New Zealand Self Drive Tour Reviews

Our trip to New Zealand was more than we expected and we expected a great deal. Dealing with Shelley Kirk was an absolute joy. Her knowledge of NZ was exceptional. Just as important, she was friendly, professional, courteous, and funny...all at the same time.

Our two weeks of travel in NZ was hassle free. What a joy and relief to travel in a foreign country and know we received the absolute best value for our investment.

David and Debora Krizman - USA

First Light were professional for the outset and suggested a programme which changed very little during planning. All tours were well run and instructions provided to us were spot on. Would certainly recommend First Light.

Mike Bailey - Australia

I kind of "fell into" dealing with First Light Travel when looking at websites trying to find things to do during our 6 weeks in New Zealand when we weren't on the Milford/Routeburn Tracks. The initial quick response really impressed me. Also the speed at taking our jumbled list of potential things to do and turning it into a thorough agenda with lodging and activities mapped out, yet free time to explore on our own (with a list of suggestions) was quite impressive. The add-ons of things that we didn't think we could afford (like the glacial helicopter ride, Doubtful sound cruise and Alpine Safari) were some of the highlights of the vacation. Also, the quick contact on any booking issues or changes made us feel like we were the only customer.

Richard & Cathleen Magg - 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

Our whole group was constantly saying how happy we are that we chose First Light Travel for our New Zealand trip. The number of places we stayed in and activities we did would have been such a hassle to book and keep track of receipt/tickets. The booklet of vouchers and long-form itinerary, with a summary at the top of each day, were amazing to have. I would love to have all of my vacations planned by them. Special

Thank you to Judith for her patience and insight.

Craig, Jane & Maya Steinbeck - Singapore

Hey Dawn, thank you for planning a dream vacation on the South Island fo...r our family. We appreciated the variety of the activities (Glow Worm cave, Heli-glacier, Milford Sound flight and cruise, hiking, and biking) that you fit into a short week; found the rental car and the accommodations you arranged quite comfortable (especially the rental unit overlooking the lake in Queenstown that provided us front-row seats for the New Year's fireworks display); and of course loved the gorgeous scenery every where we turned! We appreciated how efficiently you fixed the little glitch with our airline tickets - everything worked out perfectly and we would definitely recommend anyone planning a driving trip in New Zealand to work with you. PS thanks for planning perfect weather for us too! 

The Kofman Family

This was the trip of a lifetime. All of the accommodations and activities booked by Amelia were spot on! The booking was so easy and then we had the detailed itinerary to follow and the gps which already had most of our destinations programmed in. The lodges were of the highest quality and the Kiwi service was better than anywhere else that I have ever been. What a beautiful country with fabulous people. We can't wait to come back and will most certainly let First Light plan our next trip!

Wendy Schnapp USA

We are in our 70's and still like adventure, but realize that we have s few limitations, and the choices were perfect for us. We loved Matt, our guide and driver. He is a very knowledgeable, an obvious professional, both in this business and in life, but also so much fun. We laughed and teased together every day. The rooms, or suites very very comfortable and appropriate, however, the last suite in Queenstown at the Heritage, was a knockout, with a beautiful waterfront view. It is impossible to share all of what
we did because we saw so many gorgeous sights. The adventure highlights were, the train across the Southern Alps, the cave rafting on inner tubes in the Glowworm Caves, the heli-hike on Franz Joseph glacier, and trip to Milford Sound and the flight back across the Alps to Queenstown, The quiet times of lunch in a winery, driving to beautiful vistas in Glenorchy, and walking near the Tasman Sea, made everything just perfect.

We appreciate Dawn's quick response to all of our inquiries and taking care of the details so beautifully. We have done a lot of
traveling but this ranks at the top of our travel experiences.

Thank you, Dawn and Matt, from First light Travel

Ellie and Jim (Waller) USA