New Zealand Self Drive Tour Reviews

Great trip, went mainly to plan except one cancellation which the team handled very well and looked after our alternative arrangements. Before we left the operations team sent us road conditions which was a great heads up.
Felt like we were being monitored and looked after the whole way.

Had an amazing time in New Zealand thanks to Gina! She was able to answer all my questions and assuage any doubts I had while ensuring I was getting the exact itinerary I was looking for. The tours were fun, the accommodations were great, and the itinerary was perfect with plenty of free time to explore!

I would highly recommend First Light Travel to create your NZ holiday itinerary. We did a self-drive tour of the South Island in October 2024. I had planned this trip several months before and First Light presented 3 to 4 options to try and match our needs and places and activities we wanted to experience. Gina was our travel designer and she stayed with us throughout the planning process until we made our final decision. Gina was patient, knowledgeable and very experienced. Our holiday was a great success from the car hire, hotels and activities. Our highlight was the Franz Josef Glazier Helicopter ride. The scenery throughout the South Island is simply spectacular. You can rest assure and book confidently with First light.

First Light Travel help us develop ideas and plan a wonderful two week holiday to the South Island of New Zealand recently. We received a detailed itinerary which made the trip stress free and the travel consultants were always on hand to handle any minor variations along the way. We can thoroughly reconmmend First Light Travel for your NZ holiday!

FirstLight Travel did a wonderful job helping us plan a 3 week, independent trip to both the North and South Islands of New Zealand. They listened to our initial thoughts and provided helpful suggestions and recommendation until the itinerary was just what we wanted. Their knowledge of and experience with travel in this part of the world were invaluable. FirstLight made the reservations/arrangements for planes, trains, coaches, hotels and activities -- all we had to do was show up!

Everything went smoothly until bad weather resulted in the cancellation of our flight to Milford Sound. But FirstLight Travel had our backs. We sent one email about the situation and within an hour (literally!), the team made alternative arrangements for us that worked out perfectly and got us to Milford Sound. To me, this is the true value of working with a company like FirstLight. When the unexpected happens, they are there to jump in and problem solve. We were very grateful for FirstLight's cheerful and efficient assistance with this abrupt change in our plans.

We highly recommend FirstLight Travel -- it was terrific working with them throughout the process -- from planning the trip, to the support they provided during our travel, to checking in with us after our return home.

Quick note about coach travel -- we enjoyed the InterCity coaches. They were very clean and comfortable, with cushy seats and big picture windows. Travel by coach allowed both of us to see the country and not worry about driving on the "wrong" side of the road through sometimes challenging weather and road conditions. All the drivers were kind, helpful, and willing to share information about the country and sights.

We just got home from a 14 day trip to New Zealand, and our experience was excellent!
Taylor was great, helped us build our entire trip exactly the way we envisioned it. All of our accommodations were excellent, transports and bookings were on time, and improvising after we had to make some adjustments due to the weather went seamlessly.We had a great time, highly recommend this company!

I was going to plan the trip myself, and I found First Light after searching the internet for itineraries. Kirsty responded to my inquiry and after a few emails and phone calls to gather information, she worked diligently to create an itinerary that worked perfectly for us. The pacing, activities, accommodations, rental cars, and recommendations were all spot on! We loved our New Zealand adventure- the scenery, wildlife, hikes, tours and guides, all of it!!

Highest of praise for FirstLight Travel (FLT) an incredible team and Natalie, who put together a truly epic adventure. First, we booked our New Zealand tour in 2019 for travel in 2020. The world had other plans. Throughout the COVID years FLT kept us informed of the situation in NZ and provided good advice about the travelling situation. So when our adventure finally began after 5 years the expectations were high. The expectations were not only met but far exceeded. The 18-day travel adventure was exceptional, every accommodation was flawless every excursion was exceptional! Seriously it was that good, we would go to sleep every night saying Wow it cannot get any better and then a new day would dawn and it was. A few of the highpoints were Essence of Waiheke Wine Tour on our first full day, perfect introduction after 30 plus hours of travelling, fresh sea air wonderful wines and lovely vineyards such a great kickoff. While I could list everything we did I’ll just hit a few not to miss activities – North Island the Kiwidundee tour was a lot of fun and informative with a thoughtful and knowledgeable guide, The Church – Hahei wonderful peaceful and a magnificent restaurant; Waimangu Volcanic Valley: Waimangu Thermal Reserve Self Guided Walk and Boat Cruise probably one of my favorites on the north island a beautiful park and spectacular and easy hike. The cultural experience in Rotorua was really interesting and informative and of course Hobbiton – a blast. The Waitomo Glow Worm Caves: not to be missed – truly an otherworldly experience. For the South Island the train from Christchurch to Greymouth was epic and not to be missed followed on by the drive down to Frans Joesph Glacier a stay at Glenfern Villa wonderful views and an unbelievable Milky Way – wow. Penguin viewing was a lot fun as was a few day respite to explore Queenstown. Truly everything on this tour was spectacular and so much fun highest of praise to FLT for putting this trip together.

First Light Travel was amazing to work with! Micala helped us out, and was always quick to answer any questions. We were able to customize our itinerary and our honeymoon in New Zealand was a dream! Every accommodation was pristine and Micala took care of booking/setting up transportation. Each transportation was on time and everything went so smooth. I would highly recommend First Light to anyone!

Our itinerary was thoughtfully planned by First Light Travel Designer Taylor Nguyen based on our travel preference, the amount of time we had and the places we desired to cover. Even though we only had 11 days in NZ, it didn’t feel rushed. All the connections and pick up worked like clock work. We enjoyed the Hobbiton tour, the hike at Mt Cook, the plane ride over Milford Sound. It was a pity we didn’t get to do the helicopter ride through Franz Josef glaciers due to bad weather. Otherwise the whole trip would have felt more complete. Part of the itinerary allowed us to self drive, which we appreciated as we could take in the sights at our own time. If only the rental car was in a better condition. All in all, we would recommend First Light Travel to any traveller who seeks free and easy but not random and not having to sweat the planning.