Reviews of Classic New Zealand Driving Tour

First Light Travel created more than a holiday for us - it was a carefully curated experience. They found small, welcoming, characterful hotels and B&Bs that totally met our brief. We asked for a lot and we got it. All pick-ups, transfers and changes of mode of transport worked seamlessly. We'll be back, and First Light Travel will be our first port of call. Some activities that we loved included whale watching, sailing in the Bay of Islands (and walking back!), Christchurch tram ride, Bay of Islands boat out to the hole in the rock and all wine tasting trips (Marlborough and Queenstown).

First Light Travel provides first-class service! The four of us traveling to New Zealand thoroughly enjoyed our once-in-a-lifetime, 19-day self-drive vacation. I would absolutely use First Light Travel again! Our Travel Designer Marcella was fabulous: helpful, friendly, and responsive to our needs. She took care of all the details when designing a custom itinerary for us based on our interests. She booked wonderful accommodations and recommended several fun tours/activities that we really enjoyed. The Milford Sound Day Tour with Cruise Milford was fabulous! When we had to adjust our travel dates due to airline reservation availability, Marcella quickly made changes to meet our new schedule. She maintained good communication from the time we started our planning until our trip was complete. 

First Light Travel made planning our New Zealand adventure seamless with outstanding service, prompt responses, and a well-crafted itinerary. The activities were wonderful and varied—hiking, exploring botanical gardens, and dinner at Larnach Castle were highlights. Most accommodations were excellent, especially The Hermitage. We truly felt cared for throughout, and the experience exceeded our expectations. Special thanks to Gina and the team for creating such a memorable holiday!

First Light Travel made our New Zealand trip easy and unforgettable—great planning, accurate info, and amazing experiences like Te Puia and Milford Sound. The kids loved our added activities too. Excellent value and service—we’d happily recommend them to other families!

Planning was a breeze with First Light Travel—everything was accurate, seamless, and tailored to our interests. We loved Hobbiton, Doubtful Sound, glacier tours, and more! Great value and unforgettable experiences. Highly recommend for a stress-free, adventure-packed New Zealand holiday.

This was a dream trip for us and I had no idea how to plan a whole month’s journey. First Light saved me hours of research and booking time. All of the details from car rentals, activities and lodging were well planned and made the trip easy and enjoyable.

Recently returned from a fabulous trip to New Zealand. We chose First Light Travel to put together our trip, as they had great reviews. Marcella did a great job working with us to include as many nature related experiences as possible and advised us on best time of year to travel. In all, we spent about 5 weeks visiting both islands. This included a two day trip to Stewart Island staying in a beautiful Boutique Lodge. Probably the best holiday we have ever had. We loved New Zealand; the people; the food; the cities and the wonderful scenery. Great variety in what we saw and the time spent in each location suited us well. All the hotels/accommodation were excellent. Easy driving and good roads. Certainly this holiday exceeded our expectation. Thank you Marcella!

First Light laid the groundwork for a fantastic four weeks in New Zealand. It was a wonderful adventure without any of the stress that often accompanies long trips. They took the time to learn what we wanted, made excellent recommendations, and then organized all the details perfectly. We would definitely use them again.