Springboard Vacations

We engaged KimKim to put together an itineray for my husband and I for Australia. We had used the online travel agency last year for a trip and really liked their selections of hotels and execursions.

After a month long cruise, we were debarking in Sydney and planned to spend nearly two weeks there. Paula, our travel consultant, was very responsive in helping us plan our time there and finding places to stay. Overall, we are very pleased with how the trip went in Australia. There were two hotels that just okay. One had water damage and the chef didn't show up for breakfast on a morning we had an early excursion and had to scramble to find a quick breakfast.

That said, I would recommend using KimKim to my friends and family. The team does a fantastic job in helping travelers get around in countries that they have not traveled before. I like that we receive an itineray with all of our day to day activities that includes key contacts and addresses.

Hotel Reviews

Mercure Cairns

Cairns

Tbere was water damage in the lobby of the hotel. The chef didn't show up for work on a morning we had an early execursion. The first morning we went to breakfast, the coffee machine wasn't working. The second morning, we had to scramble to find a quick breakfast before we were picked up as the chef didn't show up for breakfast. They didn't offer to help us pay for that. While the room was nice, it was very hot and humid and the room's AC had a hard time keeping up.

Authenticity & Character

Overall the hotel seems a bit shabby.

Location

Very good location to restaurants and shopping.

Staff

The staff at the front desk were very nice.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Again, while clean, except for the waer falling from the ceiling tiles, the hotel seemed shaby.

Hotel Indigo Adelaide Markets, an IHG Hotel

Adelaide

Really enjoyed staying at this hotel. It seemed new and was very well appointed.

Authenticity & Character

It had a great vibe.

Location

While across the public market, it was a bit of a hike to the CBD, restaurants and shopping.

Staff

Everyone at the front desk was extremely helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Yes.

Mercure Welcome Melbourne

Melbourne

The hotel is located in the middle of Chinatown and on a busy street. It lacked any character and the breakfast was inedible. The rooms were small and lacked storage space for suitcases, etc. Plus the rooms were very warm, again it was hot and humid and the AC couldn't keep up.

Authenticity & Character

The entire hotel seemed bland and uninviting.

Location

There were other hotels not right in the center of everything and on a street (alley really) that had busy traffic.

Staff

While the staff was friendly, the front desk seemed to be busy.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our room was small and we just didn't want housekeeping to come in. I'm not even sure the cleaners even tried to come in every day. Overall, the place didn't seem super clean.

Activity Reviews

Dolphin Sanctuary Guided Kayaking

Adelaide

The place was not inviting and the operator didn't open the doors until the time the tour started. There was no place to wait and we had to find our own tranportation there and back. They seemed a bit short staffed and disorganized until the last minute. Even though we did see dolphins, I wouldn't recommend this tour to anyone.

Quality of Experience

There were two groups but at the end it was one big, unruly group. At one point, all the kayays ended up to a narrow point going into a mangrove, those of us in the front were pushed into trees and had a hard time getting through the narrow point.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

When we did have a chance to chat with our guide, he seemed knowledgable. But once the two groups merged, it was hard to follow instructions.

Transport

Transportation was not included and it the location seemed a bit out of the way. We had to pay for an Uber both ways.

Private Dinner, Tales & Cocktails Experience

Melbourne

This was an amazing experience. Our guide, Raff, took us to three unique places we never would have found on our own. Plus he was a great conversationalist and shared information about the arts scene in the city. Very impressive.

Quality of Experience

Our guide was very knowledgeable and personable. He took us to some great restaurants and had lots to share about the surrounding locations. The entire experience was incredible.

Food

All of the food was so good. We ate house made tqcos at a rooftop restaurant, enjoyed wine with cheese and crackers and ended with a drink at a unique speakeasy.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

See above.

Transport

Daintree Rainforest Full Day Adventure by 4WD

Australia

Overall this was a good tour, just really long. Rown, our guide, was very knowledgeable and engaging. He did a great job with the group and well-versed about Daintree and the rainforest and its history. Great storyteller. The only drawback was the cruise we took on the river. I don't think that added anything to the experience. We probably gotten home a bit sooner if we skipped that.

Quality of Experience

Our guide did a fantastic job. Plus we were seeing so many beautiful locations.

Food

The food at the restaurant was good but not great. Knowing there aren't a lot of options it worked. The restaurant offered a great backdrop to the forest. Plus many in our group were able to go for a swim in the river next to the restaurant.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Rowan is really good at what he does!

Transport

The vehicle was clean and comfortable.

Sydney Opera House Tour

Sydney

This was an amazing tour. I'm so glad we were able to do this. The story of the construction and updates just fascinating.

Quality of Experience

We got to see nd listen to the orchestra practice playing in the large hall.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was knowledgeable but came across a bit snooty.

Transport

We walked there ourselves after lunch and took an Uber to the hotel

Discover Melbourne by Bike

Melbourne

I did not participate as we had a long tour the day before on a tour we booked on our own. However Glen went and enjoyed seeing the city by bicycle. The guide, Pat, asked the group if they minded if the tour went on a bit longer to cover more ground. Everyone agreed and had a good time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very knowlegeable about the city and bicycling.

Transport

Wildlife, Waterfalls & Wine Day Trip

Sydney

While this was a long day, it was enjoyable. Steve was a great guide who was very knowledgable.

Quality of Experience

Was very excited to pet a koala bear and feed kangaroos and wallabyes.

Food

We stopped at a restaurant on the beach. There were great options to choose from and the food was great.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was very knowledgeable about the places we visited and the surrounding area. He was also very personable. too.

Transport

Clean and comfortable.

Morning Panoramic Sydney Sights

Sydney

It was great to drive around and have someone point out points and places of interest. However, we saw some great architecture and didn't really stop in the city, probably due to traffic. Our guide took us out of the city center to nearby neighborhoods where we did stop a few times. I probably would have preferred a walking tour of the city.

Quality of Experience

Overall it was nice and the guide was knowledgable.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He was very knowledgble.

Transport

Clean and comfortable.

Michaelmas Cay Cruise

Australia

Overall, the tour to see the Great Barrier Reef was great. That said, the weather brought high winds making the sea choppy the cruiand the cruise a bit uncomfortable for several people. But the staff did a great job in offering ginger to help those struggling with seasickness. tThey also had two marine biologist to provide educational components on the way to the reef and back.

Quality of Experience

The staff did a great job getting people ready to visit the island and snorkel if they wanted.

Food

They had a variety of food that provided those with diet restrictions with options. The food was well marked and tasty!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The ship was rocky, but that's not the fault of the tour operator. The ship was very nice and comfortable overall.

New Zealand 2025

Liz did an amazing job of planning our trip to New Zealand.

She worked through all our wants and budgets quickly and was patient with us regarding changes (including some at the very last moment).

Our trip included three cities: Auckland, Tutukaka, and Rotarua. We had drivers for a group of 10 as well. Everything went smoothly and at no time were we in the dark of what to expect or had to wait on anything.

The hotels we stayed in were perfectly suited for our needs and were within walking distance of sights, activities, and restaurants.

Kelly was our driver for our rainforest hike and for our trip to Hobbiton and Rotorua. He was an amazing source of information about the places we were going to and answered all our questions.

Our other driver (to and from Tutukaka) was just as amazing. He chatted and joked with us on the long drive and made it a pleasant experience by stopping for a few breaks Ave suggesting the best place to grab a few pies for a snack.

We went on a snorkel trip while in Tutukaka; the weather was too rough so it was moved to another day. Rescheduling was easy and the travel company reached out and took care of everything for us. The trip was awesome once we were able to go.

We also kayaked at night to see the glow worms. The guide, Sam, was fantastic. One of us had never kayaked before and he was super patient and helpful.

Our last activity was a hike on Mount Tarawera. This was much more than expected from a physical sense. The 3 mile hike took a few hours and had us up a d down and even into the crater. While we would all recommend this, it is not an easy climb. Children and those not used to physical activity should choose something else. Our guides were fantastic and helpful throughout the entire experience.

We also visited Hobbiton, a few beaches, the aquarium, and explored local places off the beaten path. Liz made sure to build in some downtime for us to relax and find our own adventures.

We will be using KimKim again to plan our next vacation!

Loved NZ - we had three targets for our trip; scenery, Māori culture and wine. Liz did a wonderful job balancing a lot of different options for us. We started thinking of a long Aus-NZ trip and she worked with us to trim it to a realistic timeframe. We only had a couple of true guided tours - in Rotorua the Kahukiwi afternoon with Patrick was eye-opening about current Māori life, visiting his tribe’s marae and taking time to understand the great significance of the marae to the culture. And then Paul with Appellation Wine Tours gave a great tour of Central Otago wineries. Lastly, Liz suggested Doubtful Sound for our Fiordland tour, instead of the much more heavily touristed Milford Sound. We did the overnight tour with kayaking and swimming in the Sound. We also managed to see albatross and fur seals. So, overall, great time!

Hotel Reviews

M Social

Auckland

Very convenient, friendly staff, great food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to ferries and CBD

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sudima Lake Rotorua

Rotorua

Close to the lake (with the accompanying sulfur smell), a little bit of a long walk to town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Park Hotel Ruapehu

National Park Village

Not much choice for this location. Room was small, bathroom was smaller! Dinner was wonderful

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rydges Wellington

Wellington

Comfortable hotel. Was a bit swamped with tour groups. No on-site parking, valet only (@NZ$45/ night). Short walk to the waterfront and cable car.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Distinction Te Anau Hotel And Villas

Te Anau

Great location on Lake Te Anau. Comfortable large room (we were in the villas), good amenities. Very close to the Main Street (restaurants and shopping), wonderful view out onto the lake.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Rees Hotel

Queenstown

Can I give this six stars? Location is just OK, needed shuttle or car to get to town, but the view over Lake Wakatipu was gorgeous. Restaurant is extremely small, breakfast was hit-and-miss to get a table. Staff were wonderful, room was incredibly comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sudima Auckland Airport

Auckland

Convenient, clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

TE Puia: Te Ra Guided Experience 90 minutes) + Cultural Performance

New Zealand

Good mix of Māori culture and history.

Quality of Experience

Half Day Kahukiwi Experience

Rotorua

An in-depth look at current Māori life and culture. Patrick was our guide to his family/tribe, including a visit to his marae. Sometimes was a bit tough to hear about the darker side of Māori history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Introducing Te Papa Tour and Museum visit

Wellington

Good overview of the Museum, allowed for long follow-up once the tour was over.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Te Anau Glowworm Caves - ex Te Anau

New Zealand

Unique glow worm life

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Navigator Overnight Cruise Return ex Manapouri -2Day/1Night - Private Cabin

New Zealand

We were extremely lucky with the weather, calm waters even out into the Tasman Sea. Opportunity for kayaking and swimming. Managed to see the fur seals, wrong time of year for penguins, and no sign of dolphins.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boutique Wine Tour - Half Day

Queenstown (NZ)

Good small group. Paul (guide) was a wealth of knowledge about the wine business in NZ. Good selection of wineries. Would have liked to see more of the wine making process.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We loved our vacation in New Zealand and hope we have the chance to come back for more adventures!

Some highlights:
-Afternoon Wilderness tour: great guides, good pace, informative
-Hobbiton: on time early morning pick up, tour was lovely - wish it could have been longer; lunch was very worthwhile. Hobbiton was a magical place to visit, truly special. The transfer to transport service was smooth (though our luggage sat in van trunks and got a bit warm, so good thing we carried around any heat-sensitive items)
-Te Ra Guided Experience at Te Puia Rotorua: we learned a lot on this tour despite the misty rain - the bubbling mud pools were neat to observe and so cool to see our first kiwi birds of the trip; very easy to get to via Uber from our hotel
-Zealandia: AMAZING! We probably heard bird song (and cicadas haha) more than we saw creatures, but we did see numerous Kakas, Tuataras, a North Island Robin, several Shags, and THREE Little Spotted Kiwis. Will and Judy, our guides, were lovely.
-Full Day Lord of the Rings Tour: of course you have to use your imagination and visualize how the film crew turned locations into movie sets, but it was neat to see several of the sites. No pictures allowed on most of the tour, though it was neat to see various artists at work. And of course funny photos with Bilbo's trolls outside were fun. No 'Rivendell Ripple' at the end of the tour so that still remains a mystery...
-Gondola: really cool ride up the mountain; easy to find ticket pick up location; views were spectacular; we are glad we didn't book the buffet lunch at the restaurant at the top as we had a lovely lunch at Bespoke Kitchen at the base of the gondola
-Walter Peak High Country Farm Excursion: really cute and fun tour; loved seeing all the farm animals and even though the interaction was brief, we enjoyed feeding and petting the sheep, cows and goats. High tea was delicious! We would revisit many places, but we would love to do the horseback riding tour and high tea at the farm.

Some things we wish we knew in advance:
- Early check-in at the QT Auckland hotel was $150 NDZ. We got an extra bonus hour in NZ as our flight landed over an hour early, so we're grateful for our airport pickup (Warren - he was very welcoming and knowledgeable!) monitored our flight and was able to pick us up and we were able to check into our hotel early, so it all worked out.
-The afternoon wilderness tour included a stop for lunch! We didn't know that in advance, so we spent time in the morning finding a place to pick up a sandwich and be at our pick up location on time. Had we known there was a lunch stop where we could purchase lunch, we would have spent time in the morning doing something else.
-On the way to Hobbiton from Auckland, the transport included a stop for breakfast about 1 hour into the journey. Had we known we could purchase breakfast along the way, we wouldn't have had to coordinate a to-go breakfast with the hotel and ask for our early departure to be accommodated (hotel breakfast started at 6:30am, but our pick up was scheduled 6:30-6:45am). The breakfast stop had two different cafe/restaurant options that had a lot to offer - breakfast sandwiches, pastries, coffee, tea, etc.
-New Zealand domestic flights have next to no security (especially in the tiny Rotorua airport)! HUGE difference from the US. We did get the last sandwich at the tiny Rotorua airport cafe, which was lucky... will be good once the full cafe is available there. At Wellington airport, we are glad we got a bite to eat before going to our gate because there is only one tiny cafe option once you go through security and there's a whole large food court and set of souvenir shops BEFORE security.

Some things we would change:
-The ferry to Waiheke Island was nice, but we would have skipped the hop on/hop off bus as they weren't really able to keep to the drop off/pick up schedule, making pickups unpredictable and long waits thus less time for exploring. We would have rathered figuring out the public bus that runs seemingly more smoothly and regularly. We also needed a map that showed restaurants & shops, not just vineyards - such a highlights map didn't seem to exist and google maps wasn't as helpful as it usually is in other locations.
-Outside of really anyone's control but hotel management's: the lighting in all the hotels were pretty poor, to varying degrees; plus the light switches were overly complicated (too many combinations and permutations to try to figure out how to turn a few on or the bathroom lights on and not the entire room! never have had such complicated lighting at a hotel. Other travelers on tours we were on mentioned the same thing at their hotels so the issue seems pretty common.).
-In Auckland, we should have not included breakfast at the hotel. It was OK but we would have enjoyed going to local cafes instead as the hotel breakfast menu and continental breakfast didn't offer much that we enjoyed.

Hotel Reviews

Pullman Rotorua

Rotorua

Lighting in room was OK in comparison to other hotels. Bathroom set up was one of the best. Clean and quiet hotel and our room view was decent too. Overall the breakfast offered had a good variety (very long line at the coffee machine though!).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Crowne Plaza Queenstown

Queenstown

Nice, clean, quiet hotel. If you are on the top floor (7th) be prepared for stairs - the elevator only goes to the 6th floor - not an issue for us but for some guests it might be. Definitely in the top 2 for breakfasts of the 4 hotels we stayed at. The location was very convenient for all of the activities we did!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

QT Auckland

Auckland

Nice, clean, good location. Room lighting was horrible. We would have skipped the breakfast inclusion.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Naumi Hotel Wellington

6141

Great location on Cuba St. Having front and back entrances led to some confusion for pick ups for drivers but in the end it worked out. Interesting interior design... some quite dizzying (especially elevator and carpeting). Decent breakfast offerings. Very nice morning staff. The lighting in the room wasn't very good, and too many on/off switches. The bathroom was squeezed into a very tiny room (shower, sink & toilet all in behind a door) and there was no shower curtain so water escaped easily and only one person at a time could access the bathroom.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Auckland to Rotorua visiting Hobbiton with lunch

Auckland

Just as magical as I imagined! We had beautiful weather to enjoy Hobbiton. The tour does start with a tour bus ride with a little bit of a cheesy video but it's such a small part of the tour. Amazing how they've set it all up again and are preserving the hobbit holes. Loved every minute and didn't want to leave! The lunch was very satisfying.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Lord of The Rings Tour

Wellington

This was a fun tour. Neat to see where some of the movie scenes were shot. The tour of the Weta Cave was neat too though couldn't take pictures during most of it. Enjoyed learning about the artists and seeing their work in action.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walter Peak High Country Farm Excursion

Queenstown (NZ)

We LOVED this! The tour was fun and the high tea was so good. We'd definitely consider coming back for the horseback riding or the eco tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Skyline Gondola Ride

Queenstown (NZ)

This was more fun than we expected. It was amazing to see the views. It will be even better once they finish construction on the larger observation deck.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

TE Puia: Te Ra (Day Pass) Guided tour (90 minutes)

Rotorua

This was a nice tour though it was raining the day we were there. I'm sure it would be incredible if we had better weather but nonetheless we made the best of it and really enjoyed learning from our guides. We saw the geyser on the livestream just before the tour started - it ended up too steamy to see anything once we were out there! It was very cool to see the bubbling mud as well as the kiwi birds at their kiwi conservation station.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Afternoon Wilderness Experience

Auckland

This was a great afternoon activity. Friendly, informative guides. At the end at the beach, the guides set up a table with some treats (cookies, juice, tea, manuka honey).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Zealandia Twilight Tour - Private tour

Wellington

One of the biggest highlights of our trip!! We saw a variety of species (and heard even more) and were very lucky that we got to see THREE kiwi just waking up and starting their night. Truly incredible conservation work being done at Zealandia.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guides were fantastic. Thanks, Will and Judy!

Transport

We had a lovely conversation with our driver, Sarah, both ways. She was friendly and understanding that our tour went a bit over than planned. We appreciate her time and flexibility.

Mitai Cultural Experience & Dinner

Rotorua

Great cultural experience. We happened to be there when there was a competition going on so the usual performers were away and the performers we saw were younger (late teenage years / early 20s). We wouldn't have known if the hostess hadn't revealed that info as they were phenomenal!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport