itinerary right was a great part of our great trip! We particularly liked our visit to Bay of Islands and our stay at the Bellrock Lodge in Russell; our trip to Mount Cook and our stay at the Hermitage Hotel; our visit of Hobbiton, our stay at the Black Swan and our day at the Polynesian Spa (a gift from our daughters!); our visit of Christchurch and our stay at the Merivale; we could not have asked for better days doing the excellent Doubtfull Sounds excursion and the Trans-Alpine train trip! We soon realized that the suggested driving times are underestimated and everyone mentioned this Google issue! Of course there are a few things we would have done differently: the Hanmer Springs accommodations were not at part with our other lodging and we preferred the Rotorua Spa experience; our stay at the McHardy Lodge in Napier was very comfortable but we felt we were disturbing the host. While we enjoyed our stay at the McCormick House and at the Fyffe Country Lodge, we probably could have skipped the Hanmer Springs stay and rearranged our trip in terms of a better distribution of time driving per day.
Nandan & Jyotsna Sashital, Uday & Kanchan Nadkarny, Aruna Naimpalli, Custom Whirlwind Tour, Travelled on 22nd February 2019
Our trip to NZ was memorable. The itinerary was well planned and we were able to see most of the South and North Islands. The hotels were very good except the one in Te Anau. Overall, I will give this trip five stars and to Brigett for planning this trip. We will come back again to visit areas that we missed. It is a beautiful country and the people are very friendly.
Mike & Mary Baker, 21 Day Ultimate New Zealand Discovery, Travelled on 19th February 2019
Our 21 day self driving tour of NZ was a once in a lifetime experience. The accommodation arrangements were superb. All of the extra activities we scheduled were great. The absolute best activities were the 1 day of flyfishing with Paul of Glendeer Guides, the gondola trip in Queenstown and the Waitomo glow worm caves. The weather for the most part was excellent and escaping the winter weather in the NW of the US was really great. A big thank you to your company for putting this all together.
Cheryl & Bryan Jordan, Natural New Zealand - Hidden Gems tour, traveled 11th March 2019
Louise, I want to thank you so much for your brilliant organisation of our NZ holiday. Most especially, for coming to our rescue and organising wonderful alternatives for us when our West Coast plans got washed away with the bridge. It was incredibly comforting to know you had our back and would manage it all brilliantly. Lake Tekapo and Mt Cook were, in fact, the highlight of our trip – the views from The Hermitage, oh my! That stay was particularly joyful for me because I had foot surgery just before we left Adelaide so was quite limited in the range of walking I could do. But at Mt Cook, I could just sit and watch that mountain all day while Bryan had lots of fun with a glacier. The booklet with all of our booking details and suggestions for activities became our bible and so so useful – it seemed you had thought of everything we could want or need, just so helpful. All of our bookings were smooth and hitch-free and the accommodation was really good (The Hermitage was amazing!). The one exception perhaps was the Quest in Christchurch which was a bit strange and claustrophobic and their customer service wasn’t great. Particularly when you tried to contact us about the train cancellation – they apparently kept ringing our room but I was sat next to the phone all afternoon and evening and the phone didn’t ring. I was surprised that they didn’t try our mobile numbers because they had those details. Which also made me realise that I didn’t let you know our NZ phone numbers which I should have done, my apologies. Anyway, I thought you might like that feedback about the Quest – it was fine, just not quite up to the standard you had set for us previously and after! Thanks again Louise, your support, good humour and amazing attention to detail was very much appreciated by both of us!
Andrew and Helene Bowie, Auckland to Christchurch Highlights, Travelled on 5th March 2019
Our trip to New Zealand, organised by you was not just a story but was so wonderful. Simply a living dream. We have nothing whatsoever to complain about. Thank you so much for the lovely itinerary. There was pleasure joy and happiness. We were bit sorry that we could not thank you personally. Thank you again a million times. We wish you all the best for you and please continue with the good work.
Andrew Nicholas, Auckland to Wellington 8 Day Highlights, Travelled on 6th March 2019
Thank you very much Chelsea for your help in organising and tailoring my holiday. I had a wonderful time! The only feedback I would provide relates to the car hire and scheduling. I collected the car in Auckland at about 9:30 to drive to Matamata in time for 1:00pm. To drop the car off in Wellington by 10:00am leaving from Martinborough was not feasible so I was charged an extra day's car hire. I understand this was my agreement with Europcar but I would have preferred the option up front of 7 days rental rather than 6 which would have been much cheaper.
Peter & Gillian Brown, Customised Southern Circuit Christchurch to Wellington, Travelled on 1st March 2019
Gillian and I want to thank you Shelley for all the time an effort you obviously put in to creating our trip. Nothing seemed too much trouble for you as we chopped and changed before finally settling on what we wanted. Everything went almost exactly to plan and the only bit that didn't was due to the weather which, of course, is unpredictable and unavoidable. The accommodation you chose was excellent, as was the car from Budget. We did find the driving directions were sometimes a bit confusing, generally because they gave all the individual street or road names to turn into or out of, but often these were not shown or mentioned on the map, or in many cases un-signposted. However, despite this minor issue, the car had it's own built in navigator in addition to the Navman also supplied so we arrived at each destination without a drama. On one or two occasions we were diverted from the suggested route by one or other of the navigators but this lead to exploring back roads which were less well travelled and hence, even more enjoyable. We absolutely loved the South Island. The scenery was diverse and magnificent and the driving was easy.The suggested and included activities were all excellent (apart from Mt Cook which was cancelled due to weather). We think our favourite was the Queenstown TSS Earnslaw cruise to Walter Peak with the delicious BBQ dinner etc. This was a real show-stopper and should be undertaken by everyone visiting Queenstown. Overall, the various component of the itinerary came together seamlessly, making for an unforgettable adventure. A huge thank you from both Gillian and myself.
Marta & Peter Herzog, Our Very Own New Zealand Northbound Encounter, Travelled on 1st March 2019
Thank you so very much for helping us to set up this wonderful experience. Little did we know that Peter would be in the hospital only one week before and we almost didn't make it. That experience gave our vacation all the more meaning when we realized what we could have missed. New Zealand is one of the most beautiful countries we have visited and the excursions you sent us on were fabulous. You really added value!!! All of your arrangements went off without a hitch. All of our accommodations were up to our standards or the best that I believe was available and we could see the wisdom of your choices. I believe the only suggestion we could come up with was that we started adding about an hour to all of our drive times each day to allow for traffic and our making wrong turns (tourists don't always know where they are going.) The very first day our GPS got us going in the opposite direction and so we stopped using it, feeling that I was a better navigator. We had a blast and a very memorable experience! Thank you so much, Marta PS I will send referrals if I have an opportunity!
Will & Laura Rollin, Your 21 Day New Zealand Adventure, Travelled on 28th February 2019
Everything about this experience was great! After contacting the company about the package we wanted, they contacted us & serious negotiation began. They were very flexible. On arrival, our ride was waiting with a full information packet with step-by-step instructions, and literally everything for the next 24 days was like clockwork! Hotels, rental cars, event reservations and flights were all smooth! If you want autonomy in your trip, you can’t go wrong with New Zealand Self-Drive Tours!
Bill & Lorraine Thomas, Grand New Zealand - A Self Drive Tour, Travelled on 16th February 2019
We had a fantastic time in NZ and the itinerary showcased the magical scenery the country has to offer. Our accommodation was always of a high standard and the suggested activities we took up were all excellent value. Principal highlights were the Gap in the Rock cruise at the Bay of Islands, the thermal activity park at Rotorua, the Interislander cruise between north and south islands, the glacier cruise at Mt Cook, the Milford Sound cruise and the gondola ride and dinner at the Stratosphere Restaurant in Queenstown. But every day was priceless and we can unreservedly recommend this trip to anyone who enjoys beautiful scenery and getting close to nature.
Preston and Janet Adcox, Customised Ultimate Discover New Zealand Tour, Travelled on 12th February 2019
My wife and I used NZ Self Drive Tours for a month long North and South island trip. We were completely satisfied with our trip including accommodations, rental car selection, suggested attractions, and route plans. We experienced a couple of minor reservation and car glitches which were immediately addressed. We were really impressed with the planning process, friendly help, attention to detail, and follow-up when needed. We were 100% satisfied!
Mark & Marcia Pratt, Ronald Fann & Molly C. Little, Extended New Zealand Iconic Explorer, Travelled on 23rd February 2019
The Fann’s and Pratt’s loved our New Zealand holiday which Jane designed for us went off without a hitch. From the pickup at the airport, to all the hotel and BnB reservations, to the car rental and ferry reservations, and special activity reservations, all went perfect. It allowed the four of us to just concentrate on the beauty and uniqueness of NZ. We particularly enjoyed the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves, the unique quaint town of Napier, the beautiful ferry ride from the north to the South Island, the Kaikoura whale watching boat outing, the whole Mt. Cook National Park area and especially the Mt. Cook Glacier Explorers outing, the Queenstown TSS Earnslaw cruise to and dinner at Walter’s Peak Station, the Milford Sound tour, the Twin Glaciers Scenic Helicopter flight, and the beautiful village of Franz Josef. The phone SIM cards came in very handy for checking the SUV GPS against Google Maps and also allowing connectivity away from WiFi. All-in-all this was a once-in-a-lifetime vacation! Thank you!
Tony and Michelle Ballard, Exciting Auckland to Wellington Highlights, Travelled on 17th February 2019
Abby, we had an amazing holiday on the North Island and we're so glad we used NZ Self Drive Tours. From the time we started organising our holiday via emails with you, to the day we flew back to Perth from your beautiful country, we never had a problem. All the tours we took that you guys recommended (and a couple of other tours in Rotorua that we saw online that you booked for us) were fantastic. Accommodation was really good and the car and its GPS were great too. This was one of the most enjoyable trips we've done because we didn't have to worry about anything - you had done it all for us. All we had to do was decide where to eat each day, and boy did we have some great meals! We will definitely be using you guys when we do our self drive tour of the South Island in a couple of years - that's a promise!
Amy & Jim Thompson, Jeannie & Jim Linsley, South Island Coastal with Rotorua and Auckland, Travelled on 17th February 2019
Christina, Thank you for your help on our trip. Overall, we had a Fantastic time! The hotels were very nice, clean and comfortable. Our activities were well organized, fun and entertaining. The drives were reasonable and beautiful. We loved the Country! There are a few things that we noted that I will provide as feedback. Again, we had a Wonderful time! Thank you for your help putting our trip together! I have already recommended NZ Self Drive Tours and will again.
Lareen Galleid & Chris Stevenson, A New Zealand Motorbike Exploration, Travelled on 9th February 2019
Christina was extremely helpful in the planning and booking stages and made our tour really memorable for us. Without her help we would not have managed such effective use of our time, nor would we have seen some of the very best roads in the country. Touring by motorbike is different than by car, and Christina understood that well. The places we stayed were almost all excellent - we didn't enjoy the Copthorne hotel in Paihia (which was only booked when the first choice had been filled before we finalised). We also found the hotel in Wellington unhelpful with regard to parking, and inconvenient with our room being upstairs (having to carry bike gear up and down). Finally the Picton Yacht Club was below standard - not clean, worn carpets. Otherwise all our stops were most enjoyable, especially the Waldorf studio apartments in Auckland, the Snells Beach motel, the Oceans Resort in Whitianga, the Lugano Motor Lodge in Blenheim, the Clearbrook Motel in Wanaka, and Woodland Park in Waitomo. All provided an extra something by way of customer service or facilities. The tours Christina suggested were also first class. We really enjoyed Waiheke Island, Hobbiton, boat trip at Mount Cook, Milford Sound, and the boat trip at Wanaka, not to forget the glow worms! All worked nicely into our schedule and preferences. So our heartfelt thanks to Christina, and New Zealand, for a trip we will never forget.
Julie & Brian Thomson, Auckland to Queenstown Southbound Explorer, Travelled on 18th February 2019
Wow. What a fabulous holiday. Christina had everything arranged and Nesse stepped in when there was a mishap and Christina was on holiday. The transfers,locations, accommodation and the tours were just amazing. If I had to pick one place, it would be the overnight cruise on Doubtful sound... or was it the helicopter flight over Franz Josef glacier. Really can't choose, all awesome. Thank you, we will be recommending your company.
Jim & Ruth Turner, Customised Discover New Zealand Tour!, Travelled on 15th February 2019
Sarah and Nisse put together a wonderful trip. Would definitely recommend thus to others. It both saved us a huge hassle of organizing this on our own and putting us in hotels and tours we might not have known about or found on our own. Please thank them for us. The hospitality industry is really about the details. As they say, the devil is in the details. We were very impressed with the comprehensive packet you put together for us and gave us on our arrival and your attention to the details. The only suggestion we can offer at this point is that we ended up going into places (hotels, tours) without any paperwork and just giving them our name. This, we found out, does not always work. Suggest that you make it clear to your future guests that they always take their booking number with them at all stops. A possible option is for you guys to add one more page to their trip book .. a page of pre-printed, perforated vouchers, .. 16 per page, sort like a of business card size vouches that they would just tear out and bring with them. Jim
Dave and Carol Hastings, Customised New Zealand Naturally Experience, Travelled on 14th February 2019
We had a wonderful time! The itinerary book and atlas were a great help. The accommodation varied but all were adequate. Mercure Wellington Apartments was very hot with no air conditioning. It was very noisy and windy with windows open. The Staff was great though. Our room at Punakaiki Resort had ripped screens, but location was fabulous. It was the only restaurant which we were disappointed in the meal and service. Our very favorite was the Kimi Ora Eco Resort. We could could have easily spent another night. The Maple lodge was a wonderful place to celebrate my birthday and the golf course had stunning views. It is hard to pick our favorite place or activity, but I think Milford Sound was the most spectacular. We loved the Progressive Wine tour and the atmosphere in Napier as well. The jet boat was fun and we also did The Tss Earnslaw/ Walter Peak lunch cruise. Beautiful place on a beautiful day. Thank you for your efforts, it truly was the best trip ever!
Mary Ellen & Wayne Heike, North Island and top of the South New Zealand Explorer, Travelled on 8th February 2019
We had a great time on the trip Self Drive Tours planned for us. Just about all the hotels met our expectations and we were guided to some of the great highlights the North Island offers. When booking the trip, would suggest working closely with your consultant to make sure you have everything you are expecting. Check out all the hotels and work with the consultant to ensure they meet your expectations. We found working with Erynn to be a great experience and she really helped us map out a trip that was memorable.
Daniel, Sheri & Taylor Mclane, A Custom 7 Day Central North Island Explorer Tour, Travelled on 2nd March 2019
Visiting a foreign country can be challenging. I reached out to New Zealand Self Drive Tours for helping. After a short interview, Christina put together an itinerary for us that was perfect. It had excellent outings and plenty of free time to allow us to explore. Every planned outing had a reservation that helped us enjoy the activity without any drama. The lodgings and car where exactly what we wanted. I highly recommend this organization.
Chris & Christine Wragg, Revised 25 Day Discover New Zealand, Travelled on 5th February 2019
My wife (Christine) and I booked our trip to New Zealand from 6th Feb-2nd March 2019 with Jane Zwerrenz, who could not have been more helpful. We started making arrangements with her in early 2018 and over the months before our trip we worked together on an itinerary that ended up suiting us perfectly. The choices that Jane helped us to make about what places to visit and what activities to take part in, gave us an excellent overview of both North and South Islands. The accommodation that Jane chose for us was first class and we could not fault any of it. When we did have a little hiccup with hiring our first car, Jane sorted this out in minutes! It was definitely worth upgrading our hire car to a small SUV, it made some of the journeys just that little bit more enjoyable. I love driving and I thoroughly enjoyed the 3,971 miles that we covered in 20 days. We have so many memories, but some the highlights would include seeing orcs and dolphins on our boat trip in the Bay of Islands, Rotorua, seeing kiwis in Zoolandia in Wellington, Aoraki/Mount Cook, seeing Albatross and penguins on the Ortago Peninsula, getting soaked in a waterfall in Milford Sound, Queenstown and the amazing accommodation (Rainforest Retreat) we had in Franz Josef. We even got to like Auckland... well Devonport in particular! The only thing we regret is not having more time in New Zealand. Although we saw and did a lot in our 25 days there is still so much more that we would like to see. Probably not going to happen, but if we could we would return in an instance and we would have no hesitation in asking Jane for he help again or recommending her to anyone we might know who is thinking of going to New Zealand. In addition to all that Jane did for us and the amazing people we met, we cannot fault Singapore Airlines and would highly recommend them to any traveler. The one thing that I would defiantly do next time is to take a spare phone and buy a NZ pay-as-you-go sim card - would have made phoning within NZ a lot cheaper! So a big thank you to everyone who helped to create a lifetime of memories for my wife and I.
Jeremy Bartle and Rungrawee Saibut, Auckland to Queenstown Southbound Explorer, travelled on 12th February 2019
Now our tour has finished I thought you might like to know what we thought. In summary, we had a great time, almost everywhere we went we kept saying that next time we’d need to spend a bit longer here. It was one of the best holidays we have ever had, neither of us wanted to come home. Thank you very much for arranging everything so well.
Juliana & Juzailah Khatmin, The Natural Wonders Of The South Island, Travelled on 1st March 2019
Kia Ora from Singapore. That is one word which we pick up at least. We would like express our appreciation to Nichole White for making our vacation a memorable one! Throughout the entire trip, it was a smooth transition. All the arrangements (ie. car rental, hotel & motel accommodation) were excellent. Thank you so much once again, too bad didn’t get the chance to meet you in person. We would love to visit your beautiful & peaceful country again someday.
Paul and Julie Rogers, Northbound Explorer of New Zealand, Travelled on 16th February 2019
We had a wonderful trip! Everything went very smoothly, the accommodations were lovely, and the itinerary was perfect. We only wish we could have stayed longer. D One question--Our train from Christchurch to Blenheim was cancelled. They transported us on coaches, which was fine, and sent a refund of half the cost of the train. Thanks for arranging an awesome trip!
Joanna & Charles Warren and Andrea & Kurt Nelson, Customised Classic New Zealand Driving Tour, Travelled on 10th February 2019
Hi Christina! This has been the MOST fabulous trip!! You arranged everything so perfectly and every tour, hotel, and person we encountered were beyond wonderful. We have already one other couple ready to sign up with you. NZ is positively fabulous and we are so glad we had the opportunity to go. We would recommend you, your company and NZ to anyone and everyone!
Rick and Denise Smith, Ultimate Explorer Tour of New Zealand, Travelled on 31st January 2019
These are my thoughts on our trip. Kelly did a great job of identifying our interests when she scheduled our activities. We loved the winery and brewery tours. The activities on the water were excellent, the highlight was sailing in Auckland Harbour, especially because I was allowed to sail that magnificent vessel. We really enjoyed the Coves, Caves and Coastline Cruise In Whitianga, however, we nearly missed this tour because Captain Ken wasn’t aware that we were scheduled to go out with him that morning. He advised that he had received a last minute request from another couple that morning, and that was why he was at the wharf. He was an excellent tour guide and we thoroughly enjoyed our time on his boat. We really appreciated the recommendations in our tour book stops along our route. We did make a stop that wasn’t included in the book, and were very happy that we did. We drove out to Cape Palliser to see the lighthouse, and immerse ourselves in the fur seal colony. You might consider including a recommendation in future client’s travel books. The accommodations met our needs very nicely. We found every one to be clean and in very good repair. The beds were all comfortable and we found the staff to be very helpful and friendly. Our sincere appreciation to both you and Kelly for putting together this trip.
John & Ann Hampson, Customised Return New Zealand Explorer, Travelled on 6th February 2019
A great trip planned by Shelley, driving distances were just right allowing time to sightsee and enjoy coffee breaks. Hotels at the various locations were well chosen most having excellent views, We also enjoyed the side trips as recommended giving us a chance to experience more of what New Zealand had to offer especially the tours of various vineyards
Rosanne Schoech, Top of the South Island Self Drive, Travelled on 2nd February 2019
Brigett did an amazing job to get my trip organised with less than a weeks notice. The team were always available to assist me if i had any questions. We loved our trip and it was so easy with everything organised so well.
Nicole & Cedric Tille, 18 Day New Zealand Must Do Tour, Travelled on 6th January 2019
We had an absolutely awesome time in NZ. We were very lucky just about everywhere with our excursions except for the whale watching tour. Apparently you have become a refund of it. It would be kind of you to give us this money back. The first car we rented was ok, except from the GPS that wasn't up to date. We had an upgrade on the second car, that was quite luxurious. All accommodations were very nice except perhaps the Terra Vive Luxury Suites, though. We feel so sorry for what just happened yesterday in Christchurch. This is really horrifying. Hope you're not too much under shock. Looking forward to hear from you soon.
Gregory Taylor & Michael Briones, Auckland to Christchurch Essential Highlights, Travelled on 14th February 2019
We very much enjoyed everything about the trip! The hotels were all comfortable, clean, and centrally located. All of the activities were great. We especially enjoyed the volcano hike, the jet boat ride, and the ferry ride between the north and south islands. The driving was surprisingly easy and allowed us to view the wonderful landscape, and to visit two winery regions which were beautiful! Our one driver who took us to the wineries near Picton thought it was hilarious that we asked her to stop at KFC after sampling several wines. Her husband called while she was parked in the lot and asked "why are you parked at KFC?". All of the meals were amazing but hey at the time, we just needed some fried chicken :-). Thank you for an awesome experience! We will definitely recommend your company to friends and family!!
John & Sue Miller, Auckland to Queenstown Scenic Explorer, Travelled on 11th February 2019
Thank you for such a great trip! We especially thank you for contacting us so quickly (at the B&B since we didn’t have cell service) about the road closure and then for re-booking us so we could get around it. Everything went so smoothly. The excursions were wonderful, transport to/from hotels made things so easy, and the hotels were in excellent locations. Everything you did made it very easy for us to just go along and enjoy our time in New Zealand, which we definitely did! Because you booked things, we had the best seats on the trains, at the Skyline Restaurant, and on the ferry. Couldn’t have done that without you. Thanks again.
Nicole & Cedric Tille, 18 Day New Zealand Must Do Tour, Travelled on 6th January 2019
Many thanks for organizing our tour in New Zealand. We had a fantastic time throughout the trip. Everything went perfect. The accommodations were very good and the distances during driving days were short enough to leave us plenty of time for stops and discovery. The additional activities were also excellent. The only one we couldn't do was the whale watch in Kaikoura due to rough seas. We left with plenty of fond memories and will highly recommend the trip to our friends.
Jenny Morgan and Kristy Jordan, The Customised South Island Escape, Travelled on 24th January 2019
We were thrilled with our trip. Three weeks on the South Island with NZ Self-Drive Tours was a dream-come-true-vacation for us. We plan to return and we will use your company to visit the North Island. Your attention to detail served us well. Everything you arranged for us happened exactly the way you promised. What a joy it was to experience 100% satisfaction all along the way! It was the best vacation of our lives. Thank you for all your work on our behalf. We loved almost every place we stayed and every adventure we experienced. Our accommodations near the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes was the only place we can't rate super high. In our opinions it didn't match up to the other places we stayed. And yet, The Pancake Rocks and the Blowholes was one of our favorite sites to see. We had a lovely lunch in Wanaka, and had hoped to stop by and say hello to you folks. But we didn’t have quite enough time to do that. Maybe next time. Now, if you could just help us become New Zealand residents, we would be indebted to you forever. :-)