Tour Reviews

—We have visited many places with different travel companies and this stands out as the best so far.

“31 Days Length & Breath 27th March to 26th April 15 This was the longest and biggest holiday I had ever put together for my wife and I. It was to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary and both our 60th birthdays. Once we decided that New Zealand was going to be the destination, I did some research on specialist companies to organise our trip to NZ. Fine Tours NZ (FTNZ) was chosen because of the wide variety of holidays on offer. From my first contact the staff could not have been more helpful. After providing budget and basic details of what we liked and might like to do FTNZ provided an initial itinerary. We made some minor amendments and booked our trip, staying in a mixture of apartments and motels. The attention to detail was of the highest standard. Michelle the initial consultant went the extra mile to make sure that we got what we wanted; Natalie took over later in the process and made some very last minute changes to the itinerary to make one leg of our driving legs less arduous. Arrived in Auckland on 27th March and our holiday could not have started any better. Met by a very friendly driver and delivered to our first accommodation for a three night stay, very comfortable, clean and ideally positioned, this set the tone for the rest of the holiday. Every detail was attended to and documented is a very compressive package including a detailed itinerary, map, and all the booking references for accommodation, cars, and excursions and driving directions. The suppliers who Fine Tours NZ used were outstanding, extremely helpful and offered upgrades where available at no extra charge that included Euro Rent a Car upgrading on both islands. The standout accommodation was at the Quest Rotorua not just because of the standard of the accommodation, it was the extremely helpful and friendliness of the staff. This was closely followed by Sea Spay Suites Bay of Islands and Ocean View Chalets Abel Tasman. I would have to say that all the accommodation had very comfortable beds which guaranteed a very good night’s sleep. The stand out activity; the boat trip to and the cruise of Doubt Sound truly amazing. This was closely followed by Sea Kayaking and Nature Walk in Abel Tasman. The chalet in Abel Tasman provided the most amazing night of star gazing. While driving to the accommodation my wife questioned why we were being sent so far off the beaten track, but that entire day ending with us standing outside in the pitch black for over an hour in awe of what we were seeing provided the answer. There were many more highlights to the holiday too many to share in this testimonial it all went so smoothly thanks to Fine Tours NZ. We have visited many places with different travel companies and this stands out as the best so far. So if you want a carefree well detailed and supported holiday to NZ, Fine Tours NZ is the only company you should use, they are OUTSTANDING. We give 9 out of 10 to make sure that FTNZ continue to strive to improve. Corinne & Erskine Douglas”

—Erskine & Corinne Douglas, GBR

—Your personal thorough attention made our holiday great and worry-free. Thanks so much for your painstaking preparation ... your great advice ...

“Your personal thorough attention made our holiday great and worry-free. Thanks so much for your painstaking preparation, the great support documentation, rapid communication and, of course your great advice on itinerary, activities and accommodation. All arrangements went like clockwork thank you. All accommodation and trips took us straight thru with the exception of Kaikoura whale watch had a right "jobs worth" who wanted a voucher even tho we had ID and we were on his screen!! A truly memorable holiday. We love NZ. The activities were super - Milford's Weather gave us a different experience (torrential rain), poor luck with the commentary on Kaikoura whalespotting. The highlights for us were Glacier Helicopter, Dart River, Oamaru blue penguins and BOI discover hole in the rock trip. The cancelled White Island trip was a stroke of luck, as mentioned, as Gill wasn't a fan of geothermal stuff. The trips and beach we did that day counted as one of our most enjoyable. Accommodation outstanding - the Establishment, Titore Lodge hotels understandably topping the list, however all motels were from good to excellent. Sea views abounded - so thanks for the trouble you took. Tauranga trinity wharf room view disappointed (as U know), Wanaka Clearbrook was OK however had a bustling busy feel coinciding with Big groups of Chinese arriving. Coromandel Harbour View was a bit basic but more than made up for it with its balcony bay view. Brown's (@QT), Bolton in Wellington and St Clair in Dunedin were excellent. Te Anau Lakefront probably topped our Motel Stays. Though very good Aspen Court (FJ), Anchor Inn (Kaikoura), Regal Palms (Rotorua). Quest in Auckland was a good stay on our final night - v nicely situated and well appointed tho' a bit tired. We got v lucky with Europcar vehicle - I'd like to think you may've influenced - the booked RAV4 was upgraded to a Highlander for S Island. RAV4 in North. Europcar's cars (almost new), readiness and customer service was excellent. Needed to replace a faulty SatNav in Dunedin Airport. And no speeding ticket! Finally, and to repeat, your personal thorough attention made our holiday great and worry-free. Thanks, Stu & Gill Foster”

—Stuart & Gillian Foster, GBR

—...delighted with the itinerary you created for us and also the accommodation you recommended.

“We have returned from our South island Tour and just about recovered from our jetlag! Kathy and I were delighted with the itinerary you created for us and also the accommodation you recommended. It was a great mix of motels, B&Bs, hotels and lodges. We were not disappointed with anywhere we stayed. It is difficult to pick out any individual locations but Split Apple Lodge, Dunluce B&B and Kaimata lodge (although remote!) were particular gems not only in respect of the accommodation but the friendliness and helpfulness of the owners etc. Thanks very much for organising such a brilliant trip. It was good to see you in Wanaka. We shall certainly be in touch when we next plan anything similar in NZ.”

—Colin & Kathy Smith, GBR

—Everything went very smoothly, the people very helpful and friendly.

“Recent trip of the Barthel family to New Zealand. They were very impressed with the excellent travel arrangements, the hotels and daily tours. Everything went very smoothly, the people very helpful and friendly. Magnificent countryside. The whale watching and the food just great. Milford sound fantastic. Excellent Tour.”

—Antoine & Karen Barthel, FRA

—Literally every step of our journey was well taken care of, the way your company operates is extremely professional.

“You fully deserve credits for all the hard work! Firstly, I think the way your company operates is extremely professional. You have user-friendly web interface which was easy to navigate. You responded to my initial query very fast and with ready proposal! Literally every step of our journey was well taken care of! Great recommendations of places - all were suitable for the ages of our kids and well spaced. We would have unlikely found such a great tour like Nature Wonders Naturally in Dunedin on our own. And it was an amazing nature experience. The choice of accommodation was great - I think you understood very well what kind of accommodation we enjoy the most! Tarata Fishaway was spectacular! The place itself is probably one of the most scenic places we've ever been. Steve and Trudi ensured we had the most wonderful time. Their daughters entertained our girls with animals, and even brought 2 cute dachshund puppies for them to play. Homemade food was great and I still remember Christmas Pavlova. We had lots of fun kayaking, and overall, we wish we stayed there much longer! The other wonderful experience we had was at The Factory. We were deeply impressed with warm hospitality that Paul and Janet extended to us. Meeting people like them left us with a very warm feeling about New Zealand people and wanting to come back again. Accommodation itself was great - the place is very well taken care of, clean and neat. We were treated with wonderful seafood which we immediately put on bbq! Paul even shared his snorkeling gear so that we can try to catch some on our own. Kids went seashell hunting and chased Sparkie, the cat, and chickens around. I also would like to acknowledge Michael Young from 858 George Street in Dunedin for being a fiendly host and also for the quality of the accommodation. Thank you once again Shelley. If we decide to visit New Zealand again (or know anyone who would ilke to) - we will have no hesitations to contact you. Max, Elena, Maya & Kira”

—Elena Chipalova & Maxim Drogaytsev, Maya & Kira Drogaytseva, SGP

—We had the most amazing trip even though it was just 7 days.

“Dear Shelley, We had the most amazing trip even though it was just 7 days. You and your team did a fantastic job to take us through to see the beautiful island as much as we could possibly think of. We loved how you communicated so discreetly with everything so well planned and we didn't even meet! We felt like we were on a covert mission. Hahaha... Everything went so perfectly fine and no doubt you live in the most beautiful country. Thank you all once again for your hospitality and job well done. We truly had a fantastic honeymoon :) And looking forward to many more trips there. Sathes & Ristina”

—Satheswaran Thambyraju & Ristina Maria Dass, MYS

—Thanks Shelley for helping us to have the best vacation ever.

“New Zealand was our dream trip as we wanted to experience all the scenic beauty. We had a friend who had used Fine Tours and recommended you. Our experience was wonderful from beginning to end. Shelley was friendly and helpful with suggestions and clarification on questions we had. When a change had to be made to our itinerary due to a ferry schedule change, she let us know different options and we were still able to do everything we initially planned. All of the reservations went seamlessly--all we had to do was give our name at hotel and activity checkins and everything was ready and waiting for us. The accommodations that Shelley arranged were well suited to our preferences and provided just what we needed. We appreciated the photo atlas, itinerary booklet with summary pages of reservation details, NZ cell phone, and most especially the very cute "chilly bin" that was waiting for us at our first hotel--that allowed us to carry food with us and save some money to spend at the wineries. Only one thing was lacking--a warning about needing bug spray for the sandflies on the West Coast of the South Island. Nasty little buggers! Thanks Shelley for helping us to have the best vacation ever.”

—Dan & Shannon Radmacher, USA

—This was an absolutely amazing itinerary that worked extremely well for us, and without a hitch.

“This was an absolutely amazing itinerary that worked extremely well for us, and without a hitch. We missed the Dart River safari due to weather, but added in the White Heron Sanctuary Tour in Whataroa. Our experiences will be put in a documentary to music and shown to several hundred visitors at the Silver Bay YMCA, NY this summer. Do stop in! Kudos to Michelle and the team that made this such a memorable and fun experience for us. We love NZ. It's a beautiful country, with lovely welcoming people, and fun adventures. The B&Bs were excellent (with a special shout-out to the kind folks at Rotorua), and the fine services at the Auckland and Wellington hotels. One suggestion: strike the city of Dunedin as an overnight and add in blue penguin sightings. Thank you! Pam and Rob Fischer”

—Robert & Pamela Fischer, USA

—Best services ever! They suggested the entire trip and booked the hotels, cars and entries to the National Parks.

“I cannot thank enough the team from New Zealand Fine Tours! Best services ever! They suggested the entire trip and booked the hotels, cars and entries to the National Parks. The guide book provided was very helpful and very accurate. Upon arrival, I requested changes to be made to the reservations. The team were available even Sunday and were able to make the changes I requested. tej services was OUTSTANDING! I have had a most memorable trip thanks to New Zealand Fine Tours. cannot thank then enough. I highly recommend them to any traveller!”

—Yaz Loukhal, USA

—We booked our tour from the UK and were lucky to deal with Shelley who gave us advice and help in putting together a great tour ...

“We booked our tour from the UK and were lucky to deal directly with Shelley who gave us advice and help in putting together a great tour that meant we got to see the best that NZ had to offer. All our accommodation, transfers and cars were well planned and well organised. During our holiday we had cause to contact the 24 hour emergency help line, and although answered quickly the advice was basically to look up solutions to our problem ourselves on the Internet. Whilst we were able to do this, we do feel that the service could have been rather more supportive. That said I would recommend Fine Tours if you are after a tailor made trip.”

—Peter, Linda and Sarah Dix, GBR