An Unforgettable Trip to New Zealand
New Zealand
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Jan 6 - Jan 12, 2025
My sister-in-law, Mindy, and I recently returned from an amazing trip to New Zealand. It was a once-in-a-lifetime trip, filled with adventures, new experiences, and unparalleled beauty. I believe it was all of that because Uma from KimKim helped us every step of the way, from ideas, to planning, to reservations, to support while we were there.
Mindy and I started talking about going to New Zealand about a year ago. We knew where it was, and had heard lots of rave reviews about how gorgeous it is, but not much else. When we got more serious about making it happen, we didn’t know where to start.
While searching online for some ideas, I came across the website for KimKim. I liked that the person who would be helping us actually lives in New Zealand. I decided to give them a try.
We communicated with Uma via messages on their site. She gathered lots of information from us via a detailed questionnaire – length of stay, whether or not we wanted to drive, how strenuous we wanted the activities to be, and our interest in many things, such as tours, hiking, biking, bungee jumping, city vs. nature, budget vs. average vs. luxury accommodations, and so much more.
With that information, Uma suggested that we would enjoy touring the beauty on the southern island. Two islands? Who knew?! She sent us a preliminary itinerary including lots of details and asked for feedback. Over the next couple of weeks, communicating back and forth, we had our plan in place. Uma set everything up for us – booked all the hotels, transfers, tours, and activities.
Uma stayed in touch with us as the date of our trip approached, making sure we had the correct documentation and travel visas in place, correct clothing for the weather and sun protection, travel vouchers, and anything else we needed.
Every day of the trip was filled with fun and adventurous activities. The most memorable was Mount Cook National Park. We spent an hour and a half hiking up Mount Cook on well-kept gravel paths and steps and across a long, moving (& scary for me) suspension bridge. The area was absolutely stunning! The bridge spanned over a small river of runoff from a glacier at the base of the mountain. Mindy and I couldn’t believe how lucky we were to be experiencing this!
Another favorite was taking a cruise from Queenstown across Lake Whakatipu on the TSS Earnslaw steamship. The scenery on the cruise was amazing! It took us to the gorgeous Walter Peak Farm, which is a real working farm. They served us a bountiful, delicious meal and then taught us about sheep shearing and sheepdogs. Afterward, we cruised back to Queenstown. A most enjoyable experience!
Another highlight was the drive from Queenstown to remote Milford Sound and the cruise around the sound. This was another amazing experience with sights so breathtaking, I had to pinch myself to make sure it was real. We decided to take a small plane back to Queenstown – another first for us, and it was worth the price being able to see the beauty from above.
We had many more memorable experiences on our trip to New Zealand. There were only a couple of “hiccups” in transfers, and Uma was just a text or phone call away to take care of it. I truly believe we couldn’t have fit in so much wonderfulness if we had planned it ourselves. We highly recommend visiting New Zealand and using KimKim to expertly craft the perfect itinerary for you.
Hotel Reviews
Not fancy, but a nice hotel and very clean. Their restaurant, Bloody Mary's, has fabulous food and service.
Beautiful and upscale. Had everything we needed.
Loved the foresty setting and vibe. Upscale and beautiful, great restaurant!
Activity Review
Dear Cindy,
Thank you so much for your kind words and the review. It was my pleasure to assist you & Mindy during your South Island Holiday.
I would be delighted to see you again in our beautiful country.
Warm regards,
Uma