Tour Reviews

—The tour was wonderful. Very professional and no surprises.

“The tour was wonderful. Very professional and no surprises. Our Tour representative changed multiple times during the reservation process however our trip was planned perfectly. The inns and hotels were just as described and no surprises. Mt. Cook and Milford Sound was the highlight of our 2 week journey. So sad for our Christchurch new friends... The city has so much to offer and did not deserve the problems they have endured. Best place to eat in Christchurch is Fiddlesticks....we went there 3 times. Great food and great service. Hope to return again...Oh, and by the way......you will LOVE Air New Zealand..we love Zealand!”

—Shelia and Bill Atkins & Nancy and Dean Mowrey, USA

—Would recommend the experience to anyone curious about New Zealand.

“Six women took on this trip as a challenge. We all took turns driving but it was truly a joint project and I can proudly say we returned the rentals with no dents or scratches. The accommodations were adequate and located close to most activities. The trip provided a very nice variety of city and country exploring opportunities. Three weeks would seem like enough time but turned out to be not quite adequate. Would recommend the experience to anyone curious about New Zealand.”

—Lois Boschee & Friends, USA

—This whole trip was very well organized and planned perfectly.

“Hi Amanda We just got home after two weeks in the South Pacific and time in Hawaii. You were right on with the accommodations you provided. We were not disappointed with any of your selections. Travelers we met along the way were complaining about some of the places they were staying. 30 days was perfect giving us time and never feeling pressure to move on. We enjoyed doing our own side trips and excursions. We never had plans till we arrived and were able to figure it out as we went along. We liked the freedom. It always worked out. We did a lot of walking and hiking doing 4 to 7 miles most days. Only one thing we did differently in the 30 days was turning our car in a day early in Wellington. We do not want a car in cities as we prefer Uber. It was much easier to take Uber to the boat terminal than drive,turn the car in, and haul luggage a 100 meters. Our favorite hotels were peppers, boutique hotel in Queenstown, and the Heritage in Christchurch. We had booked one nite at the distinction which we did not like. Forgot to mention how much we liked the the accommodation at lake Tekapo. Sab and Anne Marie we amazing hosts. This was a fabulous trip and you did a amazing job putting it together and meeting our needs. Not sure I submitted this in the right place let me know. Again this whole trip was very well organized and planned perfectly. Thank you. ”

—Cal Karr & Jayne Mohr, USA

—The most remarkable and beautiful vacation of our lifetime

“Thank you for giving my husband and me the most remarkable and beautiful vacation of our lifetime. From the great cities like Auckland and Queenstown, to the beauty of mountains, vineyards and stargazing, to adventures like Hobbiton, Whale-watching and the Kiwi Encounter, it was the most enjoyable vacation we've ever had. The people (Kiwi) and the place are beautiful!”

—Jean Radtke & Erik Madisen, USA

—Very much enjoyed the trip and your follow up

“Very much enjoyed the trip and your follow up. Couple of thoughts: 1. Would have stayed at least two nights at each location, one nighters are tough. 2. Ratings by us of lodgings: Top to bottom.. Peppers on Point, Q'Town, Peppertree, Bolton, Sofitel, Montreal, Wanaka Home, Hermitage, McHardy, Beaufort. 3. After Christchurch should have gone to Dunedin area. 4. Wine was great!”

—Dirk & Marian Edmiston, USA

—All in all, it was a great trip for us!

“We were promptly greeted by the driver who took us to and from Auckland. He was very polite and prompt. There seemed to big a mix-up on the departure time back to the airport on 19Feb, his manager apparently contacted him and told him to be at the M Social at 5 AM. Our 5:45 AM pick up got us there with plenty of time to spare. This also happened in Queenstown when the driver picked us up for the "Funyaks safari" trip and dropped us off downtown, he wasn't happy...Regarding the M Social, you were right, it was in a great location. The concierge was excellent and steered us to 2 very good restaurants and we found the 3rd and he concurred. The hotel housekeeping was just okay, basically they just made the bed each day. Tirtiri Matangi was fabulous and another great day in nature. I was also glad that you told us to book in advance. The ferry was sold out. Cycling in the Catlins was so much fun and probably our favorite part of the trip. Snow from Trail Journeys and his wife Jude were wonderful and we had a lot of fun together. They had not cycled here before and neither did anyone from their company. It was up and down big hills with views of the coastline and the countryside. He also took us to other places in the area. It was breathtakingly beautiful and we saw a lot of birds and other wildlife along the way. We all agreed that the accommodations were nice. In Curio Bay the hotel was clean but there are some cottages along the beach as well that were very quaint and inexpensive. The Whistling Frog was very nice but the 4 of us agreed that restaurant food was not up to par. This is the only place to eat! And Happy Hour was 4-5! One note about the cycling--we were heading west into strong winds everyday and we all agreed that it makes sense to try the trip going east. Jim and I were riding regular bikes but they had electric bikes and Jude was able to climb the steep hill easily! Te Anau was lovely and so was the drive to get there. The B&B was perfect. The Milford Sound was beautiful and we wondered about all the other fiords along this coast and whether they were accessible. We did not care for Southern Discoveries, it was rather touristy and the kayaking was a very short trip and not worth it. Queenstown was fun and we enjoyed the Kiwi Birdlife Park. The trip down the Dart River was very worth it despite all the gear we had to wear! It was a beautiful day. The Queenstown House Boutique Hotel was nice but we did not have a room in the main building. Our room part of another building and it was very small room with no view although the hotel was up on a hill and had a great view! We enjoyed a delicious dinner at Rata and was in fact our best meal on the trip. We visited a winery and spent some shopping time in Arrowtown. All in all, it was a great trip for us and thank you for your help in putting it together Shelley!”

—Jim Malter & Elaine Gadzicki, USA

—I have so many wonderful things to say about Fine Tours New Zealand

“I have so many wonderful things to say about Fine Tours New Zealand. My husband and I had been planning a trip to New Zealand for years and with Fine Tours, our trip was even better than we could have even imagined. Laura was amazing at coordinating everything. It took the stress out of the specifics of planning. I just had to pick areas we wanted to go and Laura would suggest activities and pick hotels in our budget. We flew into Auckland. The airport transfer was easy and smooth. Receiving the rental car two days later went perfectly. The guidebook was wonderful with all of the directions if the GPS was unclear. We could just relax and enjoy the vacation following all of Laura’s instructions laid out. All but two of the hotels we stayed at were absolutely amazing. The other two were just decent. However, Laura picked hotels that were easy walking distance to town centers with dining, shopping and activities. Her planning made the trip so easy and enjoyable. I would have had a hard time finding that good of hotel deals in our budget. Then there were the activities. Each was better than the next. Some were things we wouldn’t have thought to do but we are so glad we did-caving in Waitomo? It was amazing. The Edoras Lord of the Rings bus tour was so beautiful. Even if someone didn’t enjoy Lord of the Rings, the scenery on that trip was just breathtaking. I am so grateful to Fine Tours for flawlessly arranging such an amazing trip for us.  ”

—Evan & Kaitlin Easley, USA

—Awesome trip overall

“Awesome trip overall - we all really enjoyed it. We do have a few suggestions for improving the experience for future customers.  Our biggest comment was that In Queenstown, it would have been nice to know that the hotel we were staying at was a 30-minute water taxi away from the downtown area.  It was a nice hotel, but I think we'd have preferred staying in Queenstown proper Other comments: 1) We LOVED the George in Christchurch, and its concierge, Mark, who had some great suggestions for our time there and found us a last minute dinner reservation on New Year's Eve (that is one place I feel you dropped the ball - you and talked about your making a reservation, but it wasn't done; someone else in the office helped out, but it was Mark who found the perfect place for us.) 2) Suggested stops and hikes along our drive were great – we especially loved Lake Tekapo and the Observatory. 3) Mt. Cook was a real highlight - and the excursion was awesome. 4) The Milford Sound day was wonderful, in spite of having our flight back cancelled. 5) Absolutely loved Wanaka - esp the Tin Tub lodge, and could easily have spent more time here. 6) Franz Joseph was disappointing b/c we didn't get to see the glacier, but we did get great massages at the hotel. 7) We liked the Tranzalpine train, but honestly, as a non-driver on the trip, I got as much from our drive days as I did from the train ride.  I liked it but I wouldn't say it was a highlight.  8) We had you schedule our flight back to Auckland, and it gave us a 6-hour layover in Auckland - my bad for not asking you about flight times, but I would have opted for a shorter layover even if it cost more.  It would have been nice to have had the options offered and been able to make the choice. 9) All the transfer drivers were lovely and on time. Like I said, only very small disappointments on an overall fantastic trip.  thank you so much for all you help”

—Gregg Bradstock, Stephanie, Zoe & Zach Aldrich, USA

—A very smooth and well organised holiday.

“Just a short note to say what a wonderful trip we had in the North Island. It all exceeded expectations. We particularly liked Martinborough and the Foodie tour there, we will be back!  Thanks for all your help, a very smooth and well organised holiday. ”

—Alastair and Alison Burt, AUS

—We thoroughly enjoyed our time in New Zealand

“I have been meaning to send you an email to thank you once again for all you did to plan our New Zealand trip.  Everything went smoothly, that is until our last adventure to Milford Sound.  We were really bummed that day because the weather seemed so good at the time in Queenstown, but we do understand that one cannot control the weather, and we would rather be safe than sorry.  Our only day of really bad weather (rainy and cloudy) was the Sunday when we dropped Joe at the airport.  We had nothing on our agenda that day so it became a day of rest and relaxation… we checked out some local stores & the local bowling alley, and took a nap. We were happy with all of our accommodations. We liked the variety that you booked for us… from the executive suites in Blenheim to the comfy motel rooms with the great views at Mt. Cook to the quiet location and cabin-feel of the Kinross Cottages to the city hotels with great locations in Rotorua, Wellington, and Queenstown. Great job! I just wanted to thank you personally for planning our trip and taking time to chat with me when I had questions at the start.  We thoroughly enjoyed our time in New Zealand.  We liked the freedom of being able to make little photo stops when we were driving through the countryside and along the coast.  We saw SO MUCH!  (BTW, I noticed the Fine Tours office location in Wanaka when we visited.  Sorry, but no time to stop in to say “hello” and “thanks”.) Thanks again for making our 2018/2019 winter break a memorable one. ”

—Susan, Leo and Joe Pospichal, SGP