New Zealand Self Drive Tour Reviews

Our trip was outstanding. All the hotels accommodations were great for the 3 of us and their locations were close to everything so we could walk and not have to use our car. Thanks again for helping rebook us on the earlier ferry crossing, it actually worked out good because it gave us time to explore Picton and get a short hike done before boarding the train. You & your team put together a wonderful package for us and the support was outstanding.

We will have good memories of our trip together. Love New Zealand.

John, Cindy & Sean Corrigan, USA

My husband and I had a truly memorable vacation. We don't travel much and had no idea what to expect. Natalie made sure our bookings were all set and she had our itinerary planned out beatifully. We did a self drive tour of Aotearoa and managed to travel through North and South Islands. There was a moment we needed to reach out to her and she immediately available to help us out!

If I booked this myself I wouldn't know one accommodation to another. The places we stayed were comfortable and met our budget. We even had a few places that exceeded our expectatons. Thank you!

Linda & Sonny Santiago, USA

Hello Natalie and everyone else who helped put together our trip over the last 3 years. 

Despite having 3 activities canceled our trip was wonderful! The lodgings were in great locations and very nice. We ended up having perfect weather the entire trip. Car rental went smoothly and it wasn't too hard driving on the left.  Loved the windy roads. The entire country was beautiful.  The north island reminded us of home with the green and the cows.  We come from a dairy state.  The south island reminded us of our west but with less towns and people.  

Thank you again for all your help making our bucket list trip a success.  Also both of our races went well.  Jay finished in just over 15 hrs. I tell everyone to use First Light Travel!

Diane and Jay, USA

Kudos to Marcella and Nicole for bringing to life a once in a lifetime adventure that was seamless. From the minute we landed to our final moments in arguably one of the most beautiful countries on the planet, our adventures on both islands were planned to perfection. The trip was well paced, giving us plenty of time to enjoy each location without feeling rushed. Most of our accommodations were local gems. Various guided tours were booked with wonderful vendors. We loved every minute of our time in NZ. Hoping to make it back again one day. I highly recommend First Light Tours. Hands down one of the easiest trips I've ever taken.

Amisha Chhipwadia & Sengkham Wu, USA

I started planning our trip to NZ over 12 months ago with First light travel. I had a rough idea what we wanted to do and shared this with FLT, they offered advice on what else to see and do given our preferences. The final itinerary provided a mix of camper van and car/motels was perfect for us. The mix of experiences was also perfect with glow worm caves; whale watching; hot springs and boat trips. The scenery all over was stunning and the mix in the itinerary provided enough fast paced activity and free time to relax and explore each venue.

Despite having several staff members leave the continuity with our booking meant it felt seamless and any queries were answered quickly and efficiently. This was no more evident than during the poor weather we experienced during our trip. A cyclone hit North island and we caught the tail end of this. We have several experiences cancelled but FLT we’re onto this and helped us re-book replacements further into our trip.

I would have no hesitation in recommending FLT and will use them in future. A special mention must go to Nicole Kuek for all her help and support and for making our trip so special.

David & Stella Rogers and Gordon & Patricia Dale, UK

Michelle Srzich from First Light Travel was recommended to us from a friend who used her services back in 2018. We are so glad we listened and contacted Michelle. She handled all the details of a 26 day trek across both South and North Islands of New Zealand. We had five star accommodations that were exquisite to stay in. And when our airline canceled our return flight home, First Light was right there to send a driver back to the airport and secure us a hotel stay for two more nights in Auckland. Wonderful service, great advice on do's and don'ts, and huge support during a difficult exit! We will definitely use First Light again and highly recommend them to others. Really made our vacation worry free!

Jodi and Philip Guillemette, USA

Our trip was planned over the course of 4 years with 3 different consultants because of COVID, so I’m sure our experience is not the norm.First Light Travel took so many of the complicated logistics of planning a five week vacation to multiple countries off our hands. They were always professional and kind and very patient with my endless questions. 

Sarah Krivel, USA

From start to finish the experience has been exceptional. The planning, the booking process and the trip itself were amazing and highly recommend. There was nothing we did not enjoy or did not meet our expectations. We ended up doing a few extra things that we booked/organised on the spot because we were having so much fun (examples: blue pinguïns in Dunedin, Luge + zipline + bungee jump in Queenstown, and quad biking in Franz Joseph). 

Leen Van den Eynden & Family, Singapore

Thank you so much for all of your help. It was a great trip, we had just had enough of go, go, go by the time we got to Queenstown and needed a rest and time to explore the town. It was a good decision. Especially for all the fun stuff going on around town on NYE. Thank you again. It was a pleasure and a trip of a lifetime.

Tonya Gillham & Family, USA

Natalie of First Light Travel did an awesome job with our accommodations. No doubt we will work with her again. We plan to visit NZ / Aotearoa again in the near future since NZ has a lot to offer to see and do. Having a printout of our Travel Itinerary really helped. Instructions were just about spot on.

We've never experienced a private transfer from the airport before and Marquee Limousines did a great job. Our driver was the first person we came in contact when arriving out of the airport, so with his ease, we felt that our vacation was off to a good start. Loved how he gave us insight of New Zealand's people and places. Budget vehicle was perfect size and smooth driving. Ferry ride and accommodations were perfect. Hotels/Motels were comfortable and nice with cozy beds. Really liked our first and last hotels.

Richard & Elena Villanueva, USA