NZ Diving Tour Reviews

Had a great trip, and got to see many amazing things in NZ. Looking back, the only thing I may have changed would be to extend our trip by a week and have some down time with nothing scheduled so we could just relax between the activities. Not your fault, I told you I wanted to see as much as possible, it was just hard to know on the front end just how tired we were going to be. Loved the activities, the country was amazing and I would love to come back.

Fantastic trip. It was nice not having to figure out all the logistics myself. It made the trip pretty simple since everything was planned for us.

I would recommend Heidi Gillingham and her team to manage your NZ travel Throughout the whole process they were prompt and helpful, extremely patient and solutions oriented Well done and our thanks to you

Loved it all but sea kayaking and swimming with dolphins were our absolute favourites Kirsty did a brilliant job of listening to our wish list and packing in our requests without making us feel rushed. We even managed to add a few extras along the way!

The travel itinerary was well laid out and met our expectations on what we wanted to see in New Zealand. We particularly enjoyed the overnight stay on Doubtful Sound, the scenery in Milford Sound was spectacular and the ice berg tour on Tasman Lake at Mount Cook exceeded our expectations. Overall we were very pleased with First Light Travel. It was good to have a knowledgeable person providing us with recommendations on what to see based on our budget and schedule.

One recommendation I must make if anyone is staying in Blenheim the restaurant at the Chateau Marlborough was next level. We ate there all 3 nights and each time it was fantastic with great service too. There was a change of our itinerary due to sale of accommodation a few weeks before departure but the alternative offered was excellent.

First light travel were a joy to work with from start to finish. I normally do all our research and reservations but as we had an incredibly busy year including moving states, retirement and family obligations I chose to use a travel agent. I have no regrets it was so easy and everything went according to plan. . I highly recommend and would use FLT again.

We absolutely loved Hobbiton, the redwood tree walk, and the Glacier Explorers Tasman boat trip. Also really enjoyed the bike trip in Queenstown and loved Onsen Hot pools. The Milford full day trip in a small coach + boat trip was the way to go vs. self driving. The 2 kayak trips - Okarito and Abel Tasman were definitely highlights!! All the wine tours were also really wonderful. All of the Sydney stuff was also great. Zoo + Biking + Opera House. - awesome.

Our experience with you - guiding us through the planning process was amazing. I had lived there and travelled pretty extensively years ago. As I began this on my own - I quickly became overwhelmed. You listened, made great recommendations, shifted things around to suit our needs and thankfully booked everything for us. You really made the experience stress free. We are grateful! I would definitely work with you all again and we have already recommended you to friends considering trips to NZ!

First Light travel put together an amazing and comprehensive itinerary of NZ highlights for us as first time visitors. It included all our bucket list items, rental car and accomodation reservations and a daily list of what we doing, where and how far we were driving and any activities that required additional confirmation once we got there. Our agent Danielle was a pleasure to work with and we would certainly enlist their help for future travels.

First Light worked hard for us from the beginning to be sure we had the experiences we wanted. Yet, with enough time to really enjoy them. Everything was seamless, easy and well organized. Even, when we had to unexpectedly alter our plans to return home, First Light came through to make our remaining time in NZ wonderful and got us into activities we had planned for future days. All of our accommodations exceeded our expectations.

We contacted First Light Travel looking for some help planning our Anniversary trip to New Zealand and Australia. We had a phone consultation with Danielle who listen to what we wanted and put together an amazing trip. We were taken care of from the moment we cleared customs to when we were dropped off at the airport for our flight home. I would highly recommend using First Light Travel. 

Taylor booked for us a self drive from Christchurch, to Mount Cook, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Wanaka, Franz Josef Glacier ending with a TranzAlpine Train ride back to Christchurch.

She was very responsive and took notes of our requirements and needs, making sure the holiday was slow and well paced as we requested. We didn’t want to see everything but instead, savour the memories together. Throughout the booking process, she listened patiently and went through multiple iterations of the itinerary until we crafted what we were looking for.

The lodges were well chosen, a mix of luxury hotels and well curated lodges with friendly and knowledgeable local hosts. The experiences were bespoke and we especially enjoyed the horse riding experience in Glenorchy which allowed us to the experience the great New Zealand Outdoor off the beaten path with our enthusiastic guide.

When things didn’t go as planned due to weather issues, she was quick to response in country and help us resolve and find alternatives.

Looking forward to our next holiday with First Light Travel and Taylor.