New Zealand Self Drive Tour Reviews

Heidi Gillingham was very responsive and provided an excellent amount of detail and description in the whole holiday. All questions were answered promptly. Everything booked was confirmed on arrival, no hiccups which helped with the enjoyment of the trip

I can't say enough good things about First Light Travel! We worked with Marcella who helped us create our dream custom itinerary for our 2 week honeymoon. She was very patient, knowledgeable, and quick to respond. Once we actually got to New Zealand, all of our expectations were exceeded when it came to hotels, excursions, and other recommendations. We felt very well taken care of and didn't have to worry about a thing other than enjoying ourselves! This was the trip of a lifetime and we are so grateful for the help.

When we started planning our honeymoon, we quickly realized we had no idea how to plan an epic vacation. Gina and the First Light team put together an excellent itinerary that catered to our preferences and turned it into our favorite trip ever! The time spent in each location was perfect, and coincidentally helped when we ran into a few weather related reschedules. For the price, everything exceeded our expectations! We loved it all, but we especially loved the day in Milford sound with the scenic flight back. We also loved the franz Josef helicopter, the steamboat ride & dinner. There wasn’t a bad activity on the itinerary.

We received excellent service from First Light from initial contact through booking and during the trip. The itinerary was very well curated and everything went according to plan. Highly recommend this company.

I can't recommend First Light Travel enough! Anna truly listened and put together an amazing family vacation for us over Christmas and New Year. Every detail was well thought out and the communication and preparation was 10/10!
The "Lord of the Rungs" via ferrata excursion and the heli-hike on the Franz Joseph glacier were two highlights - both not on our radar until Anna Suggested them.
If you want an amazing trip with every detail planned, First Light Travel is for you!

Nicole did a great job learning our interests, matching our interests with activities, and making the arrangements. The Sydney Bridge Climb was fun and memorable. The Sydney Aquarium was excellent. We surprised how wonderful it was. We appreciated the unscheduled time that allowed us to wander and discover this gem. We loved the Lord of the Rings venues--WETA and Hobbiton. We are grateful that Nicole mentioned the Hobbiton Evening Banquet possibility early enough for Nicole to make reservations. All other activities suggested were terrific and enjoyable. The Maori events (Te Puia/Te Ra and the Te Po Indigenous Evening Experience were much appreciated. In Aukland we totally enjoyed the SkyCity Orbit 360 dining experience, and the Waiheke Island experience, as suggested, was a great way to end our once-in-a-lifetime vacation. Thank you, thank you!

If we had tried to plan this trip on our own, it would never have been as memorable as was. Nicole at FirstLight took the time to discuss our interests, get to know us, and plan activities that exceeded our expectations. Nicole was responsive to our preferences and made every activity one we enjoyed. Having a detailed and complete itinerary relieved us of the pressure of figuring out almost all of the details, yet allowed us enough unscheduled time to explore.

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.

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.

We loved our first visit to New Zealand! Two weeks was barely long enough but we covered a good amount of highlights on both the North and South Island. Now we know which areas we’d return to spend more time exploring! Nicole did a wonderful job of getting to know what we were interested in and incorporating everything we requested as well as leaving us time to do some hiking throughout the trip. It was so helpful to use First Light Travel to plan our trip as we were traveling during a busy time of year and had left our planning fairly late. I knew it would be best to use a local company that are experts in the field. We had some busy days and some slower days but they all flowed smoothly. The itinerary Nicole created for us kept us on track to see what we wanted at a pace I knew would work for us. Our family favorite was Rotorua Canopy Tours. My adventurous kids from the get-go were excited and, although I was more apprehensive, the guides on the tour made it easy for me to feel comfortable and have such a great time! With all the accommodation, rental cars, domestic flights, and activities to organize, I would definitely recommend First Light Travel to plan your travels!

Memorable family trip to New Zealand
My husband and I and our two teens just returned from a wonderful 2.5 week Self Drive trip to both the North and South Islands of New Zealand! Communication with First Light Travel and their Travel Designers was top notch right from the start. From the initial phone conversation to the many emails back and forth with itinerary adjustments it almost seemed to good to be true - that someone else was handling all of the details of our trip and all I had to do was show up in New Zealand! I'm glad I took that chance as it truly was the case. First Light took care of our airport transfer, car rental, accommodations and most of our activities. The majority of the accommodations that we stay at were perfect for our family and the cars that we rented were fuel efficient and comfortable. The highlight for my family in the North Island was Hobbiton and the Milford Sound Coach and Cruise from Queenstown was our South Island highlight. Gina's quick responses during our planning process and even when we were running late to check in for an activity were much appreciated. I highly recommend this company to anyone planning a trip to NZ. Thanks again First Light!