New Zealand Self Drive Tour Reviews

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.

Gina and the rest of the team at First Light Travel provided us the trip of a life time -- 45 days touring Australia and New Zealand.

From helping us plan our itinerary to booking our logistics and accommodations to ensuring 'everything was perfect' when we arrived, Gina and her team were with us every step along the way.

Our trip highlights were many including:

- viewing the magnificent Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House at night
- snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef
- dining in a tiny Thai eatery in the multi-cultured city of Melbourne
- exploring the untamed wilderness of Tasmania's Cradle Mountain Reserve and the Tasman's Sea Coastline
- seeing more stars than one can imagine on a clear night at Mount Cook
- learning about the Maori people and their culture in Rotorua
- looking through the geo-thermal mist while hiking the Waimangu Volcanic Valley
- witnessing the fortitude and resilience of the people of Christchurch and Napier to overcome mother nature's earth quakes
- experiencing the stillness and solitude of the Doubtful Sound fiord when a boat shuts off its engines
- seeing kangaroos, emus, wombats, Tasmanian Devils, whales, seals, albatrosses, penguins and glow worms
- enjoying the magic of Hobbiton, seeing the beauty of the 12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road, riding the Transalpine train to Arthurs Pass and watching the sunrise over the 'Remarkables' at Queenstown

Gina, thanks for sharing Australia and New Zealand with us!

I was going to plan the trip myself, and I found First Light after searching the internet for itineraries. Kirsty responded to my inquiry and after a few emails and phone calls to gather information, she worked diligently to create an itinerary that worked perfectly for us. The pacing, activities, accommodations, rental cars, and recommendations were all spot on! We loved our New Zealand adventure- the scenery, wildlife, hikes, tours and guides, all of it!!

Highest of praise for FirstLight Travel (FLT) an incredible team and Natalie, who put together a truly epic adventure. First, we booked our New Zealand tour in 2019 for travel in 2020. The world had other plans. Throughout the COVID years FLT kept us informed of the situation in NZ and provided good advice about the travelling situation. So when our adventure finally began after 5 years the expectations were high. The expectations were not only met but far exceeded. The 18-day travel adventure was exceptional, every accommodation was flawless every excursion was exceptional! Seriously it was that good, we would go to sleep every night saying Wow it cannot get any better and then a new day would dawn and it was. A few of the highpoints were Essence of Waiheke Wine Tour on our first full day, perfect introduction after 30 plus hours of travelling, fresh sea air wonderful wines and lovely vineyards such a great kickoff. While I could list everything we did I’ll just hit a few not to miss activities – North Island the Kiwidundee tour was a lot of fun and informative with a thoughtful and knowledgeable guide, The Church – Hahei wonderful peaceful and a magnificent restaurant; Waimangu Volcanic Valley: Waimangu Thermal Reserve Self Guided Walk and Boat Cruise probably one of my favorites on the north island a beautiful park and spectacular and easy hike. The cultural experience in Rotorua was really interesting and informative and of course Hobbiton – a blast. The Waitomo Glow Worm Caves: not to be missed – truly an otherworldly experience. For the South Island the train from Christchurch to Greymouth was epic and not to be missed followed on by the drive down to Frans Joesph Glacier a stay at Glenfern Villa wonderful views and an unbelievable Milky Way – wow. Penguin viewing was a lot fun as was a few day respite to explore Queenstown. Truly everything on this tour was spectacular and so much fun highest of praise to FLT for putting this trip together.

We booked the trip with First Light Travel adviser Jaydene who assisted us with our travel plans. Jaydene was excellent in the planning stages and she directed us to the most popular places we should visit as well as to suit our travel wishes for both NZ islands. We had sufficient time without rushing and manage to see very scenic and wonderful places. The trip was meticulously planned for each stage, accommodations, vouchers for the events, transport and the system to back up in the event of a mishap. If you are planning a trip to NZ, talk to Jaydene in the planning stages so that you can benefit from her experience and get the best result. Thank you Jaydene from all four of us and you are highly recommended.

My husband and I planned to take a one month driving holiday in New Zealand as we had done in 2019 in Australia and luckily my earliest internet search found First Light Travel’s site. I had done all the investigation, planning and booking on the internet myself for our Australia vacation. It was incredibly time consuming and resulted in a trip which was not nearly as educational, nor exciting as the New Zealand trip First Light Travel created for us.

We spent some time on the phone with Anna Caudle to find out what was available and to give her an idea of what we were looking for. Within a few days she provided us with a fully outlined and costed trip plan. The plan was significantly more detailed and vastly superior to the one I had developed for Australia.

Over the next short while we spoke with Anna on the phone a couple more times which enabled her to really personalize it to our dream trip and we decided Version 3 was the one.

When we arrived in Auckland she had a driver waiting at the airport to pick us up and from that point on every day was enjoyable and we never had to feel uneasy about where we should be or how to get there. With the number of activities planned it was inevitable that a couple ended up being cancelled and whenever there was an issue First Light answered the phone and resolved it quickly. At the end of the trip they refunded the cost of the couple of cancelled activities.

One of the earliest activities was a visit to the Kauri museum and neither of us had any knowledge about Kauri but we spent a fascinating few hours learning about this amazing period of New Zealand history. The rest of the trip provided many more educational opportunities and we enjoyed every moment of every day. Anna’s experience curating the trip showed over and over again. An example was when we did a half day bike ride from Arrowtown to the Gibbston Wine Valley along the river valley and over the historic Kawarau Bungy Bridge (the place where bungy jumping was invented). The path we rode about 20 Km on had many hills and would not have been enjoyable but for Anna arranging for our bikes to be electrically assisted. A very nice surprise!

In summary, unlike our Australia trip we did not have to spend countless hours doing research and booking accommodations and activities and transportation. First Light’s trip was far more interesting and enjoyable than what we would have booked. We had the comfort of having First Light available to assist us if we experienced any issues. I am convinced that we would not have saved money if we had booked it ourselves on the internet. I believe that First Light’s professional relationships in the travel industry provide them with lower prices than a consumer can obtain on their own. As well, we found that the service providers gave us “frequent flyer” style service. When we checked in we always stated that we were there as First Light had booked it and they always appeared to treat us in a way that would be positively conveyed by us to First Light. We rate our First Light trip to be 11 on a scale of 1 to 10!

We were very pleased with the itinerary planned for us by First Light Travel. Although we had several excursions cancelled due to weather, the information packet given to us on arrival provided alternative activities which were quite enjoyable. Some of the accommodations were a little dated but all were clean and comfortable with friendly and helpful staff.

We had a fantastic experience with First Light Travel, choosing them for their excellent service, easy booking process, and quality information. Despite some time zone challenges, responses were always prompt and helpful. The itinerary was well-suited for the holiday, with accurate information provided throughout. Holiday experiences exceeded expectations, with activities perfectly aligned with interests, particularly enjoying island trips, hikes, and adventure tours. Accommodations met expectations, with favorites including Bay of Islands, M Social in Auckland, and Hermitage. While most activities were enjoyable, there were some issues with rushed tours. Overall, the value for money was exceptional, with commendations for the helpfulness in arranging transport and accommodations. Although there was a transition in consultants, the service remained helpful. and we would happily recommend First Light Travel to others and may consider recommending them to friends planning trips to New Zealand in the future.

Excellent, prompt service with experience recommendations that showed the benefit of using a New Zealand agency. We wouldn’t have thought of including a couple of suggestions but everyone was a brilliant experience. The itinerary issued was full of useful information and prompts and was referred to daily. Excellent service.