New Zealand Self Drive Tour Reviews

We were very pleased with the itinerary planned for us by First Light Travel. Although we had several excursions cancelled due to weather, the information packet given to us on arrival provided alternative activities which were quite enjoyable. Some of the accommodations were a little dated but all were clean and comfortable with friendly and helpful staff.

First Light did a wonderful job with all activities, accommodations and scheduling. They made a big job a very simple thing. Easiest and best trip ever.

We chose First Light Travel because they're awesome! Booking was a breeze thanks to their great service, easy planning, and unique travel options. They were super quick with responses and gave us all the info we needed. Our holiday plans turned out spot-on! From exploring The Rocks in Sydney to checking out Hobbiton and Tongariro Crossing, we had a blast. The accommodations, like The Pods and Airdale Boutiques, were top-notch. Transportation was smooth, and we felt we got great value for our money. Big shoutout to Danielle for making everything so easy—we'll definitely be recommending First Light Travel to our friends!

My wife and I traveled in March 2024 for over three weeks to New Zealand on a trip organized by Anna at First Light Travel.

The trip planning was a great mixture of activities, sightseeing time, touring throughout the country, very nice accommodations, and great service. First Light handed every detail from car rentals, accommodations, activities such as wine tastings, boat and sailing trips, and LOTR tours. Every single thing on our itinerary was well planned and communicated, and First Light also gave great suggestions on driving times, things to do, and quaint out of the way places. They even sent us an email during the trip advising us of road construction and to plan our drive time accordingly. They also recommended two cities (Hanmer Springs and Kaikoura) that we would not have planned to visit that we absolutely loved.

We have shared our great experience with others and plan to use First Light when we plan a 2025 trip to Australia.

First Light was always prompt and courteous with their responses, and really helped me to think through everything we needed for our trip.

Thank you Anna and the entire First Light team for a wonderful vacation!

From start to finish of our New Zealand vacation, we appreciated the help and planning that we received from First Light. Accommodations, vehicle, arranged tours and suggested tips and 'things to do', met or exceeded our expectations. We felt our agent listened to us in the planning stage and the cost was reasonable. What we loved the most about our trip: We were very happy to see our chauffeur when we arrived after our long flights. Redwoods Treewalk, we felt extra special with the express pass.
Kayaking and Maori carvings at Lake Taupo were very impressive and the paddle was just right. The Tasman Glacier Boat trip was interesting and fun. We enjoyed taking a hike up to the Hooker Lake glacier on our own and enjoyed that, too. Our Milford Track and Cruise was delightful. Stunningly beautiful. We loved our day on the bikes. I upgraded to an e-bike and I'm glad I did. It was a very windy day. The river trail was lovely.

Excellent, prompt service with experience recommendations that showed the benefit of using a New Zealand agency. We wouldn’t have thought of including a couple of suggestions but everyone was a brilliant experience. The itinerary issued was full of useful information and prompts and was referred to daily. Excellent service.

Danielle helped us plan a wonderful month in New Zealand and gave us good advice on what to do and where to go. Her attention to detail was excellent and she listened to our requests for accommodation types and tours we enjoy. The rest of the staff was also very helpful and when our ferry crossing was cancelled they were on top of it and booked an earlier one, ensuring the driver came to pick us up on time. So, we ended up with nothing going wrong for the entire time! Awesome!

28 Days in New Zealand – the trip of a lifetime, thanks to First Light Travel

We just returned from 28 unforgettable days in New Zealand, organized by Gina O’Neill at First Light Travel.  FIVE STARS!  We could not recommend Gina and First Light Travel more highly.

Gina organized a top to bottom adventure- and activity- packed trip which met our budget, responded to our desires (and “non-desires”), and exceeded our expectations, including both North and South Islands.  Every day we did something “cool” – there were no wasted travel days or waiting-around days – Gina organized the logistics so that we never had to drive more than 3 hours in a day and could always do something fun every day.  Reservations worked flawlessly – every hotel and every activity had our reservation handy, and off we went. 

I would also say, without looking an itemized budget for every hotel and activity, that we felt we got very fair value for our money.  In many instances, we stayed in hotels we would have been too cheap to book ourselves (!), so we were frequently surprised by the quality and comfort of our accommodations.  In addition, all of the “activity providers” (be they rafting, boating, kayaking, hiking, ballooning, etc.) were excellent: professional, super friendly, safe, funny, engaging, simply first rate.  We never could have found these folks by ourselves, nor felt secure in advance that we had found the right people even if we had.  In short, Gina made great recommendations and choices for us.

Finally, this is the first time we have ever worked with a travel agent.  I am typically skeptical and usually arrange all our own hotels, cars, activities, etc.  But I can say that we are unequivocally HAPPY that we engaged Gina at First Light Travel to do this work on our behalf, so that our only responsibilities were to have a BLAST in New Zealand.  Thank you.  
Sam and Linda.
 

First Light Travel put together a itinerary that met our needs. They organised everything for us resulting in a memorable NZ holiday.  The primary reasons we chose to travel with First LIght was the ease of planning & booking.

First Light Travel did an excellent job planning our month long trip in Australia and New Zealand. They took care of every detail and we simply could sit back and enjoy the holiday. They did a great job recommending (and booking) excursions but also gave us several free days to enjoy the different areas we visited. They provided suggested activities to do in the area, which was GREAT...so we could choose what interested us and we had a great list to start from. We will definitely recommend First Light Travel to our family and friends. Thank You!!

Our questions were answered promptly and with the perfect amount of detail, no matter how small or big the questions were. We felt very well taken care of before we even left for the trip! e loved the Opera House tour in Sydney. The Trips & Tramps: Milford Sound was fabulous! And the Tasman Glacier boat trip was the BEST. The all day Wine Tasting in Marlborough was alot of fun too. We loved ALL the activities and absolutely no issues with any of the tours, they went off without a hitch.