Springboard Vacations

We had a wonderful trip and Paula did a great job pulling together such a fun trip given how logistically challenging it was with the IM 70.3 race being in Taupo. The hop on hop off ferry/bus ride to Waiheke Island was perfect for our first day, easy to access the ferry, take our time visiting little shops, do some archery and wine tasting. We loved the MSocial hotel in Auckland with super helpful staff, clean comfortable rooms, perfect views and great location. The rental truck worked perfect for all of our luggage and bike case. It would have been helpful to have more detailed instructions about how to navigate the rental return as there are two terminals at Auckland and two rental returns.
Raglan was my daughter's favorite place and we could not get enough of the bakeries and huge black sand beaches. The Coromandel area is absolutely beautiful. On our drive there we stopped at a Lavender Farm to pick blueberries and have some lavender/blueberry icecream. Although Whitianga is a lovely town, we would have preferred to stay in a town either on Hot Water Beach or closer to Cathedral Cove since that is where we spent most of our time and the driving is quite challenging on the very hilly curvy roads there. Also our stay at the Sovereign Pier was not as we hoped since it really was not a 4 star (more just a poorly supplied rental place) and was on a marina not near the beach at all so the description of this place was misleading.
Other than that we had an amazing trip and thankful for KimKim scheduling all our tours which were fantastic.
Thank you so much.

We visited 4 different cities in Australia and NZ in 2 weeks, and Liz could not have planned a more perfect itinerary for our family of 5. She immediately understood our family's needs and priorities and suggested activities that were interesting and age appropriate for all. Highlights included a bike tour across Sydney, hiking the Blue Mountains, snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, jetboating in Queenstown and seeing Hobbiton in Auckland. Each tour and transport operator was very professional and of high quality. Liz answered our (many) questions throughout the process with ultra fast response time and went over and beyond our expectations. Liz sent us all the information in a concise and clear format, so it was very easy to keep track of what we needed (itinerary, pickup times, packing info, visas etc). During our trip we even made a last minute request to add a sold-out tour during peak holiday time, and she was able to make it happen!

Hotel Reviews

The York, by Swiss-Belhotel

Sydney

Great location, spacious rooms, but very basic/dated interior.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa San Michele

Port Douglas

Location is perfect - right in the heart of town so everything (including beach) is a 0-5 min walk. Rooms are quite tight and one room had a bit of stench. Bathrooms looked renovated and clean.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Swiss-Belsuites Pounamu

Queenstown

Very comfortable hotel with a gorgeous view. Easy walk into town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

heated beds, good laundry machines

Nesuto Stadium Auckland

Auckland

Great location, clean rooms. We had 3 tiny bedrooms (door couldn't close) and 1 bathroom and kitchen, and the living room was huge. Right next to harbor and town area, and many restaurants right downstairs or a few min walk.

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Blue Mountains Hike the World Heritage

Sydney

Kids loved the animal conservatory and being able to pet and feed to koalas and wallabys.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sydney Opera House Tour

Sydney

Full-Day Barrier Reef & Coral Cays Boat Tour

Port Douglas

Excellent staff, well equipped, lunch was surprisingly good.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Port Douglas

Port Douglas

Very professional transport guide. Van was amazing with reclining seats.

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Kuranda Railway, Skyrail & Palm Cove Adventure

Port Douglas

Train ride was ok but gondola was lovely. Spent a lot of time assembling with group and guide, getting in and out of the van and listening to him talk so we barely got 10 min to explore the village.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide talked way too much, was late, wasted a lot of our time so we barely had time to explore the village.

Transport

too many pickups, it took way too long

Half Day Best of Queenstown

Queenstown (NZ)

Loved the views, walks, wine tasting, seeing the town, getting some free time to shop. Our guide Beth was awesome.

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Full Day Hobbiton Tour - Return to Auckland

Auckland

Hobbiton is so beautiful and you don't even need to be a LOTR fan to enjoy. The village is very well created and the new Hobbit houses are adorable (my 9 yo wanted to move in there!) Tour is well organized and staff is very enthusiastic.

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Half Day Sydney Classic Tour (Bike)

Sydney

Guide (Andre) was very knowledgable and ensured nobody got left behind in our group of 13.

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Hartley's Crocodile Farm with Koala Breakfast

Port Douglas

Loved this more than I thought we would. Each group gets a few minutes with the koala away from the others, so it feels private. Guides are knowledgable and friendly. The crocodile demonstrations were incredible and you see so much wildlife.

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Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Half Day Wilderness Safari - Jetboat

Queenstown (NZ)

My kids were wild for this one! Super fun and adventurous. Well organized, proper equipment, and professional staff.

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GOOD MACRO-PLANNING, BUT NOT A HIGH-TOUCH PREMIUM EXPERIENCE. DO NOT RECOMMEND.

Our recent experience with Kimkim for a 12-day trip to New Zealand was a mixed bag. The macro-level planning was well done, but the on-the-ground support and communication left a lot to be desired. While some aspects of the trip were commendable, the lack of communication, flexibility, and local expertise lead us to not recommend Kimkim - the value addition just does not justify the mark-up and the positioning as a true full-service travel experience provider.

The Positives: Macro Planning and Wine Tastings

Kimkim delivered on several key aspects of the trip, including:

- Accommodation Choices: The hotels were well-selected, and room arrangements were thoughtfully organized to accommodate our group of seven. This is a complex task, and they executed it well. Same for the car rentals.

- Wine Tasting Experiences: The wine-tasting tours were excellent, particularly the private tasting at Cloudy Bay in Marlborough and the private wine trip to Hawkes Bay with Edward.

- Big Picture Planning: The overall itinerary covered many major highlights of New Zealand. We covered a lot of ground in the South as well as the North Island.

Unfortunately, these successes were overshadowed by significant failures in execution.

The Negatives: Communication, Support, and Flexibility

Complete Lack of Communication During the Trip
Not once during the 12-day trip did we receive a single email, call, or message from Kimkim to check on how things were going. Even after the trip, the first communication we got was to ask us for this review! This lack of communication and periodic check-ins was deeply disappointing. Paula, our agent, simply disappeared once the trip began. This is not what we would expect from a full-service travel provider.
There was no day-to-day advice or recommendations for activities like restaurant bookings, particularly for problematic dates such as Christmas and New Year’s Eve, when reservations for a group of seven are challenging. We had to scramble to arrange dining options ourselves, which added unnecessary stress.

Limited Pre-Trip Communication
Important pre-trip details were missing, such as a comprehensive summary of the itinerary, flight and visa information, and other essentials. We almost got stranded at the airport because Paula did not remind us to get the New Zealand E-visa. I know this was buried in the communication before the trip, but with US passports, we are not used to getting visas for friendly countries like NZ. We had to apply for the visas at the airport, and the airline refused to let us board until we got the visas. We had to plead and grovel to get on the plane!!

Emails lacked clear subject lines, making it difficult to locate important information. A more professional and organized communication approach would have been much more helpful.

Poor Flexibility and Rigid Alternatives
When we canceled a day-long cruise because we didn’t want to spend two full days on boats (which should not have been organized in the first place, given we had told Paula that two kids had motion sickness issues), we were offered another rigid, unsuitable alternative: an 8-hour tour to an Alpaca farm. This suggestion failed to account for the fact that we had rental cars and could have used that day for a more flexible, self-guided itinerary. We felt that there was a lack of creative, personalized alternatives when changes were requested.

No Local Expertise or On-the-Ground Support
Our trip planner was based in the U.S., not in New Zealand, leading to a significant disconnect. There was no local contact who could provide timely advice or support. When we had the airport fiasco, Paula was in bed as it was midnight in the US. This is unacceptable. We were told to deal with the "local person" Sherry Li, who does not work for kimkim. It seems that Kimkim relies on outsourcing to third-party operators, which added confusion as we never knew who to call for specific issues, and left us feeling stranded when problems arose.

Excessive Markup Without Justifiable Value
Kimkim acts more like a middleman, outsourcing tasks rather than providing direct, hands-on service.
For the premium price we paid (including what appears to be a 50% markup), we expected seamless service and personalized support. Instead, we received vague guidance, poor communication, and a frustrating lack of accountability.

Summary
While Kimkim excelled in planning the macro-level logistics of our trip—such as hotels and wine tastings—their lack of communication, inflexibility, and absence of local expertise made the experience less enjoyable than it could have been. The complete absence of follow-up during the trip, no day-to-day advice or support, and reliance on third-party operators detracted from what should have been a smooth and enjoyable experience. For the price we paid, Kimkim should have provided comprehensive support, timely communication, and a personalized touch. Instead, they acted as a middleman, adding complexity rather than simplifying our journey. Given these issues, we cannot recommend Kimkim and will not use their services again.

Hotel Review

Adina Apartment Hotel Auckland Britomart

Auckland

Excellent penthouse 3-bedroom apartment. Great amenities and good location. Ultra modern design. The breakfast can be avoided - lots of local places near the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Very modern and clean.

Location

Close to harbor and local restaurants.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nice kitchen, appliances, bathrooms

Activity Reviews

Skyline Gondola Ride

Queenstown (NZ)

Excellent views! Must do in Queenstown to see the whole town from the top of the hill.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

No guide used.

Transport

Could not get Uber to work!

Doubtful Sound Wilderness Cruise (ex Queenstown)

Queenstown (NZ)

Beautiful views. Excellent natural beauty. A bit long (4 steps - bus, boat, bus, boat!) and the actual cruise is only 3 hours out of a 12 hour trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Too long!

Half Day Private Luxury Wine Tour

Blenheim

Cloudy Bay is a must-visit for wine lovers. And our private tasting at the "Shack" was outstanding!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our host was amazing! Ask for Swafka

Transport

We drove ourselves!!

Our trip to New Zealand north island went well and we were very pleased with the arrangements Liz made for us. All of the transportation and lodging reservations worked without any problem. Two local contractors backed out of their commitments: Barefoot Sailing in Paihia, and Taiao Adventures in Rotorua. For the first, Rie Fujita with Southern World found a replacement contractor, Carino Wildlife Cruises, which turned out to be really terrific, and we thoroughly enjoyed our excursion with them in the Bay of Islands. For the second, we arranged with Tom of Foris Eco-tours to spend an additional day visiting the Whirinaki Forest with guide Carl. All of the day trips with Foris Eco-tours were very rewarding and we would highly recommend them. The Waitomo Glowworm Caves day trip with Cheeky Kiwi Travel was enjoyable as well. I would recommend adding their visit to Te Puia for the Māori cultural tour and thermal features. We added this to our tour and found it well worth while.

Australia was AMAZING!! Liz helped with every aspect of our trip and making it customized to our needs. I will break down each section with my pros/cons for future planning help!
Sydney:
1. The harbour dinner cruise was a nice ease in to Sydney and an intimate setting. I will note we thought the dinner was on the cruise and not a ride to a restaurant on land so that was a bit of a surprise but nonetheless dinner was delicious.
2. Blue mountains hike was nice although wish there was more hiking. The tour had a mix of people hiking/people just going for the ride to the mountains and then having lunch while the others hiked. The tour seemed a bit more catered to the non-hikers and since we are quite active people more hiking would have been ideal. nonetheless the views during the hike were gorgeous and it was a nice day.
Cairns/port Douglas:
1. The calypso company was our preferred out of the two scuba/snorkel days we had (quicksilver was the other). Well organized trip.
2. Kuranda sky rail and train-Brett's outback tours was excellent. Brett was a great guide and we had a lovely day. Lots to do in the village of Kuranda and the views were great.
Hamilton Island:
This was our absolutely favorite stop. Hamilton Island is an absolutely special place. My husband and I had a great time with the cruise whitsundays charter for scuba/snorkel. Reef View hotel was superb. Clean, good free breakfast, and beautiful views.
Melbourne:
1. Phillip Island tour: We had a great day going here and seeing all the wildlife and the penguin parade. Tour guide was informative and efficient. I will say I would not recommend including dinner as the stop they chose wasnt great and there is alot in town you can choose from on your own.
2. Great Ocean Road: Again a great tour with Oceania tours. A long day but fully worth it. this tour group is great.

All hotels booked via Liz were great. Airport transfers were quick and on time.

Hotel Reviews

Niramaya Villas and Spa

Port Douglas

beautiful property with stunning, spacious villas. a bit bare bones in the rooms themselves i.e no room phones, not many outlets, but i think that's part of the charm. be prepared to walk or have a buggy/car as it is a large property. The front desk staff is absolutely amazing and accommodating. they provided excellent recommendations for local dining and excursions. unfortunately we had no hot water for 2 days due to a gas outage in the town but that was not their fault and they had the gas team come out as soon as it was up and running to get us our hot water again. property is about 2 miles from center of town but lots of shuttles.

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Rydges Melbourne Hotel

Melbourne

great location to CBD. modern, clean room. included breakfast was a plus.

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Reef View Hotel

Whitsunday Islands, Queensland

Not a complaint at all about this spot. Room was clean and spacious. beautiful views. central location. yummy included breakfast

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sydney Harbour Long Dinner Cruise

Sydney

Nice, intimate harbour cruise. the cruise takes you about 1 hr to a local spot on land for dinner, followed by a pre set dinner menu which was delicious and then a cruise back. definitely bring a jacket! crew on the boat was informative and very personable

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Great Barrier Reef Snorkeling Excursion

Port Douglas

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Full Day Dive the Great Barrier Reef

Hamilton Island

we had a great time on this excursion. my husband and I both ended up with essentially private scuba/snorkel tours and my husband raved about his dive. there is alot to do on this tour with multiple options including scuba, snorkel, submersible viewing boat.

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City Discovery & Phillip Island Day Trip with Penguin Plus Viewing & Dinner

Melbourne

the little penguins are the best!! this was such a great experience. our guide stopped many times throughout our day to spot wildlife

Quality of Experience

Food

i dont recommend including the dinner stop. you can choose on your own in town for a local spot to eat

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Blue Mountains Day Trip with Hike

Sydney

nice day but not enough hiking. not a kimkim issue but the tour guide was not the friendliest

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Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Full Day Kuranda Rail GOLD and Skyrail - Early Start 8am-4:30pm

Port Douglas

Bretts tours was great! he was super friendly, informative and it was a nice small group. the sky rail and train are a must do with great scenic views. the stop for a drink at a local spot in palm cove was a nice touch

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Great Ocean Road Day Trip

Melbourne

our tour guide was amazing. sara was involved and informative. it is a long day but absolutely recommend

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