New Zealand Self Drive Tour Reviews

This was to be a holiday of a lifetime and it lived up to its expectations. First Light Travel and their Consultant Michelle Srzich were brilliant. Great Itinerary, Accommodation and activities. No hitches or disappointments just plain sailing. We cannot recommend you enough we asked for variety of accommodation and that's what we got, All accommodation was first class.

John and Elaine Hebson - Great Britain and N. Ireland

Michelle was extremely helpful and responsive to all our queries. This was a trip we longed to take for a while and we wanted to get the feel for the North Island in just 9 days that we had to spend there. We couldn't have hoped for more! With Michelle's help we were able to nail our itinerary to get the best of what New Zealand has to offer – beautiful countryside, postcard-worthy sites, walks in the native bush, geothermal parks, glow-worm caves, unforgettable beaches, kayaking, long walks and great food and wine. Thank you so much Michelle and First Light Travel! With your help, we are quite ready for another adventure!

Piotr and Natalia Topolski - Poland

We used Shelly at First Light Travel for our special honeymoon to New Zealand. It was my first time working with an agency for a trip and now I'm hooked! I'm a very good planner myself but having somebody take care of the details was a dream. In particular, there was a cyclone while we were in New Zealand and First Light immediately arranged a Plan B for those days and made sure we knew which roads were closed when. The flexibility of the self-drive itineraries really was ideal – we had enough planned ahead but didn't feel like we were constantly “on the clock” and could adjust our driving schedule to how we felt or stay slightly longer in a place if we liked it. I chose First Light because they demonstrated that they care about unique, non-cookie-cutter experiences, eco-consciousness, and contributing back to the local economy.

Megan Jones & Amir Asiaee - USA

Dear Shelly

We are still jetlagged and drag ourselves to work each day…? It is hard to get motivated. But we have to. The trip was very good. We are happy with your communication and organization of the trip. We think this was a great way of doing it and all was clearly detailed in the travel arrangements. I would do this way again as it was very well mapped out.

We had a great journey. We will come back to you soon .

Kind regards, Sabine

Eric Van Rhienen and Sabine De Prest – Belgium

First Light Travel was excellent to work with. We travelled during the Christmas to New Year's holiday time period where 3 night minimums were common but they found nice, clean lodging for us that met our itinerary that was less than the 3 nights. They made a lot of thoughtful recommendations for our trip regarding things we might be interested in, once we had discussed things we thought we might like to do.

Susan & Martin Hammock (USA)

We used First Light Travel because we didn't know much about New Zealand and wanted to make this vacation memorable without the frustrations of booking places, cars and excursions on our own. We had an amazing time and truly feel as though we have a true flavor of what New Zealand has to offer. From Waiheke to the North Island and then the South Island, we made our way to many interesting and breathtaking places.The experiences were incredible and the guides were extremely informative. I would head back in a heartbeat! This was one fo the best vacations my family has ever had.

Greg, Kelly, Wyatt & Calista Poulos - USA

It was a pleasure working with First Light Travel. We put together a last minute (planned in 2 weeks) trip because a canned alternative was booked. Actually they did all the work and the required hand holding to get us on our way. All the other people we met (also on Holiday) were amazed that our trip had been planned less than a month before departure. If you are headed to New Zealand I don't think you can do better than First Light Travel.

Lee Calhoun and Marsha Gifford - USA

We are so happy we went with First Light Travel for our honeymoon! It would've been daunting to plan ourselves, so First Light took a lot of pressure off the planning and helped to make it a relaxing experience. Sofie was very responsive and edited our itinerary many times to make sure we were completely happy. Everything ran so smoothly, and every accommodation was so hospitable and perfect for a romantic getaway – we wouldn't have been able to find these on our own. These small B&B's that Sofie booked for us were all so unique, warm and friendly – far superior to any hotel chain. The activities were amazing and most were in small groups and so it didn't ever feel crowded or touristy. The guides for all of our trips were so fun to be around and in addition to providing thrilling activities, were amazing storytellers of the history and ecology of New Zealand. A trip to New Zealand was always a bucket list item for my husband and I, and so I was nervous about having high expectations going into this trip, but First Light Travel blew us away. We will certainly use them for future travels!

Galina & Matthew Pate - USA

Thank you First Light Travel for a wonderful journey and experience. Thank you for the wonderful memories I brought back to the United States to share with my family and friends. You made my trip so much pleasure and full of great memories I will remember forever.

Booking was extremely easy even though it was made last minute. Christine “my agent” went out of her way to accommodate my interests, she also came up with the best price to fit my budget - without compromising my interests. I had the most wonderful time in New Zealand.

I absolutely recommend First Light Travel, they are very friendly and accommodating both budget and interests.

Mehdi Ali - USA

Because of at First Light Travel, our 2-week honeymoon to New Zealand was seamless. We didn't have an issue with any booking and it was like she read our minds when booking all accommodations and activities for us. The mix of high adrenaline activities like bungy jumping, mixed with a fun afternoon of sipping wine while biking through Marlborough was the perfect mix for us. We never would have been able to see and do as much as we did in 15 days if it weren't for her.

I would highly recommend First Light Travel if traveling to NZ, you will not be disappointed!

Courtney Ruscin & Matthew Hengemuhle - USA