New Zealand Self Drive Tour Reviews

Heidi impressed us with her complete knowledge and professionalism. Everything she said was true and she really helped us make smart choices. Another aspect we truly appreciated was that all price quotes stayed the same (one actually went down) so we had no surprises. That everything was prepaid and all reservations joyfully honored when we arrived at each site made it all quite stress free. Getting the logistics right is a genuine skill and we are most appreciative of her efforts on our behalf.
Touring NZ with First Light is the way to go! We loved our trip! We usually plan our own independent vacations but a little research showed folks are well advised to work with a local company. We chose First Light and we are so glad we did. We had an idea of what we wanted to do and the types of places we wanted to stay. After a couple calls with Heidi she created a personalized itinerary for us. Her suggestions for our 24 day, 1,500 mile adventure were spot-on. She had drivers meet us at airports to shuttle us to our hotels, arranged for our cars, booked wonderful accommodations, picked amazing excursions, provided vouchers for anywhere that required them, and put together a thorough itinerary with an overview of each and every place we’d visit. Her attention to detail arranging all the logistics was perfect and every reservation went smoothly. We would highly recommend going to New Zealand – it is an unforgettable experience. And be sure to call Heidi at First Light when you do!

First Light Travel made planning our New Zealand adventure seamless with outstanding service, prompt responses, and a well-crafted itinerary. The activities were wonderful and varied—hiking, exploring botanical gardens, and dinner at Larnach Castle were highlights. Most accommodations were excellent, especially The Hermitage. We truly felt cared for throughout, and the experience exceeded our expectations. Special thanks to Gina and the team for creating such a memorable holiday!

First Light Travel made planning easy and stress-free with prompt, accurate service and exceptional value. Our itinerary suited us well, though the Abel Tasman walk was quite challenging—important to note for future travelers. Overall, a wonderful and well-organized New Zealand adventure!

Planning was a breeze with First Light Travel—everything was accurate, seamless, and tailored to our interests. We loved Hobbiton, Doubtful Sound, glacier tours, and more! Great value and unforgettable experiences. Highly recommend for a stress-free, adventure-packed New Zealand holiday.

First Light Travel and our agent Jessika Turc Planned an unbelievable itinerary for our month long visit throughout New Zealand. We took their plan and drove both the North & South Islands. Every detail from wonderful & unique accommodations to private transfers, rental cars & activities. We could not have done this trip without their very detailed layout. It worked like clockwork…no glitches at all! Thank you First Light Travel.

Incredible trip. Exceeded all our expectations. Planning was perfect and First Light was very responsive. Photos and memories to last a lifetime. Best vacation ever!

We were so very glad we chose First Light to help us plan our independent touring time in New Zealand. Our first contact was with Bernadette where she inquired about our interests and desires for our trip and engaged in dialogue to help us refine our trip. Then we worked with Katarina who saw us through the rest of the process and answered questions at the last minute and also while we were on our trip. We were thoroughly happy with their expertise and assistance throughout the whole process. We ended making a couple of changes which they helped us through very smoothly. We loved not having to buy tickets for activities and having our hotels prearranged and paid. There was also the right amount of free time to explore on our own or just rest which we worked out together through the planning process.

Our 21-day trip through the South Island of New Zealand was simply amazing, thanks to Micala at First Light Travel. She planned everything perfectly—fantastic sights, great accommodations, and incredible activities—all running like clockwork. We absolutely loved every moment and couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Highly recommend!

Our trip exceeded our expectations! Kirsty Marriott listened to our requests for customizing our self guided South Island New Zealand trip and included everything we wanted to experience plus some. We highly recommend First Light Travel and Kirsty Marriott

We can not think of anything that could be improved, even mid trip when we contacted Heidi to add things, events it was actioned within hours. We highly recommend this company for New Zealand tours, and look forward to using them again. Their honesty of competitiveness re flights from the UK was refreshing, allowing us to stay in Singapore on both journeys for the same cost.