New Zealand Self Drive Tour Reviews

We absolutely LOVED our trip!! We were so happy to have had your help, and everything went so smoothly! It was truly the trip of a lifetime, full of superlatives! Thank you so much for ALL you did to make it possible!

We ended up visiting Orakei Korako after our mud bath in Rotorua, and were really glad to have gone there: no crowds, and we could spend as much time as we wanted gawking and taking pictures. We even saw a fantail bird taking a spa!!

We also followed your suggestion and booked a hiking/kayaking trip in the Abel Tasman--it was a glorious day….and I ended up with 17 sandfly bites on ONE foot to take home as a souvenir (And that was WITH bug repellent!!),

New Zealand is so full of fascinating plants and bird-life. Every walk was a little different. We managed to make 4 day treks on the Great Walks: Abel Tasman, Routeburn, Kepler and The Tongariro Crossing!! We accomplished that on my birthday, what an incredible experience! One of the highlights for sure!

Thanks to your help, we had the perfect balance between planned activities and free time, travel and staying in one spot, adventure and wine-tasting. It was such a gift knowing that our accommodations were all booked and that we didn't have to worry about finding a place to stay in each new town.

I couldn't begin to say what the "best" part of the trip was, it was all so wonderful. One highlight was our cruise on Milford Sound, as well as the drive to and from. I've always wanted to see a fiord, and this exceeded my expectations.

Thanks so much and have a wonderful holiday season!

Laurie and Steve Landby

Thanks Chrissy for organising our holiday and for all of your help with the trip, New Zealand is an awesome place and we are keen to go back in the near future.

Thanks Again! 

Nick and Joel Trent 

Howdy from Texas!

My wife Lynn and I had an absolutely incredible experience this past March, starting with trekking the Milford Track, then on to Australia, then back to New Zealand. The success of our trip was in very large part due to the amazing help and guidance given us by Miss Shelley Kirk; she is truly incredible! Not only did she put up with me for two years of planning and came up with the perfect itinerary, she really won our hearts when Lynn’s niece died very unexpectedly three days before our original departure. We needed to stay for the funeral, and Shelley did back flips to rearrange our trip, flights, boarding, etc. and truly saved the day. We love that gal!

Morris Hoover

Austin, TX

Ps

Really like your Facebook page!

An excerpt from their Travel Blog: Countdown To New Zealand: On the Road to Becoming an American Ex-Pat

First, a plug for the travel company who put together our road trip, the very informed and helpful Victoria at First Light Travel. I had several conversations with her and from that, she put together an itinerary that was perfect for our group given what we hoped to accomplish, as well as booked all our accommodations and activities for our 3 and 1/2 days on the road. I would HIGHLY recommend them and will definitely use them in the future.

Sarah, Sean and Thom Poccock

This day down in the caves, Down Under in New Zealand exceeded even our highest expectation and convinced us that this country is actually one of the best on Earth and that when visiting the North Island, a stop at the Waitomo Caves is a must!

Remy de Jong

Dear Verity,

I absolutely loved touring New Zealand. There is nothing in this country that isn't beautiful! You put together a tour that I was trying to do myself and you did it cheaper than I could have done. It was great!

Sterling Hutchinson & Wesley Klehm USA

Dear Shelly,

We had a wonderful time. The trip was well planned, with a balance of doing and seeing, activity and relaxation. Am not sure how I found First Light Travel on the internet, but am extremely happy to recommend First Light, and particularly you, Shelley, to all who might be going to visit your wonderful country. 

Terence and Aileen Erard (USA)

Shelly,

I wanted to personally thank you for booking our vacation. You were always helpful and prompt. I loved the PDF and referred to it frequently in the months leading up to the trip and everything was perfect to help us during the trip as well. I don't know that we'll ever make it back to New Zealand, but if we do I'll be in touch. Regardless, I have and will continue to rave about First Light Travel. Hobbiton was our favorite part. Also we loved Rotorua.

Thanks

Michael Casto and Margaret Westlake (USA)

Nigel and Brent,

Thank you so much for all of the arrangements you made for us. We really had the most fantastic trip. It was a great mix of everything. Your country is so amazingly beautiful! The highlight for us had to be the Waitomo caves. First off, Angus and Rachael at Te Tiro Pioneer lodge are truly fantastic hosts. You might mention, they have a BBQ available for guests and they had breakfast included. This was easily our favorite place to stay. After spending the evening talking with them, we wished we had been booked with their blackwater rafting company (would have been a nice tie in).

That said, the Lost World Adventure tour was INCREDIBLE!!! We had an absolute blast! Our guides were fun, informative, and! challenged us throughout the trip, having us crawl through the tightest squeezes and climb the hardest routes. This was most rewarding single day adventure we had.

We also had a great time in Queenstown. We both did the Nevis Bungy (twice!), tried River sledding with Mad Dog, and hiked a bit of the Routeburn trail. Wish we'd had more time here to do some of the tramps around Milford Sound. I guess we'll have to come back!

Thank you for this trip, It has rejuvenated and reinspired us!

Jeremy & Elisabeth Palmer - USA

Hi Suzie

We have returned from our fantastic trip. Thank you and well done on the accommodation your found for us! Everyone was blown away with the scenery and the fantastic food we found everywhere along the trip

Thanks again for arranging such a smooth running tour.

Kind Regards

Heather Gleeson and the Dubbo Girls (Australia)