New Zealand Self Drive Tour Reviews

Dear Shelly,

Just a note of thanks for the wonderful job you did with all of our travel arrangements.

I was also happy to meet you and your sons. You did an excellent job and I enjoyed everything we did 

I especially enjoyed our time with Chris Lewis (their driver/guide via Limo South).  What a trip!

Sandi Sharpe - USA
 

Because Shelley was so thorough in putting together my itinerary I was able to see everything I wanted to see, and much more. Shelley would suggest activities to add and I am glad I did. I was never disappointed. It was an exceptional experience in both New Zealand and Australia. I was very pleased.

Jim Geiger - USA

I highly recommend First Light. Deb made planning for my trip so simple even though I was travelling with a relatively big group, and with infants. She suggested appropriate activities and there were not many changes required from her first proposal. The trip was smooth, and the detailed itinerary certainly helped prepare us for any situation that occurred. Our trip was a delight, and the price paid was very reasonable.

Haikal Family Singapore

 Hi Kasey,

I wanted to touch base now that we are home and settled back into our routine to tell you what a wonderful New Zealand trip we had and to thank you for all your effort.  You did a wonderful job and probably picked some great experiences and places to stay that we wouldn't have thought about.  We hope to one day return and you will be our go-to girl when that happens!

Thanks again for all your help and planning.

Regards,

Edward & Deborah Danielczyk - USA

Hi Sofie,

It’s been some time since we’ve been back, but I had forgotten to reach out to thank you! Our trip was amazing! All the plans were easy to follow and our trip went very smoothly.

We were very lucky that we had good weather for the (absolutely amazing) glacier hike, and I’m especially grateful for the suggestion to travel to Punakaiki for the glow worm cave tour, since we enjoyed that so much! I attached a couple pictures of our adventure.

Thanks once again for the help in planning the trip, and I’ll be sure to recommend you to anyone we know planning to come to NZ!

Warm regards,

Ethan & Kaitlyn Carter - USA

Melissa,

 Thank you for everything.  We had a wonderful trip and saw so much of New Zealand.  We are still recovering from the flight home and the time difference.  The memories will be unforgettable.  I think the itinerary worked really well for us.

 Again, many thanks

Joy, Matthew & Alison Bird - USA

It was a wonderful experience to work with Jo from First Light Travel.  She is very professional and helpful, designing a tour specific to our small group.  Most importantly, she was immediately available when we ran into a snag with a cancelled flight, arranging other transportation to get us back on our itinerary.  It was comforting to all of us to have her support!

My favorite parts of the trip were:

1.  Brisbane:  This city surprised me with the beautiful Botanical Garden and the river flowing through.   I would like to spend more time there and do a lot more exploring.

2.  Cairns:  What a paradise!  Winter is a great time to go and enjoy this tropical area, there is so much to see and do.

3. Te Anau:  The hotel Radfords on the Lake is set next to the lake and the scenery is stunning.  The glow worm cave was so beautiful and Milford Sound is so spectacular that pictures cannot do it justice.

4,  Queenstown:  What a wonderful, fun city set in an amazing place!  Take the gondola ride to the top at night for a great view.  For that matter, all of New Zealand is so unspoiled and beautiful, I would be happy to spend much more time there.

Thanks so much for your help, Jo.  You helped make our trip wonderful!

Letha Davis - USA

Jo is a miracle worker! 

I can’t say enough about how great she was to work with!  There wasn’t a pre-planned tour available for the winter season, so she took us under her wing and helped us to create a custom-designed trip of a lifetime.  She accommodated and exceeded our every need and request...and believe me there were many.  She took care of every detail from pickup and drop offs to detailed notes and phone numbers for confirmations.  We didn’t have to worry about a thing...and that made all the difference in traveling.

Our drivers and guides were treasures!  They took personal interest in offering detailed information about their beloved country as well as answering any questions we had with patience and enthusiasm.  The excursions she selected for us were fabulous...we were treated to the best of the best meals and service.  We called it our “spoil spree” adventure.   When there was a complication in our trip due to a flight cancellation, she was instantly available for us to problem solve and she personally handled arrangements to get us back on schedule.  Phew!  I felt so much better having her “on board” with us for the whole vacation process.    

We highly recommend First Light Travel to anyone and we are already making wishful plans for a return trip...now if we can just get her to branch out on a global scale for all of our traveling in the future!  What do you say, Jo?

Australia favorites:

The Sydney Harbor dinner cruise - beautiful scenery, AMAZING food with wine pairings, live music, and first-rate service.

Wendy Sorenson - USA

This trip is one for the books! Christine made sure that we are able to enjoy and maximize our 8-day vacation to the wonderful places in South Island, NZ. We only contacted her 2 weeks prior our trip but she was able to quickly come up with an Itinerary and was very patient with our questions and requested adjustments with our IT given the very short timing. She was also quick to respond on our emails and gave tips on some of our concerns. We'll definitely contact them again on our next visit to New Zealand. Appreciate all the help!

Marco & Nikki Collantes - Manila, Philippines

Hi Christine,

We are now in Singapore, waiting to board, bound for Manila.  All in all, our trip was wonderful and without a hitch...our afternoon tour is special, we all have the whole bus for ourselves only! Kevin was very kind and passionate...we really enjoyed the tour....

Thank you so much for everything. 

Will recommend you definitely to others who would want the same treatment.

Best regards

Leovie & Maria Consuelo Madali - Philipines