Blown Away!
New Zealand
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Dec 2 - Dec 18, 2024
Being at a loss on how to plan a trip to New Zealand, we came across this company through an internet search. Paula became our contact and adviser and she put together a well-tailored holiday for our needs. Everything went off smoothly from landing in Queenstown until handing in our hire car at Auckland airport. We really enjoyed our trip to Milford Sound and our guide Paulie, was brilliant. Another highlight was our Rob Roy Glacier tour at Wanaka. Our guide Thierry was fantastic and made the trip so enjoyable despite my throbbing feet. Sadly we couldn’t do our tours at Mount Cook due to poor weather but we made the most of the available walks and were taken aback when Aoraki finally made an appearance from behind the clouds on our last day.
It was then off to Rotorua where we watched our daughter compete at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships. The Big Kanu glow worm tour was fascinating, as was the Hells Gate experience. We were a little disappointed with the Kahukiwi experience as it seemed a little disorganised and unstructured although the guide was friendly and extremely helpful.
In summary, a well organised and satisfying first trip to New Zealand. We would have no hesitation in recommending your company to others. Our thanks to Paula for putting all together and putting up with our endless messages.
Thanks!
Hotel Reviews
Handy apartments for visiting Queenstown. Very comfortable with all the amenities. Only observation was to try to avoid getting a room too close to the road as happened to us. People walking by could look into our apartment and there was traffic noise.
This was a beautiful hotel next to the lake in a tranquil setting. Like being in the centre of a golf course. Although the rooms were well equipped, our room seemed antiquated, with a tired bathroom. Maybe up for renovation soon?
The place to stay in this area with commanding views of Mount Cook when the clouds clear. Our room although well equipped was on the small side and felt a little cramped. Apart from driving and walking around the beautiful scenery, there isn’t much else to do here. Maybe other activities could be offered when the weather is bad and organised tours get cancelled. All we got was a refund which was fine but perhaps alternatives would be more enjoyable.
Our favourite hotel during our holiday. Comfortable rooms, great location and even played a game of outdoor chess. Only criticism: our check in was delayed by a couple of hours due to airline staff being given permission to check out late. Took a bit too long with only a drink voucher to make up for it.
Well situated hotel in the business district of Auckland. Handy valet parking took the stress out of finding a car park on our own. Modern comfortable rooms with all the amenities we required. Recommended.
Activity Reviews
An overnight tour here was the best thing to do to avoid most of the day cooped up in a coach or car. Milford Sound was a brooding and cascading experience that we would recommend. Hats off to Paulie our guide, who provided so much information about New Zealand and the trip whilst driving us effortlessly through the winding roads.
Enjoyed our trip to the vineyards and we were lucky with the weather. Finally know a bit more about NZ wines. The meal was interesting and enjoyable. A good day out.
We were the only people doing this tour that day. Our guide Thierry was fantastic, from picking us up to guiding us along the walk, sharing his favourite tree with us and sorting us out with lunch. Highly recommended to anyone capable of walking over uneven ground for several hours. You won’t regret it!
Fascinating to see these glow worms in action when night starts creeping in. The guides were quite entertaining too. Recommended!
A comfortable stroll through these amazing trees along walkways and platforms. Nothing. We enjoyed our visit.
Fascinating to see these geysers and hot pools bubbling away. Lethal if you fall in! The mud bath experience was also enjoyable. Recommended!
Our Māori guide was a lovely man but the tour lacked structure with just information being thrown at us in a haphazard manner. We did learn about some of the legends but this tour could have been a lot better.
