Kimkim Trip Reviews for New Zealand

Our tour of New Zealand went beyond expectations. Because we had activities and accommodations booked by the kimkim team, we were able to enjoy each day worry-free. When we weren't able to partake in something due to inclement weather, Michelle either found an alternative or organized a refund promptly. It was wonderful to know she and the team were there for backup if we ran into any issues.
Stand out experiences, in no particular order:
- tour of Mesopotamia Station with our guide Wayne -- so much beautiful landscape to take in, and so much interesting history, made even better by running into Malcolm, the present head of the Station
- art deco tour of Napier with lovely, informative Kaye
- 1/2 day wine tour led by the wonderful Jill -- so interesting and fun
- Te Pa Tu - Maori Cultural Experience -- incredible knowledge, passion, and skill demonstrated by the family members; the 15 year old young man's singing was exceptional
- Zealandia Night Tour in Wellington -- magical
- Milford Sound boat cruise -- just beautiful
- jetboat tour in Fiordland -- great fun, even in the rain
- Hobbiton -- the lushness, the details! So fun
- luge rides in Queenstown
Stand out accommodations:
- Hotel Britomart in Auckland -- very fine, exceptional attention to detail
- The Vicarage in Geraldine -- as above
- Azur Luxury Lodge in Queenstown -- incredible views and service
Hotels to consider removing from your roster:
- Museum Apartment Hotel in Wellington -- a bit gross, a bit disorganized in the lobby
- Peppers Bluewater Resort in Lake Tekapo -- down on its heel
- Limetree Lodge -- wifi didn't work, weird feeling there

Hotel Review

The Hotel Britomart

Auckland

Fantastic location. Top notch customer service. Beautiful space. Attention to detail. We would stay there again in a heartbeat.

Authenticity & Character

So funky, wonderful reuse and reno of an old building with character.

Location

Central, interesting views, walkable neighbourhood.

Staff

Very welcoming, helpful, and informative.

Cleanliness & Comfort

All the corners were clean and shiny. No dust buildup or fingerprints anywhere.

Activity Reviews

Hobbiton Movie Set Tour

New Zealand

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Te Pā Tū Māori Feast & Performance

Rotorua

The singing, the hakas, the fellowship, the history were all very moving.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Orakei Korako Tour

New Zealand

Quality of Experience

Hawke's Bay Half Day Wine Tour

Napier

Jill was our guide, and what a lovely person she is. We had laughs and learned a lot about New Zealand's fantastic wine offerings. The half day was plenty -- we had just the right amount of sampling. Favourite part: the sheep grazing in a vineyard.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Zealandia - Night Tour

Wellington

Walking in the quiet darkness with our red lights was such a feast for the senses. I loved the evening birdsong and glow worms.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The Road to Mesopotamia - High Country Station 4WD tour

Geraldine

This was one of those experiences that surpassed expectations. It was a full day, but I could have kept going. We learned about a whole other kind of life in New Zealand, the incredibly hard work running a sheep station. Mesopotamia has such unique historical significance. Our guide Wayne even had a book about it, which he kindly let us borrow for a night. What an incredible landscape, too.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I went with the idea to explore the nature of New Zealand and boy did it deliever. I am extremely happy with how things were organized; with all the guides involved and Ruth and Sherry for helping to put everything together and help with the glitches.
I do suggest to anybody doing the same trip to leave some days extra for added exploring on the scene, some things will amaze you on the way, and to leave some extra time to reschedule tours that unfortunately don’t happen due to unforeseen reasons.
I missed a few things due to weather conditions and had no time to reschedule, but I also found some things on the way that were a surprise.

Activity Reviews

Half Day Black Abyss Trip

Waitomo

Unbelievable experience. A friend recommended me this and she was spot on for this. One of the highlights of the whole trip was going back on the tubes, looking at the lighted ceiling and listening to history of the cave and glow worms.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hobbiton Movie Set Tour

New Zealand

When I first booked this, I was a bit skeptical, but I was very wrong. The tour is well organized, the village is really beautiful and the scenery does get you to Hobbit/Lord of the rings mood.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Cultural Food Tours City Meander

Christchurch

Really nice city tour with a local. She showed us small, easy to miss details of the city that were very interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

So many excellent experiences we were unlikely to have found on our own without Michelle’s insights and help. The Road to Mesopotamia tour in the lovely town of Geraldine is a prime example. Our tour guide for the day, Wayne, was charming and knowledgeable and our interactions with the farmer, Malcom, made for memories we’ll have for a lifetime.

Hotel Review

Fiordland Lodge

Te Anau

Stunning, quiet, very personalized experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It’s outside of te anu a ways, but beautiful view, excellent food, and a beautiful tranquil setting.

Staff

Staff were lovely. This is a thoughtful, family run lodge.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Te Pā Tū Māori Feast & Performance

Rotorua

Fantastic opportunity for an evening of immersion in Māori culture. The experience is largely delivered by the younger members of a Māori family. Their pride and delight at sharing their culture is on display here. Supper is shared at the table with one of the family members followed by a delightful, full throated performance by these impressive young people.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

A short trip from the welcome centre to the site by bus includes narration from one of the elders. Hilarious and informative, complete with singalong on the return.

Transport

Monica was the best!! She was always available to answer questions and provide guidance. Her knowledge of the area was exceptional & the activities she arranged were perfect for us. All accommodations were exceptional, and her itinerary was thoughtful, allowing us to experience the ‘real NZ’ and its beauty.
Kimkim continues to provide extraordinary service & we have recommended them to others.
With many thanks, Gary & Kim Glenn

Connie and Sherry were great! We had an amazing time in New Zealand and our trip couldn’t have been any better. We loved all of the recommendations, accommodations, and tours and we would love to return to NZ again and of course work with Connie and Sherry.

Our experience with Michelle arranging our Nth Island NZ trip was good from the beginning. It was easy to coordinate with her and we valued her insider knowledge as to what would be good for our family to see. Payment and finalising the itinerary was very easy using the kim kim site.

Our trip was fantastic. The accommodation chosen by Michelle was great. In Auckland - the swiss bell suites were close to everything, clean and perfect for our needs. The Weta workshop was great for kids, thankyou for this suggestion Michelle! Pick up and use of the rental car was easily done. In rotorua, we stayed in a lovely apartment part of a B&B which was also lovely with great hosts, in a nice quiet area. We would highly recommend the canopy tour, Te Puia experience and of course a visit to Hobbiton.

In Taupo, we stayed just outside in 2 mile and had an amazing family apartment which overlooked the lake, the only downside was that we were only there one night!

Everything in our holiday ran smoothly and Michelle had organised timing perfectly for our booked events.

Thankyou so much.

Hotel Reviews

Rotorua Views

Rotorua

Lovely hosts, quiet location, perfect for a family.

Authenticity & Character

Location

the location was picturesque, quiet and not far from anything that we wanted to do

Staff

Anne was excellent and gave us great advice on our time in Rotorua

Cleanliness & Comfort

Swiss-Belsuites Victoria Park Auckland

Auckland

Clean, perfect location, great for family.

Authenticity & Character

Location

so close to everything

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Anchorage Resort

Taupo

What a lovely lakeview apartment. Perfect location, lovely warm pool, great for families

Authenticity & Character

Location

beautiful view across the lake

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Novotel Auckland Airport

Auckland

makes transfer to the airport so incredibly easy. We had adjoining room for the kids.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Weta Unleashed Auckland

Auckland

This was a great suggestion from michelle, our boys (aged 10 and 12) loved this workshop.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

easy to walk to from our apartment.

Hobbiton Movie Set Tour

New Zealand

Great for a family, we loved going to Hobbiton. Tour guide was great, experience was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Te Puia - Te Ra guided experience with Haka and lunch (Once Upon a Trip exclusive)

Rotorua

We did the guided tour with Maori experience (definitely recommend adding this) along with the Hangi lunch. This was a perfect cultural tour for our family.

Quality of Experience

Food

our family really enjoyed the hangi lunch.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

very close to our accommodation in rotorua

Zipline Canopy Tour

Rotorua

Great experience, the guides were amazing, the whole family enjoyed this experience. Photos included in price, not an added extra which was such a nice change.

Quality of Experience

Fantastic experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mitch and Steph were our guides - they were friendly, knowledgeable and reassuring. It was an amazing experience.

Transport

Not far from our accommodation in Rotorua

Luge Rides (incl. Gondola)

Rotorua

As a family, again we all enjoyed this experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

staff there were not a highlight in general.

Transport

not far from our accommodation

Wai-O-Tapu

New Zealand

This really was a great experience. You are able to get up close to the geothermal areas, more so than Te Puia. We would recommend this, it wasn't too far from rotorua and we had time to do all of the walks.

Quality of Experience

we went first thing in the morning, barely anyone there so almost to ourselves.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

only 20mins out of rotorua so easy to get to.

Jetboat Huka Falls

Taupō

If you haven't been jet boating before, it is a great experience. was good to see huka falls from the river.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

guides were good.

Transport

Explore the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves

New Zealand

We just saw the glow worm caves. It was a lovely experience and we had a great guide. might have been good to see another cave also whilst there as they do some good packages.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our family had a really wonderful time in New Zealand! Liz helped us build a plan with something for everyone and a good balance of activity and time to relax.

All of the transportation booked for us was wonderful, especially Damian and Etson. They were friendly, super knowledgeable and really worked hard to make sure we were taken care of while we were with them.

Both the All Blacks experience and Whale & Dolphin Conservation Safari and Auckland were great. Hobbiton was simply amazing and wish we could have spent even more time there. We enjoyed Te Puia as well. Queenstown was really the icing on the cake. The Rees was an incredible resort and so extremely helpful. We enjoyed all of our activities and all the food, drink and shopping the town had to offer. I am so glad we worked with KimKim to book everything; we never would have been able to manage it all on our own. It was an incredible 10 days!

Hotel Review

The Rees Hotel

Queenstown

We have been fortunate to travel a lot and stay at some amazing hotels. The Rees is now at the top of that list! The entire property is beautiful and impeccably maintained. The rooms were well appointed, with a wonderful kitchen and laundry facilities, plus plenty of detergent. Which matters when you are taking part in a lot of outdoor activities with kids! The staff was exceptional; everyone was focused on making sure our stay was great. And the shuttle into town was so convenient. I would recommend The Rees to anyone traveling to Queenstown.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

All Blacks Experience Admission and Guided Tour

Auckland

We loved this experience. It was a great way to learn more about the sport and the history of rugby in NZ.

Quality of Experience

Whale & Dolphin Eco-Safari

Auckland

We had a great time and the staff was amazing!

Auckland to Rotorua visiting Hobbiton with lunch

Auckland

It was absolutely beautiful and so well organized. And the food was delicious.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Te Ra Guided Experience (90 minutes) + cultural Performance

Rotorua

We had a great time on this. The guide was so helpful and my husband was actually asked to participate in the experience, serving as a visiting chief.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Was very easy to take an Uber from our hotel to this event.

Walter Peak High Country Farm Excursion

Queenstown (NZ)

We loved the farm. It was absolutely beautiful and the ride across Lake Wakatipu on the ship was wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

6 Line Zip Line

Queenstown (NZ)

Zip line and luge was a blast! This was such a fun activity for the whole family. We also loved the conservation topics that were covered

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Paula was very responsive and helpful and chose good hotels and activities. We had a good time.

But there were some issues that she did not take care of adequately:
1. She misread our request for two single rooms and all the original quotes were based on a shared room. So the trip ended up costing quite a bit more than expected - we only found this our after paying the deposit and seeing what was arranged. Paula said that she gave us a discount but given that KimKim does not disclose the individual costs of items, we were unable to see if this was the case.
2. There was a problem between the local agents in New Zealand and the care hire people. The car hire people needed some information which the local agents would not/could not give. This resulted in us waiting for an hour to get the car by which time it was dark. Given that it was out first experience of driving in New Zealand, in Auckland, a big city, we had timed the flight so that we could drive before dark, but given the delay we had to drive in the dark. After some time of asking for an explanation, which we did not get, we were given a small refund for our troubles but would have preferred that this had not happened.
3. Although Paula knew we had a car, she booked us into a hotel where overnight parking was exorbitant. We believe that she should have told us that we would have to pay for parking and how much. KimKim customer service did pay for the parking, once we asked, and we appreciate that, but would have preferred for them to offer.
4. Paula went away just before our trip, and we still had some important questions. Although she did tell us some time before that this would happen, she did not remind us before the date and did not indicate who would take over, even though we were in the middle of discussing an important issue with her. She just disappeared. So we went without a response for about 3 days and had to contact customer service for someone to check on Paula's trips. When Liz did respond she was extremely helpful, but again, we should not have had to ask.

The response time from both Paula, Liz and customer service was excellent (except when Paula went away). Unfortunately the substance of the service was not always that good. I suggest that KimKim work on the latter.

Hotel Reviews

Chalet Queenstown

Queenstown

Excellent. Wonderful service from the manager. Well located.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Deborah was helpful and fun

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rydges Rotorua

Rotorua

A really nice hotel, close to the forest with nice walks for those who want. Excellent food.

Authenticity & Character

Not really a character hotel, but a nice place to stay.

Location

We liked the location because it was close to the forest, but if you want to be close to town then this may not be best.

Staff

Extremely helpful and friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Quest Napier

Napier

Authenticity & Character

A lovely place.

Location

Very close to town and the beach. everything in walking distance.

Staff

The proprieter was extremely friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Holiday Inn Express Auckland City Centre

Auckland

The breakfast could have been more varied.

Authenticity & Character

Its a Holiday Inn. We did not expect character.

Location

Very central. easy to get about the city

Staff

The desk staff were extremely helpful and friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Afternoon Wilderness Experience

Auckland

A fun activity. Good to get out of Auckland. but we wondered if we were really in a rainfeorst - it was not as dense or wet as we expected.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Milford Sound Glass Roof Van/CruiseVan

Queenstown (NZ)

long but beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Rotorua

Rotorua

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mitai Cultural Experience & Dinner

Rotorua

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Hell's Gate Experience

Rotorua

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Twilight Glow Worm Kayak Experience - 3 hour guided

Rotorua

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guides were extremely friendly and helpful.

Transport

Nats did a fabulous job of customizing our itinerary to our requests and preferences. He was knowledgeable and flexible, and designed a trip that was perfectly paced for our family. He made some recommendations that we would not have thought about doing, and each was right on the mark. He provided additional helpful general information about travel in New Zealand so that we did not have to do a lot of additional research. Maybe most importantly--he remained available and helpful throughout the entire trip. He helped make adjustments in real time when our flight was delayed and when we had an issue with our rental car. We are truly grateful and would absolutely recommend him to anyone traveling to New Zealand.

Excellent vacation for the family. Connie made sure we had an action packed vacation while still being able to delve into the beauty of Australia and New Zealand. Our teenage kids were ready for some high level and daring escapades and Connie DELIVERED. Our son was able to be SCUBA certified at Bondi beach (which is a lot rougher than it sounds). We thoroughly enjoyed our experience climbing the Harbour Bridge in Sydney. River Rafting up in Fort Douglas was fantastic along with the nature hike - very informative. And of course the Great Barrier Reef - a world of it's own. That was a highlight! The crocodile farm, we had no idea what to expect, it completely delivered. Who in there right mind plays food games with crocodiles? Loved it! And The Reef House, SUPERB. We can't say enough about that place, service, ambience, everything was excellent. And then off to South Island New Zealand where Bungee Jumping at AJ Hackett's Nevis took place and took our breaths away. OMG! Then zip-lining at crazy heights with crazy drops, so fun. Then up to Auckland for skydiving, we just insisted on hurling our bodies through the air. We figured our kids must be trying to kill us, but we survived and able to enjoy Aukland and the Tasman Sea. We ended with a relaxing 2 days in Fiji where Connie organized a renewal of our vows for our 20th wedding anniversary. It was beautiful! Our kids were so happy to be apart of it. The resort, Intercontinental is perfection. Everything there was truly great. Connie planned everything perfectly. She knew the areas so well. She made all of our accommodations which were perfectly located and all very nice, we loved every place we stayed. The best was having a couple of places to do laundry, it was unexpected and made for a great surprise and so easy to do. All our transfers to and from the airports were easy. This was the first vacation that we truly just had to show up and enjoy. She thought of everything!! All the tours we did were great, they all had little surprises for us; whether it was sparkling wine at the vista point in the Blue Mountains, or Tea and cookies after a hike through the rainforest, all had something memorable and a little extra time to talk with the tour leaders. All of them were fantastic. Our Zipline leaders were hysterically funny. Our Skydiving partners were fantastic, all so kind and thoughtful. The team on the boat for the barrier reef were so nice and helpful. They really made us get all we could out of the time we had out there. We can't thank Connie enough. Our vacation was a trip of a lifetime and our 20th anniversary will definitely be one to remember!

Hotel Reviews

Harbour Rocks Hotel Sydney MGallery

The Rocks, Sydney NSW

Excellent location; fantastic breakfast, great service!!!

Authenticity & Character

As soon as you walk in it was this warm feeling with a library in front, it's a modern feel but you immediately feel more than happy to sit down and chill.

Location

Close to everything. You can walk to Harbour Bridge, Waterfront and Opera House etc. It's perfectly located!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Super clean and comfortable.

The Reef House Boutique Hotel & Spa

Palm Cove

I wrote a longer review earlier - this place is amazing. I will travel here again, from the US at some point. It is worth it!

Authenticity & Character

It's unique and you definitely can unwind here and want to. You feel like you are at your favorite Aunt's house who just so happens to have a wine sommelier and 2 pools and master chef - ha!

Location

Staff

THEY ARE AMAZING - you will be spoiled.

Cleanliness & Comfort

So comfortable, the whole place is accessible and you want to enjoy all the niches.

QT

Queenstown

So chic! great views!!! You can't beat it.

Authenticity & Character

the vibe is very cool, it's apres skiing meets LA Diva.. odd, but totally works

Location

A few blocks from the hub of the city, but completely walkable and a beautiful walk by the lake it is.

Staff

Everyone was very efficient and nice.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean - very very clean. loved it!

Nesuto Stadium Auckland

Auckland

Perfect for a family on vacation - has laundry in the room. fantastic!!

Location

Location is a few blocks from the "center" everything is walkable.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was clean, had all things you needed to wash a load of laundry (so I didn't have to run out and search for detergent). This place came at the perfect time.

InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa, an IHG Hotel

Natadola, Fiji

Gorgeous resort, the beach is something else. The grounds are beautiful, staff are all so nice, the food is excellent. They know how to make sure you enjoy your time in their 'house'. Fantastic place. Had our 20th Anniversary and did vow renewal, they did a fantastic job, I was expecting something very simple, they had a ton of flowers and displays there and helpers etc. It was awesome! And all so so kind. Fijians are amazing people.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Ok, it's an hour from the airport. But the beach and beauty is worth it!!!!

Staff

Everyone, and I mean every single encounter was a fresh and genuine smile. They are so so nice.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Perfect!

Activity Reviews

Full Day Marine World Outer Great Barrier Reef - to pontoon

New Zealand

A world of it is own. Whether you snorkel or scuba dive it, you will find yourself mesmerized at all the wildlife in one coral of the vast reef. It's spectacular.

Quality of Experience

The fish, turtles etc. it's just so much to see. It's beautiful

Food

The chocolate muffins, those were so good!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They are all comedians! All have great personalities and want you to have a great time.

Transport

Comfortable and timely

Full Day Mossman Gorge Adventure Day

New Zealand

Rafting along the gorge was so much fun. The tour guide was fantastic. Learned more about snakes, and now I'm a little scared of them ;) Place is really unique, the rainforest it really pretty and interesting how it all lives together. Enjoyed the hike and lunch was great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hartley's Crocodile Farm

New Zealand

Crazy Crocodile people - they play food games with crocodiles, this is nuts and they sign up for this job. Loved it! Got to see koalas, pet the, see wombats, cassowary, pet kangaroos and wallabies and even feed them. This was a very unexpected enjoyable tour. Breakfast was HUGE. Gift shop has some really unique things that are worth buying. Totally worth going!!

Quality of Experience

Crocodiles are scary! Kangaroos are soft and so cute

Guides, Drivers and Staff

comfortable and easy

Transport

Auckland Best of Both World: Bush and Beach - Full day

Auckland

Great to learn about Auckland city in that a.m. and then able to have excellent meat pies for lunch before we headed out to the beach. Great city sites, vista points and orienting oneself in Auckland and learning a bit about Auckland. The beach was fantastic, so pretty with it's black beach. The hike through the forest was interesting to learn about the different flora that's both invasive and native to the area.

Quality of Experience

Yeah for the rain coats - no rain, but perfect for the wind!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They were great, had so much information to share and able to convey their love of nature in a fun and interesting way.

Transport

comfortable!

Full Day Blue Mountains Hike the World Heritage

Sydney

Beautiful Mountains and vistas. Nice little hike through the area and stop along the way. It was a little cooler than expected, but worth hiking through. You could see the damage of the fire from a few years prior, there was much growth so it all looked lush. The only thing that was weird or at least visibly odd, there's no wild life, none. You may see a bird or two on the edges, but that's it. Even the forest has grown back and looks "normal" the wildlife is nowhere to be found, it's an odd thing.

Quality of Experience

Food

We had the picnic sandwich - it was DELICIOUS!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He was fantastic!! Lots of information about the fire and how it impacted the area and Sydney over all.

Transport

Very comfortable

We are heading home from an amazing trip to Australia and New Zealand. Vickie did a wonderful job of putting together an itinerary that was the trip of a lifetime. I especially appreciated her patience in answering the many questions I had before the trip began. Everything worked seamlessly from being met at airports, transportation, reservations, etc . Two activities needed to be cancelled due to weather and Sabina was extremely responsive in helping us with refunds. We will definitely book future international travel with KimKim.

Hotel Reviews

Radisson Blu Hotel

Sydney

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

M Social

Auckland

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Montreal

Christchurch

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pacific Hotel Cairns

Cairns

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pullman Rotorua

Rotorua

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Hermitage Hotel

Mount Cook Village

Gorgeous views!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scenic Suites Queenstown

Queenstown

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kuranda Koala Gardens

New Zealand

There are two choices- petting a koala or holding a koala. Both choices are only 1 minute long while they take pictures, but be sure you book the experience that you want. We wanted to hold the koalas but had booked petting the koala. Did not know there were different options.

Auckland to Rotorua via Hobbiton Movie Set

New Zealand

Fascinating particularly if you like the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies or books.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Twilight Paddleboard and Glow worm tour

Rotorua

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hell’s Gate Experience (Geothermal Walk, Mud Bath, Sulfur Spas)

Rotorua

Take the complimentary tour. This is an other-worldly experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Te Pā Tū Māori Feast & Performance

Rotorua

Dart River Safaris Funyaks

Queenstown (NZ)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had an amazing trip planned for New Zealand, with the help from Franck, our tour guide. He listened to what we were interested in and made all of the reservations and adjustments. It was so wonderful to have all of the details taken care of.
When there was a cancellation of a tour, KimKim helped us find alternate plans and we were refunded the cost of the cancelled tour as soon as we got home. It was a trip that was full of amazing memories including the people of NZ and their beautiful country. Maile

Activity Reviews

Abel Tasman - Full Day Sailing

New Zealand

This was one of our favorite tours - great skipper and a wonderful day out on the water and multiple stops at islands and beaches.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Milford overnight Cruise - Luxury

New Zealand

What a great way to end our 3 weeks in NZ. It was a beautiful overnight trip, lovely captain and staff.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cass Valley Backcountry Tour

New Zealand

We loved this tour because it took us into the backcountry with so many fascinating pieces of history and knowledge about family sheep farming and the amazing mountains and valleys that surround the sheep stations.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Connie was an incredible resource and understood our vision with our 2 young kids so well.
She brought it together with a care and attention to detail we appreciated.
Also, she shared her first hand experience being there.

When we ran into weather issues, she helped to sort out the issues.
We would use Kimkim again for any other itinerary.

Highly recommend!

Monika, we can’t thank you enough for helping us plan a trip of a lifetime. After a couple itineraries, you were able to put together one that fit exactly what we were looking for. We got to see the beautiful South Island of New Zealand by doing the “fly-cruise-fly”, renting a car, glamping and multiple hikes/walks. We had an amazing time!!!

Uma was amazing with great local recommendations and was available throughout the trip with changes.

Our Travel Pro, Monika, was very patient with us while we worked through the itinerary for our New Zealand trip. In fact it took us (not Monika) 3 months to finally settle on the detailed schedule. We just kept asking questions and Monika developed options for us to consider. In the end her original itinerary was close to what we chose; well we added a few excisions and some of the hotels and B&B's changed.

I will say all the options Monika provided were excellent. Monika was very responsive to reschedules (due to weather) and in fact moved an excursion up a day, to keep us on schedule and allow us to do a challenging hike the next day that got cancelled because of weather.

If I had one recommendation to the reader, 16-days is not enough; if you are driving. We saw many highlights and are already thinking of our next visit to New Zealand. Monika was very cognizant of the travel times and provided us guidance to minimize our hours on the road and provide useful, fun, entertaining, & amazing stops along the way.

Monika will be our go-to for our next New Zealand adventure. It was so helpful having a local (she is based in Queenstown) expert.

Thanks,
Tom T

Hotel Reviews

Naumi Hotel Wellington

6141

Quirky mid-town hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Quirky, what more is there to say! In a really good way.

Location

Well except the parking, but we were RIGHT DOWN TOWN

Staff

Pointed us to a few interesting things to see.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great bed and linens

Kamana Lakehouse

Queenstown

Excellent location, great view of the lake. Great Staff

Authenticity & Character

It is called Lakehouse and it didn't disappoint with the Lake Views

Location

Staff

Came to get us when one of our excursion drivers showed up early!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The staff was responsive to a messy towel day

M Social

Auckland

Modern Hotel in the middle of everything! The first 2 days we just walked everywhere we needed to go.

Authenticity & Character

Modern and Modern

Location

Right on the waterfront

Staff

Helped with some tech issues and made recommendations

Cleanliness & Comfort

just great

Beaufort House Akaroa

Akaroa

The hostess and host were excellent and this is an incredible B&B

Authenticity & Character

French town with this chateau feel

Location

Small town and this was a walk to the waterfront.

Staff

Excellent Omlete

Cleanliness & Comfort

These linens I really want to know where they get them, was unbelievable comfortable!

Activity Reviews

Redwoods treewalk by night

Rotorua

Just fun and interesting in the evening!

Starlight Gourmet Kayak Tour - Glowworm Caves

Rotorua

Really glowworms only exist in 3 locations in the world, our guide was excellent and we really enjoyed the adventure.

Zealandia - Night Tour

Wellington

Everyone should do this excursion because it tells you about how New Zealand is reintroducing native birds.

Fly Cruise Fly – Queenstown to Milford Sound by scenic flight

Queenstown (NZ)

Everyone has pictures of Milford, but you need to experience it yourself!

The trip was great! Is was our honeymoon and it will be unforgettable for both of us. Organization was great. Accommodations were great. Transportation was great and always on time. All tours were excellent and provided the experiences that we were looking for in all cities. Our planner Ruth did an amazing job!!!

Hotel Review

Garden Court Suites & Apartments

Queenstown

Great space. Amazing view from the balcony. Had a washer and dryer which was helpful for our trip. Very close to the city center.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full-Day Jet-Boat Adventure & Funyak River Safari

Queenstown (NZ)

Very very fun!! Must do if you go to Queenstown. They provide all equipment: wetsuit, jacket, boots, etc... Staff was great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening Progressive Degustation Walk

Melbourne

Must do if you go to Melbourne. This city has so many great restaurants that was very difficult for us select which one to go. Luckly this tour helped us go to 3 great restaurants and taste lots of food in each one along with different wines. Great experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Best of Melbourne by Bike

Melbourne

Great way to see the city in a timely and fun fashion. Our tour guy Craig was excellent!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Outer Reef Mackay Coral Cay

Port Douglas

The tour was one of the most amazing things I have ever done. To be able to see the corals close was spectacular. We saw turtles, rays and lots of different fish. The staff is excellent. The full day is an awesome experience. The food was descent. They provide you with all equipment. Never felt safer.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Wildlife, Waterfalls and Wine

Sydney

Great tour. We were able to touch and being very close with Kolas. Took lots of pictures close with them. Also we were able to feed Wallabies and Kangaroos. Wine tasting was great. The lunch was great as well. The tour guide was excellent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Mossman Gorge Adventure Day

New Zealand

Guy was a great tour guide! You start with a river tour seeing lots wild life and then you ride the river which was very fun. The lunch was great!! Then the afternoon you go to the forest and can dive into the river which was also cool.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

John and I have completed our trip to New Zealand and had a wonderful experience thanks to Connie. We were greeted at every
stop with friendly ground transportation people allowing us to travel worry free. Our hotels were all impeccably clean and located within walking distances to city centers. The excursions she set up were wonderful including the wine tasting tour and TSS Earnslaw evening in Queenstown, and the boat ride on Milford Sound.
We would highly recommend a trip to New Zealand planned by Connie at KIMKIM.

Thank you Franck, of KimKim/Once in a Lifetime. The trip you planned for us to New Zealand exceeded our expectations. We kept saying, “thank you Franck”!! We loved the process of planning. You came up with a first idea plan and listened to how we wanted to personalize it to fit our dreams. We liked all of the accommodations upgraded to water/view front and we asked for something unique. It was nice having a few days in Auckland at MSocial to check out the bay and whale/dolphins excursion and acclimate to the 18 hour time difference. We loved the night time redwood tree walk and our morning stroll again in Rotorua. We had a breathtaking tour and wonderful chat with Jill Simpson, own of beautiful Akaroa Garden; then off to a fun and worthwhile dolphin cruise . Mount Cook Lakeside retreat on lake Pulaski was luxurious; great views, chef cooked meals and perfect location to explore the Mackenzie region. We had a private plane, The Grand Traverse to fly over the glacier and mountain areas of Mackenzie Aoraki National Park. Two of us made it to stargazing after a wonderful dinner in the dining hall, lead by lodge owner. Magnificent!!! Crazy, amazing place to stay (photos). We had an informative and fun backcountry tour as one of our adventures while there. We also got up close to an iceberg and glacier at Lake Tekapo, Next we drove to Clyde and stayed at a unique and authentic Oliver’s Lodge. The people are so welcoming there! Our favorite place was Milford Lodge staying at Cabot Lodge. Breidi met us with umbrella and she and husband Brad Alexander/owners made us feel so welcome. Such a luxuriously unique accommodations on the beautiful hills of their Lodge overlooking the Fiordland National Park and Lake Manapouri. Breathtakingly beautiful. Milford sound is a magical place. Jeff, of Trips and Tramps was our bus driver, part of our coach, cruise and walk tour. We snuck in a helicopter ride that he set up while we were there.

Thanks again Franck. It was a trip of a lifetime. You took care of every detail from pick up driver at every needed venue, rental car, and several amazing meals and awesome excursions. This was our second time using KimKim and you did not disappoint.

Franck was able to plan the perfect vacation for us. We took the quiz and everything he recommended was spot on! We had plenty of down time to choose our own adventures along the way. When our flight to the South Island was delayed, Monika messaged us and gave us options. Everyone was so helpful and we made memories that will last a lifetime!!! I will definitely book through KimKim again!!!