New Zealand Self Drive Tours

The Pacific Hotel Cairns was a great base for our adventures in Cairns. It was conveniently located within walking distance to many restaurants and shops along the waterway. The hotel was also very close to where we boarded the boat for our Great Barrier Reef adventure, making it extremely convenient.

The hotel we stayed in Sydney was right down in the middle of walking distance to everything, which was great!

Spending the night on the Oceanquest was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The accommodation was comfortable, and being surrounded by the reef was surreal. It was an incredible way to immerse ourselves in the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef.

Good way to get an overview of Sydney. We explored Manly beach the day before on our own(took public ferry from Sydney harbor), saw Bondi beach with the Big bus tour, had the opportunity to see many parts of the city we would not otherwise would have had time to get to. The only partially negative point would be if you change lines on the bus, you need to pay attention to the times of last trip offered.

If you like animals, this was an amazing opportunity to see and learn more about them from the zoo staff. The retreat is located in the middle of the zoo ,which is located at the end of a community of "high end" homes. The rooms are spacious and have a great view of different parts of the zoo. I got up early in the morning and actually saw a koala bear right outside our room! Close enough to get a few great pictures but not close enough to touch.

So, initially our room was not ready (we arrived around 10AM,it wasn't to be ready until 2) hotel staff kept our bags for us and gave us guest passes to access the zoo from a "retreat" entrance (this particular gate not available to non guest of the retreat). When room was ready, the AC didn't work, however, the staff quickly found a different room, same view for us. Check out was around 11 , staff again kept our bags for us and allowed us guest access to the zoo again.

We got off the plane, there was a driver waiting for us, perfect timing !

Tia had arranged this flight for us on Jetstar airlines, flight from Sydney was on time and full. When we arrived in Cairns, there was a private driver waiting for us at baggage claim, again, perfect timing !

We were picked up from the hotel a little later than we had planned, had to have desk staff call tour operator for us ( about 25 minutes late). river ride was fine but no crocodiles for us to see, oh well. The Daintree rainforest and Cape Tribulation was beautiful, unspoiled wilderness. The guide told us 'it's where the rainforest meets the sea". We also got a stop for beautiful pictures and free sample (3 scoops!) of homemade ice cream made in the area from fruit.

We got picked up from our hotel (but the Pacific Hotel is maybe 3 short blocks from the dock, we could have walked), boarded the boat at the dock, seemed quite crowded. We went for a short ride then whoever wanted to dive could get outfitted with gear (after filling out liability/medical questionnaire) or snorkel. We stopped two places on the reef , beautiful. Snacks onboard included muffins, fresh fruit. Coffee, tea, and a few other items were for purchase. There was a photographer onboard who dove and took pictures,made later for sale at a reasonable price, beautiful quality. After the second stop, those of us who were going to spend the night on the reef with Diver's Den were taken to a point where we were assisted from one boat to the other. Safety briefing aboard catamaran done, rooms assigned, safety rules presented. Daytime dive/snorkel opportunities offered. A night dive was available as well as "sharks in the dark" for those who wished to use a mask and snorkel and stay on the dive platform to see the fish and sharks at night.

This was my husband's 65th birthday wish, to dive the Great Barrier Reef...He was NOT disappointed ! Coral for the most part was healthy and colorful, not too many larger fish, many small ones, the occasional turtle or shark. Meals were simple and the cook was very open about giving a different option to those with dietary restrictions. When we were on board there were 3 different classes going on, one group becoming dive masters, one learning more about rescue diving and one getting open water certification. Mixed ages, more younger then older ,every body was welcomed with same enthusiasm by the crew. We had the opportunity to do 2 more dives that day, then we were given lunch and our bags were transported back to the other boat first, then we were assisted over. My husband did 7 dives over this two day trip, I did 5 and a snorkel trip .back on the transfer boat fresh fruit was offered as well as other snacks ,some for a fee.

Tia had arranged a private driver to take us to the train station, We just had to show our information on the KimKim app(New Zealand Touring Company) to receive the train ticket and ticket for the Skyrail. Nicely maintained "old style" train cars with narrated information of places passed and history of the railroad in that area. Post train ride we were in the mountain village of Kuranda that offered a butterfly farm, a koala viewing area (they had other animals as well), a bird aviary ,, shops and restaurants. When we were done walking around, eating and seeing the sights, we got on the Skyrail for the trip back down the mountain. The skyrail makes a few stops where you can get out and look at a large waterfall we saw from the train earlier.

Great Hotel in the heart of darling Harbor! Easy to walk around the city and shop. Could use laundry facility in the hotel otherwise it was a great hotel and beautiful area.

Lovely hotel in the desert, WIFI could use a little boost otherwise everything was beautiful and as expected. Very clean. Free Laundry facilities a plus!

Great hotel in a wonderful area, we felt like we were in the rainforest every morning with the bird sounds. Great location, close to the Esplanade and Marina.

Great experience! So fun watching the sunrise and having the experience of riding the camels through the desert!

Drone show was cancelled due to the winds. Laser light show instead

Lovely sunset experience, There was sparkling wine and cheese and crackers given out during sunset

Excellent breakfast and morning watching the sunrise, then over to to Uluru

Snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef experience was amazing! Long day, could have used it to have been a little shorter of a day otherwise it was perfect

The stay at The Dome in Napier was exceptionally fantastic. The location, service, and overall experience were top-notch. This hotel exceeded expectations and left a lasting positive impression.

The stay at Distinction Luxmore Hotel in Te Anau was decent overall. The accommodation was clean and comfortable, but the hotel was huge, very busy and full of tourists.

The stay was comfortable and enjoyable. The accommodation was clean, but nothing particularly exceptional stood out during our one-night stay.

I had low expectations of this. I expected it to be kitschy and silly. Instead, the gardens were beautiful, the guide was entertaining, and I enjoyed far more than I thought I would.

My personal trip highlight. I was looking forward to seeing Glow-Worms, but the experience far exceeded even my high expectations.

Accommodation was mind-blowingly good. Napier locale is beautiful, art deco town rivals Miami Beach, Bluff Hill is beautiful--it would have been easy to spend more time here.

Kaikoura was a pit-stop for us, but along the drive we saw a HUGE dolphin pod feeding. Dolphins were swirling, breaching--it was quite amazing.

Good food and fun. Touristy in the very best way.

THE TRIP HIGHLIGHT!

The sheep shearing, working dog exhibition, buffet dinner, gardens, transport by steamship were all unexpected and excellent.

Crew was personable but the food was awful.

Excellent location!!! Hotel could use a refresh.

Excellent location!!

Wonderful tour of the city. Service and food very nice.

Lovely day out with a nice small group. The venues we went to were nice and the hosts were informative. Lunch was especially nice at a golf club with quick service and scenery.

The cruise was definitely a highlight of our vacation. The staff were exceptional and very helpful. The gear provided was in great shape and we appreciated the stinger suits with the jelly fish in the area. The morning there were a lot of waves/rain but it didn't stop the adventure. The staff were very considerate to those that were experiencing sea sickness. The lunch provided was ample and tasty. The second location was particularly exciting but more because the weather had shifted and we weren't combating the waves as much so we were able to enjoy it a bit more. We took advantage of the glass bottom boat ride and appreciated the marine biologist giving us further insight into what we were looking at below. Overall a 10++ experience.

We took the skyrail both up and down as the train was out of commission due to flooding.

It was a pleasant evening. The food was good and the staff very pleasant. As it was a rainy night we didn't really get to enjoy the outside view.

Great day out exploring the rainforest.

Great location. Had the all basics and a pool. Not luxurious but clean and comfortable

Good location. Hallways and rooftop were not clean. Rooms and bath were small but comfortable

Very large room with kitchen. Location was excellent. Some deferred maintenance needed...peeling paint on ceiling and around sliding door; rust on hinged glass over bathtub

We had a fantastic experience on the Reef Magic outer reef cruise. All of our trips were excellent, and this one was no exception. The tour was well-organized, and we got to explore the beautiful outer reef. The entire experience was smooth and enjoyable.

Our day with the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and Kuranda Scenic Railway was mostly great. We had a funny incident with the train, but our guide, Jon, handled it brilliantly. Despite a small hiccup, we were impressed by how well everything was managed. The scenic views were breathtaking, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

The Great Ocean Road Day Tour was a memorable experience, although it was quite a long day. The tour guides worked hard to ensure we saw everything, and the sights like the kangaroos were amazing. We felt the tour could have been condensed a bit as it was a full day excursion, but overall, we were happy with the experience.