New Zealand Self Drive Tour Reviews

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.

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!

We entrusted our Honeymoon to First Light Travel and were so glad we did! Their consultation service was exceptional, Natalie helped with suggestions for activities and listened to all our needs. During our trip there were some unfortunate cancellations due to extreme weather but the team at First Light travel couldn’t have been more helpful, rearranging trips and accommodation to ensure we made the most of every moment. We are very grateful to the team and would recommend them to anyone looking to explore NZ and the surrounding countries!

First Light Travel provided an exceptional travel experience! Gina was fantastic at tailoring our trip to match our needs and interests, ensuring everything went smoothly. The booking process was easy, the itinerary was well-planned, and the provided information was accurate and helpful. Highlights included Milford Sound, Queenstown’s skylift, and even the BBQ, which exceeded expectations. Our accommodations, especially in Auckland, were stunning, and transport drivers were friendly and incredibly helpful. Exceptional service and value—we’d highly recommend First Light Travel!

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!

First Light Travel made me and my husband’s honeymoon a wonderful, stress free experience! I originally tried to plan a trip to New Zealand on my own, that proved to be very difficult. There’s so much to see and do!! So, we reached out and ended up working with Jasmin and she was THE BEST. She got to know us a little and we told her we loved the outdoors and wanted to experience NZ but didn’t know where to start! We decided to use our two week honeymoon completely on the South Island. Which included: Christchurch, Mount Cook, Dunedin, Te Anau, Doubtful Sound, Queenstown, Wanaka, and Franz Josef. She kept us busy with both large and small group adventures which we loved. Wildlife cruises to see albatross, island nature walks with great views, and our all day cruise to Doubtful Sound just to name a few! We had something almost every day, but she did schedule in a couple free days for us to explore. Her communication skills were amazing, she gave us an itinerary, to which she made it easy to change a few things (we live in MN so we didn’t want to kayak or jet ski, we do that every summer). She finalized booking, and saw us off! We wouldn’t have had this experience without her. Thanks Jasmin and First Light Travel! 10000/10 would recommend.

You created a fabulous and well thought out trip for us. I so appreciated the accuracy of the travel time planned into our trip. You were spot on accurate. The hotel selections were wonderful and excursions were fun. Thanks for a memorable lifetime adventure in your beautiful country .First Light Travel did a phenomenal job planning our trip. You have created an experience of a lifetime and EVERYTHING was seamless ! I have already recommended you to friends who are interested in the same type of experience when they visit NZ .

First Light Travel exceeded all our expectations. They worked with us creating a 3 week self-drive itinerary of New Zealand that included both the North and South Islands followed by an additional week spent in Australia and Fiji. They arranged airport transfers, car rental pickups, hotel accommodations, and several of our tours. Whenever we had a question, they would respond in less than 24 hours. Prior to our trip, we were provided a detailed day-by-day itinerary, which included contact information, how long it would take to get from one location to the next, and if we needed to confirm activities with the supplier. They also provided us with an emergency contact number in the event something came up during non-business hours. We would highly recommend Danielle and First Light Travel for your travel arrangements.

Excellent service and guidance from First Light Travel advisor Anna Caudle! We communicated over email and phone for the planning and the resulting self-driving tour itinerary was excellent and perfect for 15 day visit. We requested some golf be included and Anna set us up at 4 beautiful courses with morning tee-times. The hotels she booked for us were consistently great and the activities were fantastic, especially booking us on Air Milford to fly to Milford Sound! Flight was the highlight. Everything was perfect. Can’t recommend their service enough. Top rate!!