New Zealand Self Drive Tour Reviews

We are so grateful that we chose to go with First Light Travel. It was so easy that we were taken care through the planning, from our arrival in New Zealand and during our driving tour that we didn’t want it to end. We got to experience so many wonderful parts of New Zealand without worrying about a thing. Accommodation, activity choices and little upgrades were exactly what we hoped. We had an amazing family trip thanks to First Light Travel.

Taking a trip so far from home with just myself and my 10 year old daughter was a little nerve wracking. Gina and the team at First Light Travel were amazing before and during our travels go out my mind at ease. Everything was thoroughly planned out with downtime built in. The detailed itinerary was the best, I was able to have a piece of mind in knowing I didn't have to stress about where to stay and how to get there. 10 out of 10 experience.

First Light Travel made booking a big trip for two families of four, travelling together from Australia, a breeze. We found an itinerary online from First Light which was close to what we were thinking, then reached out to and worked with Bernadette and Katarina to tweak and fit in everything we wanted. They took care of all the bookings, which was too overwhelming to do on our own! The accommodation selections were great, recommended tours and activities all enjoyed and the trip was hassle free. We absolutely loved our South Island adventure, thank you!

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!

Driver (Terry) is very professional and familiar with the tour route. Attentive to details. As he is familiar with the route, he knows where has good food and coffee places. As our helicopter ride was postponed (weather condition - Franz Josef), and we do not have next plan. Terry is quick in planning where to go next and also taking consideration of my mum walking speed. He followed us throughout the walks / hiking make sure we don't lost our way too. Very lucky, we able to take the Helicopter the next day! The original plan was delay a little bit but we manage to complete all the places that was plan in the itinerary. Thank you First Light Travel and also our driver Terry Looyer. After so much fun in South of New Zealand (Christchurch, Franz Josef, Queenstown), I love New Zealand! I will be back again to visit Auckland and Rotorua and will also definitely get First Light Travel to plan my trip again!

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!

Danielle helped us plan our trip to New Zealand. She listened to what we were looking for, provided suggestions, adjusted the itinerary to be exactly as we want, and was available for any questions we had. Her recommendations were very good. The trip was hassel free. We enjoyed our vacation.

Micala designed a very varied itinerary, involving a wide range of activities. Covered a brad range of activities and experiences that we would not normally have done. The visit to Hobbiton was fantastic, Whale watching, the Anzac exhibition at Te Papa, cable car and Luge a wide range of different activities.

Accommodation was mostly clean and comfortable and close to the CBD. enjoyed various activities such as the wine tour, to whale watching, The itinerary was evenly paced to to allow us to have an activity with time to do our own thing.