New Zealand Self Drive Tour Reviews

The reality was better than the dream...... I do not even know where to begin. I have dreamed about this trip for 15 years. I had all these ideas in my head but when it finally came time to start planning I had not a clue what to do. And then I found Shelley and First Light Travel. I have no idea how she did it with the information I gave her from my emails but she was DEAD ON!!!!! Shelley planned THE PERFECT vacation. And she warned me in the beginning that we weren't going long enough, and what I learned in NZ is that most other countries have waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more vacation time than us Americans do. But what Shelley did with the limited amount of time we gave her (two weeks) was amazing. And PERFECT. There is not one single thing (other than our lack of time) that we would change. Seriously. I do not know how Shelley, without ever meeting me, or knowing me at all, could have put that itinerary together so perfectly for us. We loved every single thing we did and every single thing we saw. There was not one moment that we did not look around and be in awe of the beauty. Not one single moment. We WILL be back to NZ and we will never go back without booking through First Light Travel. Specifically Shelley.

Thank you Shelley, for your help in all this. You made a 40 year old ladies 15 year old dream come true. And because of you, the reality was better than the dream.

Kristine Rolf - USA

Thanks to Chrissy, our jam-packed tour of New Zealand's two islands went flawlessly. We enjoyed a perfect mix of general touring, activities in the spectacular outdoors, and cultural exploration with enough time to squeeze in some wine-tasting in New Zealand's justifiably lauded wine areas. We will be looking forward to a return trip.

Cindy & William Golding and Timothy Alcock - USA

Thank you First Light Travel for a great trip! Your planning helped us see so many amazing things during our 3 week holiday through New Zealand's North and South Islands. We are already planning our trip back!

Jonathan Ricketts - USA

I can't say enough good things about dealing with First Light Travel and Kasey !!!! I wanted this trip to be extra special and it was that and more ! She listened to what I wanted and created a trip accordingly. My family was not ready for trip to be over , we recommend New Zealand and First Light Travel to everyone !

Karen & Douglas Paciotti and Family - USA

Shelley, Thank you so much for planning our wonderful holiday in New Zealand. We all had wonderful experiences and it really was the adventure of a lifetime. The attractions and accommodations you planned were all excellent and the itinerary and voucher system worked so smoothly!

Thank you also for arranging the lovely weather, it was absolutely beautiful for the full two weeks. Highlights of the trip were our rafting excursion with Hamish and our stay at Within the Bays B&B; Hans and AnneMarie are just delightful. We loved how many of the tours and activities are small and private. We loved getting to know our NZ hosts and spend good, quality time together as a family. We have all fallen in love with New Zealand. We'll be back for sure - we haven't seen the South Island yet!

Thanks again, 

Jeni, Jason, Sam and Anna Brett USA

In November, my wife and I celebrated our 46th wedding anniversary traveling through New Zealand. Having done some extensive online research, we decided to have First Light Travel plan and book our trip. Marrying Marianne 46 years ago was certainly the best decision I ever made. Choosing First light Travel might be the second best!

Our First Light Travel agent, Amelia Riwai, was sensational! Every aspect of our two-week itinerary was nothing short of First Class. We stayed in some beautiful hotels and several lovely bed & breakfasts. We particularly enjoy the B&Bs because they give us a chance to meet and share time and experiences with our hosts - and the places that Amelia chose for us are owned by very friendly, talented and gracious people who thoroughly enriched our Kiwi experience. And then, there were the tours and excursions! 

We are very active seniors and so many of the things we chose to do involve some physical activity. From the thrilling Huka Falls Jet Boats to the exhilarating Franz Josef Glacier Heli Hike to the wondrous Glow Worm Caves and the scenic Doubtful Sound cruise, we have memories to last a lifetime -- and so much to talk about this holiday season.

Dick & Marianne Spagna - USA

Dawn and First Light Travel were amazing. I am so glad we worked together for our vacation. Dawn paid close attention to the type of holiday we wanted and planned accordingly. Everything was booked and organized perfectly. The vouchers were helpful, letting us know who/when we needed to confirm. We had no problems, everything went so smoothly. We were a very happy and satisfied couple.

Sandra Oman & Michael Barr - USA

Kasey, Thank you for planning a wonderful trip for us. It was absolutely amazing and we had great weather too! Here are a bunch of pics of us having fun on our trip . We will be sure to refer you to folks we know because you provided Wonderful service and very efficient, even with the time zone difference!!

Julie Baher & Family - USA

Suzie, Thank you! We had an amazing adventure in NZ, you truly have a beautiful country and we were so happy we made this trip. Your itinerary and all the suppliers were great and everything went on smoothly, thanks for doing this! Really nothing I can complain about and everything to praise! All the activities were great and the tubing was one experience to remember, but so is the hot air balloon, paragliding and the jetboat / heli experience in Wanaka. Something I would not be able to do on my own without your help. That's why people need you to do these for them.

Thanks again

Grace Chua & family - Philippines

Chrissy, We had the BEST TIME OF OUR LIVES! It far exceeds my best expectations and I am so very happy with your service. Everything you did for us was perfect. I have an aunt that works for Singapore Airlines and have told her all about your company and YOU. I told her she can use your name and company to give to others who are interested in vacationing there and use my experience as testimony. I am so pleased with your services that I'm looking into taking other vacations in just the area that you service so I can use you again! We have made memories to last a lifetime and I'm sure the pictures will help paint that picture for you. The only thing that didn't go as planned was our hike through Abel Tasman. My family of 5 from flat, level Florida could not complete the 4 hour hike. We had to call the company and have them "rescue" us from the midway point. It was rather fun as we got to ride on a speed boat and see more of the coastline up close so it was still a blast! Again, thank you for everything! We will definitely use your services again and will highly recommend you to ABSOLUTELY everyone we meet!

Estee and the Davis family USA