Reviews of Classic New Zealand Driving Tour

We booked the trip with First Light Travel adviser Jaydene who assisted us with our travel plans. Jaydene was excellent in the planning stages and she directed us to the most popular places we should visit as well as to suit our travel wishes for both NZ islands. We had sufficient time without rushing and manage to see very scenic and wonderful places. The trip was meticulously planned for each stage, accommodations, vouchers for the events, transport and the system to back up in the event of a mishap. If you are planning a trip to NZ, talk to Jaydene in the planning stages so that you can benefit from her experience and get the best result. Thank you Jaydene from all four of us and you are highly recommended.

My husband and I planned to take a one month driving holiday in New Zealand as we had done in 2019 in Australia and luckily my earliest internet search found First Light Travel’s site. I had done all the investigation, planning and booking on the internet myself for our Australia vacation. It was incredibly time consuming and resulted in a trip which was not nearly as educational, nor exciting as the New Zealand trip First Light Travel created for us.

We spent some time on the phone with Anna Caudle to find out what was available and to give her an idea of what we were looking for. Within a few days she provided us with a fully outlined and costed trip plan. The plan was significantly more detailed and vastly superior to the one I had developed for Australia.

Over the next short while we spoke with Anna on the phone a couple more times which enabled her to really personalize it to our dream trip and we decided Version 3 was the one.

When we arrived in Auckland she had a driver waiting at the airport to pick us up and from that point on every day was enjoyable and we never had to feel uneasy about where we should be or how to get there. With the number of activities planned it was inevitable that a couple ended up being cancelled and whenever there was an issue First Light answered the phone and resolved it quickly. At the end of the trip they refunded the cost of the couple of cancelled activities.

One of the earliest activities was a visit to the Kauri museum and neither of us had any knowledge about Kauri but we spent a fascinating few hours learning about this amazing period of New Zealand history. The rest of the trip provided many more educational opportunities and we enjoyed every moment of every day. Anna’s experience curating the trip showed over and over again. An example was when we did a half day bike ride from Arrowtown to the Gibbston Wine Valley along the river valley and over the historic Kawarau Bungy Bridge (the place where bungy jumping was invented). The path we rode about 20 Km on had many hills and would not have been enjoyable but for Anna arranging for our bikes to be electrically assisted. A very nice surprise!

In summary, unlike our Australia trip we did not have to spend countless hours doing research and booking accommodations and activities and transportation. First Light’s trip was far more interesting and enjoyable than what we would have booked. We had the comfort of having First Light available to assist us if we experienced any issues. I am convinced that we would not have saved money if we had booked it ourselves on the internet. I believe that First Light’s professional relationships in the travel industry provide them with lower prices than a consumer can obtain on their own. As well, we found that the service providers gave us “frequent flyer” style service. When we checked in we always stated that we were there as First Light had booked it and they always appeared to treat us in a way that would be positively conveyed by us to First Light. We rate our First Light trip to be 11 on a scale of 1 to 10!

Natalie from First Light Travel did a superb job planning our 'bucket list' trip to New Zealand. Her attention to detail and personalized service made our journey a memory that will last a lifetime. The booking process was easy, and the itinerary provided accurate and helpful information. Our holiday experience exceeded expectations, with activities like Hobbiton and a Southern Glacier Helicopter Tour of Milford Sound being highlights. Accommodations at Koura Lodge, Hawthorne House, and Hermitage Hotel were exceptional. The service provided by First Light Travel represented exceptional value for money. We highly recommend their services to anyone looking for a memorable travel experience.

28 Days in New Zealand – the trip of a lifetime, thanks to First Light Travel

We just returned from 28 unforgettable days in New Zealand, organized by Gina O’Neill at First Light Travel.  FIVE STARS!  We could not recommend Gina and First Light Travel more highly.

Gina organized a top to bottom adventure- and activity- packed trip which met our budget, responded to our desires (and “non-desires”), and exceeded our expectations, including both North and South Islands.  Every day we did something “cool” – there were no wasted travel days or waiting-around days – Gina organized the logistics so that we never had to drive more than 3 hours in a day and could always do something fun every day.  Reservations worked flawlessly – every hotel and every activity had our reservation handy, and off we went. 

I would also say, without looking an itemized budget for every hotel and activity, that we felt we got very fair value for our money.  In many instances, we stayed in hotels we would have been too cheap to book ourselves (!), so we were frequently surprised by the quality and comfort of our accommodations.  In addition, all of the “activity providers” (be they rafting, boating, kayaking, hiking, ballooning, etc.) were excellent: professional, super friendly, safe, funny, engaging, simply first rate.  We never could have found these folks by ourselves, nor felt secure in advance that we had found the right people even if we had.  In short, Gina made great recommendations and choices for us.

Finally, this is the first time we have ever worked with a travel agent.  I am typically skeptical and usually arrange all our own hotels, cars, activities, etc.  But I can say that we are unequivocally HAPPY that we engaged Gina at First Light Travel to do this work on our behalf, so that our only responsibilities were to have a BLAST in New Zealand.  Thank you.  
Sam and Linda.
 

Thanks for all your help planning our fabulous trip.  We love your country and appreciate your planning a trip for us that both allowed us to see so much, without feeling frantic.  We would not have dropped anyplace, and most places we would gladly have stayed even longer.  No hotels were bad, all -- as we requested -- avoided boring international style (except the first and nights in Auckland and the hotel the last night in Christchurch by airport but that was unavoidable) and even the very smallest studio room, the studio at Kaikura, had a plus as they lent us bicycles for free and have cycletracks right there. I am so impressed by NZ's conservation efforts and appreciation of Maori language and culture, as well as 100% friendly spirit and the feeling of safety and public order.