New Zealand Self Drive Tour Reviews

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.

The primary reasons we chose to travel with First LIght Travel were: Price, Service, Ease of planning/booking and quality of information. We were pleased with quick responses to all our inquiries. A quick adjustment was made to our itinerary when we had an unforeseen change made before a tour. 

We would highly recommend First Light Travel to our family and friends traveling to New Zealand and Australia. Our experience from start to finish was exceptional.

We just returned from an incredible custom New Zealand trip with First Light Travel. We traveled with 2 other couples in a Mercedes Sprinter van (have 11 passenger seats, so very comfortable for 3 couples and a driver/guide), started in Auckland, then took the ferry to Waitheke Island (The Boat Shed for 2 nights), drove to Taupo (Huka Lodge for 2 nights), the flew to Benheim (Marlborough Sounds for winery visits, Bay of Many Coves for 3 nights), then headed to Kaikoura (SHapuku Lodge Tree House for 1 night), before going to Christchurch (The George for 1 night), and then Lake Pukaki (Lakestone Lodge for 2 nights), and Queenstown (Rosewood Matakauri Lodge for 2 nights). The tour included many highlights - landing on the Tasman Glacier, flying over the Southern Alps, Milford Sound cruise, Cloudy Bay winery visit. First Light Travel did an excellent job in coordinating all our hotel stays and activities, and provided the best drivers/guides for our entire trip. We were also given some special treatments - private dinners in the library and cellar at the Huka Lodge, private dinners at the Rosewood Matakauri Lodge, and upgraded rooms at some of the hotels. When I worked out the detailed itinerary with First Light Travel, Danielle Mueth was extremely responsive and always answered my emails within 24 hours (an A+ for that). When I first sent out a proposed itinerary to 4 travel companies for quotes, First Light Travel was the first one to respond, and also the one with the lowest quote. I highly recommend First Light Travel to anyone planning to travel to New Zealand and Australia. In fact, we are already working with Danielle Mueth on a 2025 trip to Australia, covering Melbourne and several national parks in Victoria.

My wife sister-in-law and I spent nine days on a self-driving tour of the NZ South Island. The whole trip, accommodation and several excursions were organised by the first-rate people at First Light Travel. the magnificence of the experience was matched by the expertise and service of First Light.

We are very pleased to that we can report a most successful and enjoyable trip to New Zealand, due to the fantastic self-drive/flight/train itinerary that Nicole put together for the 4 of us. Her thoughtfulness and quick work in developing an outstanding itinerary for us was the best. Everywhere we went, everything worked like clockwork, and she put together an itinerary where we experienced many wonderful areas of New Zealand. The accommodations were excellent, and the limo service was above reproach. We had the trip of a lifetime and I thank Nicole and First Light Travel for that.

Andy, Peggy, Jim and Terri, USA

Thanks for creating the perfect experience for us. The help in getting a spot on the back up cruise for Doubtful Sound is a perfect example of why working with a pro is so critical!  It was unfortunate the weather kept us off the Franz Josef glacier, but overall it was amazing how much we did in 30 days. So many great pictures it is hard to pick 1, but this is from hike in Milford Sound. 

We made a last minute decision to travel to NZ north Island for Christmas 2023. Fight Light Travel were amazing in tailoring an itinerary to suit our timetable and specific interests and recommended places to visit based on our specific interests at such short notice. Fight Light Travel were a pleasure to deal with, they were very professional, great communicators and listened to our ideas as well. We packed a lot into our 12 days on the road with a self drive tour. We had a hassle free holiday. Thanks you Tatyana and your team. We will be using FLT again. cheers Gregg and Jenny