Reviews of New Zealand's Northbound Trilogy Adventure

We had a trip of a lifetime, and it was hands down due to Chrissy at First Light Travel. She helped us streamline and really get the most out of our trip to NZ. I've recommended her to friends, and they have had equally amazing experiences. We plan to go back in 2020 and our first call will be to Chrissy at First Light.

Amanda Pokrzywa & Kevin Arias-Watkins - USA

First Light Travel provided me with a very reliable, accurate, interesting, stress-free itinerary that was more than my expectation. Thank you First Light Travel and the agent who gave me good information and advice!!

Kazuie & Yuki Nagano - Japan

Dawn's expertise in knowing the best accommodations and events far surpassed what I could have learned in trying to plan our five-week drive through New Zealand. The itinerary was perfectly paced. Our accommodations were delightful- from unique B&B's to urban hotels. The trip was magical from beginning to end with no glitches! We loved working with Dawn. She began by learning our trip goals and budget and then provided us with the first draft itinerary.

Thank you, Dawn - you were amazing!

Connie & Alden Meyer - United States of America

"Wow - New Zealand was everything promised and more! Beautiful verdant countryside, towering mountains, a spectacular and often rugged coastline that changed continuously, unique wildlife, and above all, friendly, approachable people. We were able to pack so much into our trip due to Shelly from First Light Travel, who listened carefully to us in the planning phase, offered suggestions, and then crafted a combination of commercial tours and private driver/guides that satisfied all our wishes.  In four weeks we covered the whole length of the country: from the Bay of Islands on the North Island to the little-known, but spectacular and untouched Stewart Island in the far South. Stewart Island was a very special place. We traveled home with a great appreciation for New Zealand’s culture and unmatched beauty, and came away with memories that will last a lifetime.

To get the most out of a trip to New Zealand, we strongly urge using in-country agents like Shelly who can use their experience to minimize disappointments that can sometimes result from self-planning, and assure that one’s desires can indeed come true."

Peter and Ellen Barnett - USA

Spot on Jo Taylor! We loved every day of our 2 week trip - getting better with each new day. Lord of Rings fans - we were so impressed with Norm at Waitomo Glow Worms Cave Tours, Kate at Hobbiton, Shane with Pelorus River Kayak, Michael with Hassle- free tours and the crew at Real Journeys in Doubtful Sound. We got to meet real Kiwis— so proud of their beautiful country, eat authentic Maori Hangi meals and sit in relaxing hot spring spas. One-stop vacation shopping! This company will not disappoint!

Mary, Monohon & Lance Humphrey - USA

I would just like to thank Christine and First Light Travel once again for helping and organising my trip to New Zealand , as a huge lord of the rings fan i wanted to experience this and with such a short period of time to work with they managed to alter my booking and let me have an amazing experience and there service was amazing aswell, would highly recommend first light travel to help you with trips of a lifetime , as they done that for me , Thanks Again!

Matthew Douglas - United Kingdom 

This was our first trip to New Zealand, it was the most incredible experience I've ever had! Working with Shelley was so easy and it was the first time using a travel planner. I will absolutely be back in touch for when we return for our South Island trip. It was amazing!

This was our first time traveling to another country. I explained the general activities we wanted to do during our stay and Shelley crafted a wonderful itinerary. She was great to work with, helped us multiple times through last minute changes, and helped us with a dream vacation. I absolutely loved the wine tours selected for us. Our tour in Central Otago was so lovely. We visited beautiful wineries like Chard, Dominion, Peregrine, ate lunch at an amazing winery with a beautiful view. Martin was fantastic as a host. Ananda tours on Waiheke Island was our favorite. The island is beautiful, our guide was so accommodating, and we visited some simply stunning wineries.

Mitai Maori Cultural Experience was AMAZING! It was a wonderful way to learn about Maori culture, experience good food, and have a great time with many different nations. Extremely professional staff, I enjoyed it so much. The rental car process was very easy and not too hard to figure out for those of us who drive on the other side of the road.
Definitely recommend GPS for anyone who doesn't know the area in the future.

Thanks Shelly

Nathan Kanzler and Vickiana Franco USA

Dear Jo:

Greetings from Washington DC !

My wife and I were extremely happy and comfortable with all the arrangements and bookings you had made for us. After months of back and forth, you and I managed to plan out a perfect trip with a mix of outings and relaxation as we had desired. And we really got a great experience of the beauty of NZ and the friendliness of the Kiwis. You have gained our confidence and respect.

Each accomodation you recommended was different and yet so perfect. We enjoyed Mt. Cook and you were so very right that its a misconception that the road would be hilly and winding. Far from it -- very enjoyable drive and the weather throughout our trip was perfect, except the last day in Auckland when we had some rain.
Saw the FirstLight office across from the Waldorf. Wanted to leave you a note but the main door was locked. I took the liberty of calling your mobile number on a Sunday, and left a long message. Trust it was not improper for me to do so. It was indeed a great pleasure talking to your over the phone midway through our trip.

Whether we will ever make another trip to NZ is an unknown but in you we have found a friendly relationship that we can cherish over the coming 
years; and if you ever are coming to USA, do feel free to let us know.

With kind regards,

Rohit Mehta - USA

Sophie was a wonderful experience. Sophie was highly professional and exceptionally responsive. I greatly appreciated her attention to the endless details. It's so helpful having a 'travel guide' when planning a trip like this, especially since I was planning for 4 people. Everything went smoothly and Sophie was tremendously accommodating to our needs and details. I would highly recommend First Light Travel to anyone booking a trip to New Zealand. I read on their web site, or somewhere, "If you're thinking about using this company to help book your travel, just do it! Stop wondering and just do it! They are exceptional." At that moment I called and spoke with Sophie. 

Etana Kunovsky - USA