Client comments on New Zealand guided tours by Experience NZ (49)

New Zealand tours | Itinerary client comments | Motorhome client comments

First class tour. The Tour manager (Marty Paranihi) was excellent, had an encyclopedic knowledge of New Zealand and was very informative with his commentary, and with daily bulletins of excursions. He had good humour, kept us entertained with quizzes etc and made for an extremely enjoyable tour. AAT Kings is clearly a very professional tour company and had assembled an interesting and varied tour. Generally the accommodation was very good (although the hotel room at Fox Glacier was cramped). We particularly liked the Skyline/gondola restaurant in Queenstown.
Paul and Maureen, UK, February 2012, who travelled with AAT Kings
 

Hi Helen, I was actually meaning to sending you an email to thank you for organising the tour for my parents. They are full of praise for the whole experience. They thought that the tour was great value for money, covered all the places they hoped to visit and the accommodation was excellent. They also commented that the tour guide Ngaire was brilliant (very knowledgeable with a great sense of humour). They would certainly recommend the tour to other people. Thank you again for your assistance, and communication to ensure that everything ran smoothly.
Alison, New Zealand, January 2012, who travelled with AAT Kings
 

Dear Helen, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you very much for your great service; everything went very smoothly.We had an unbelievable trip with Evergreen and would highly recommend them to everyone and anyone. Their total package was outstanding; great value for money as well and we have many great memories. New Zealand is a fabulous place and you are so lucky to live there.
Stoneley, Australia, December 2009, who travelled with Evergreen Tours
 

We will be using both Experience NZ Travel Services and Great New Zealand Travel Company again when we complete our Tour of the southern half of the South Island and the West Coast of the North Island. We just wish our son had a longer Christmas/New Year school Holiday so we could have travelled further south from Christchurch. The weather was absolutely brilliant during our entire stay in New Zealand. We will be back SOON!
Max, Myrna and Christian , Philippines , December 2009, who travelled with Great NZ Travel
 

If you are planning a trip to New Zealand then make this the first place you look! I went on the AAT Kings 14 Day New Zealand Splendour tour covering both the North and South Islands and I can highly recommend it! I got to see so many places I would not otherwise have seen had I travelled independently and also met some great people along the way. Transport was comfortable and spacious and the hotels and food were of very good quality. The tour guide was also extremely knowledgeable and helped make this a very enjoyable tour and great value for the price. Special thanks go to Leanne Duffield who handled my booking and she provided friendly and exceptional service and advice throughout. She tailored everything perfectly to my plans and all the arrangements were in place as promised. I would certainly not hesitate to contact Leanne again for the planning of any future visits.
Barry, UK, November 2009, who travelled with AAT Kings
 

We had some marvellous moments on our recent AAT & Kings tour of New Zealand in November, and are looking forward to further AAT & Kings tours in our home country, Australia.
Noel and Judy, Australia, November 2009, who travelled with AAT Kings
 

My questions and concerns were addressed in a timely fashion, and I have already recommended ENZ Travel and AAT to friends here in Canada.
Ingrid, Canada, August 2009, who travelled with AAT Kings
 

Leanne was a fantastic agent always helpful, prompt and extremely patient and polite in answering all my queries!
Karen and Garry, Australia, April 2009, who travelled with AAT Kings
 

The whole tour was excellent from beginning to end especially the service provided beforehand and then by our tour courier and driver. Overall, the accommodation was very good and the tour maximised the highlights of New Zealand.
Raymond and Heather, UK, March 2009, who travelled with AAT Kings
 

Exceeded all our expectations - the personal attention and knowledge of our guides was superb; the accommodation was excellent and we highly recommend this tour to anyone!
William and Eileen, UK, January 2009, who travelled with Great NZ Travel
 

What a great tour tour for steam nuts! I haven't had this much of this kind of fun before. In addition to the predominantly steam transport theme, the tour content included elements of sightseeing, local culture, history etc, thus giving it a more universal appeal while satisfying we steam 'junkies' riding various vintage live steam trains across the country, and even a 96 year-old steam ship. The organization behind the tour was excellent. I've given it a lot of thought and can't find anything significant that I'd want to change. This tour is worth every penny I paid and I'd consider going again in 2010. I found Experience New Zealand Travel quick to respond to all queries and make the necessary arrangements, all by email. I couldn't have done it easier in person. Thanks Experience New Zealand Travel.
Greg, Australia, September 2008, who travelled with Scenic Tours
 

Leanne is very friendly and competent. She planned everything I needed in a very professional, expedient manner. The tour of the South Island is spectacular. The guides are very knowledge, and the tour is well-paced with amazing sites. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend either Experience New Zealand Travel or AAT Kings tours in the future.
Mike, United States, June 2008, who travelled with AAT Kings
 

Helen, I just want to let you know that our tour in New Zealand was fantastic. It was so well organized, and our tour guide (Jewel) and bus driver (Andy) were exceptionally accommodating. We loved the New Zealand people (so friendly) and the country (so beautiful). The tour went far beyond our expectations. Thanks for all your help in booking this tour. Please feel free to use us as a 'reference' and we hope to travel with you again.
Martin, USA, May 2008, who travelled with Evergreen Tours
 

Leanne Duffield treated us with the utmost courtesy and professionalism. She was always prompt in responding and very helpful with every detail, no matter how small. We felt as if she was working only for us. We are most grateful. I have never traveled with an organized tour before, but the Great New Zealand Travel Company's Southern Adventure has heightened my expectations for the next one. Everything went like clockwork. Our driver, Patrick, was so concerned for everyone's well-being. He did everything to ensure a happy experience. Accommodations were always excellent. The tours included with our package as well as the extra tours available were more than we expected. I believe traveling with a small group (14 of us) was a key element of our experience. We're going back to New Zealand for sure!
Christine and Thomas, United States, March 2008, who travelled with Great NZ Travel
 

Many thanks to Leanne and Experience New Zealand for a wonderful 17 day tour. Both our tour manager, Liz Gillette and our tour bus driver, Royal, were both very expert and professional making our tour through New Zealand safe, fun, informative and interesting. The scenery was totally awesome, the accommodations excellent, the meals en route very good and our group members a fun group to be with. In particular we enjoyed having the many optional fun/adventure activities to choose from thus making our tour even more memorable and fun. We will certainly recommend you and this particular tour to all our friends. Thank you again Leanne, for making all the arrangements and for making our tour a wonderful first-class experience.
Hillary and Andre, Canada, February 2008, who travelled with Newmans Premier
 

My friend and I are back from a lovely tour of the South Island of New Zealand. I just want to say that everything was well planned, we stayed in lovely hotels and saw the most beautiful places in the world. I think heaven must look like New Zealand! I am so glad I could experience New Zealand. Keep on doing what you do! I will really recommend a tour to New Zealand to anybody. I love the place!
Ina, South Africa, December 2007, who travelled with AAT Kings
 

We had a wonderful tour. New Zealand, particularly the South Island is stunningly beautiful and we are so glad we did the tour. We saw so much and made so many new friends. JP, our tour guide was absolutely brilliant and knowledgeable. We would not hesitate to use AAT Kings again in the future should the need arise. Thank you for recommending this tour to us we would not have missed it for the world. It was fantastic. We appreciate all your help in arranging this holiday for us.
Pat and Bill, UK, May 2007, who travelled with AAT Kings
 

The tour was excellent with regard to coach, hotel accommodation, food and driver/coach tour manager support. I have long wanted to visit New Zealand and the tour fulfilled my every hope.
Nick, UK, March 2007, who travelled with Newmans Premier Plus
 

Hello Helen, just wanted to tell you what a spectacular tour DiAnne and I had! From the tour company (tour director, Laurel, and coach driver, Peter), the folks that were on the tour, the people of New Zealand, the home stay, to the selected sites visited. It was all done and planned so nicely. The evening (Friday, 2 March) that we were in Wellington, I walked down to your office but it was already closed. I slipped a note through the lobby door to say hi. Thank you for your part in making all this happen.
Win and DiAnne, USA, February 2007, who travelled with Evergreen Tours
 

Helen gave us a fast, efficient and friendly service throughout. We ended up with a super itinerary which, whilst quite complicated, went like clockwork. We would recommend Experience NZ in general and Helen in particular to anyone.
Pat and Jean, UK, February 2007, who travelled with Evergreen Tours
 

We arrived home on Thursday after a marvellous holiday embracing Singapore, Hong Kong and New Zealand. The Evergreen tour was first class even though we had to be on the road early most mornings. We were fortunate in having an excellent team in Lynette, our Australian Tour Director, and Ray, our Kiwi Coach Captain. Good humoured Aussie/Kiwi banter was often to be heard! We loved the people and the scenery (South Island especially although there was much in the North Island that appealed to us). The Dunedin homestay was a great success. And, of course, summer had really arrived. We had only one afternoon/evening of rain during the 16 days. Took plenty of photos. We just want to thank you for all the hard work you did on our behalf. It made such a contribution to the success of the tour. If we get a chance to come your way again, we know with whom to book. Many, many thanks Helen.
David and Jennifer, UK, February 2007, who travelled with Evergreen Tours
 

Our trip to NZ was an adventure. So different from American and European cultures!If you are interested in visiting a breathtaking country with natural, friendly people where beauty is valued above the dollar, go to NZ! Kim Dixson provided friendly and efficient advice and service. No query was too small and I was impressed that urgent queries were replied to out of office hours showing that the firm really put themselves out to be helpful. I would recommend you to my UK friends.
Maggie and James, UK, February 2007, who travelled with Evergreen Tours
 

The site caters for all requirements and is very informative but it is the service behind the site that is 'top notch'. The communication was (despite the 13 hour time difference) rapid, friendly and relevant and the customer service staff deserve high praise for their efforts.
Paul and Janice, UK, February 2007, who travelled with Evergreen Tours
 

New Zealand is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and there is no better way to experience its grandeur than by rail. It was wonderful and I'd do it again anytime. Thanks for adding the Overlander trip back into the agenda - traversing the Spiral was awesome!
Heather, Canada, January 2007, who travelled with Evergreen Tours
 

In terms of value for money, this was excellent. Although not the newest, the coach was still comfortable. Both driver, Andy Stewart, and tour director, Mary Stewart, were excellent. I have had my own travel business since the mid 1970s. I have myself carried out the jobs done by Andy and Mary. I have no hesitation in saying that they were better at their jobs than any I have previously encountered and they carried out their tasks better than I did. I prided myself on my thoroughness and professionalism but their standards were better than I ever achieved. We saw a lot more than we would have had we driven ourselves over the same routes. We saw many sights that are not in the guide books and the knowledge of the driver and tour director added enormously to the whole experience. We will be recommending the tour to two couples who have been friends of ours for many years. They are both considering driving themselves around New Zealand but we'll strongly suggest that they join an Evergreen coach tour.
David and Julie, USA, January 2007, who travelled with Evergreen Tours
 

We got great advice from Experience New Zealand and really helpful follow up and personal contact to help us choose the best touring option for us.
Linda and Andrew, UK, January 2007, who travelled with Great NZ Travel
 

It's been a while since I returned from a fabulous tour through stunning New Zealand over Christmas. I would like to thank you again for offering this fantastic trip and making all the arrangements. In a brand new, 13.5m long bus, we travelled through breathtaking scenery, and visited the most beautiful and interesting spots of both the South and the North Island. We were accompanied by a very knowledgeable tour manager and an excellent driver. I can't wait to come back, would like to make use of your travel services again in the future, and will definitely recommend your organisation and this New Zealand Experience trip to everybody.
Geja, Malaysia, December 2006, who travelled with AAT Kings
 

Hi Helen, just a quick email to say thank you on behalf of my mother. She found the folder of information very helpful and said that everything went very smoothly. She had a fantastic time, fell in love with Christchurch and couldn't speak highly enough of Laurel, the guide and Wayne, the coach driver who was a fount of knowledge about everything. She said all the hotels were excellent too with delicious food. She also mentioned that she particularly enjoyed the home-stay at a farm in Dunedin, feeding newborn calves and collecting eggs in the morning for breakfast whilst the Milford Sound cruise was spectacular. Thanks once again for your help and patience in organising everything for us, you did an excellent job!
Karen on behalf of Mary, UK, November 2006, who travelled with Evergreen Tours
 

Dear Helen, its been sometime since our return from New Zealand on November 12 and the experience of jet-lag. The Scenic Tours trip was everything we expected and more. Donna and I have been recommending the tour and New Zealand to all of our friends and relatives. From a visitors point of view, New Zealand is a beautiful, diverse and welcoming country. With respect to Scenic Tours, we could not have asked for more with regards our tour director, Dianne and our bus drivers, Shannon and Max. We firmly believe that we received good value from Scenic Tours. We appreciate your assistance in pointing us in the right direction. I'm sure we will be in touch with you when we get the chance to come back to New Zealand.
Roger and Donna, US, October 2006, who travelled with Scenic Tours
 

Hi Helen, we had a great trip. All went well, we couldn't have asked for a better tour director along with her husband the bus driver. They made the trip even better I believe. Thanks maybe we will talk again about future trips.
Chuck and Carol, USA, October 2006, who travelled with Evergreen Tours
 

Our holiday in New Zealand will certainly be remembered as one of the best, it certainly lived up to it's expectations. This was brought about by a truly professional company who are certainly dedicated to ensuring that their clients receive value for money and leave New Zealand feeling fulfilled, as we certainly were. A young company with a dedicated staff,who I would place at the top of their profession and we wish them well for the future. Helen - we thank you for all the hard work that you did on our behalf in bringing this wonderful holiday about. We will always remember your beautiful country and its wonderful people even though you beat our rugby team on Sunday. Take care, and thank you once again.
Marlene and Gordon, UK, October 2006, who travelled with Newmans Premier
 

Dear Helen, I would like to thank you for assisting my wife and I in arranging a wonderful holiday. Unfortunately we are now back to work and the holiday seems a distant memory, although a pleasant one. The holiday was busy and we seen a little of a lot, if that sounds right? However it has only whetted our appetite to return to New Zealand in the future, so I suppose that returning to work is a necessity. Apart from one morning and one afternoon the weather was fine throughout the holiday. We met many new friends on tour and our coach driver "Cathy" was excellent. Our tour documentation was ready for us on arrival at the Copthorne and not one thing went wrong in the whole holiday, I had nothing to complain about!!! Again thanks for all your help.
David and Caroline, UK, October 2006, who travelled with Evergreen Tours
 

A great time in Aotearoa, Helen was great and my thanks go out to her for organising the trip for me.
Tom, UK, March 2006, who travelled with Serious Fun
 

My wife and I just returned from 20 days in New Zealand. Helen recommended Scenic Tours to us after our initial request was full up. I am glad she did. Scenic was extremely professional and our tour guide Tracey and coach driver Ben were phenomenal. Our experience with the people of New Zealand and the country as a whole was exceptional and we are recommending a visit by all of our friends. You should be very proud of your country. Helen was also exceptional, having gone out of her way to help us by calling directly when she felt it necessary. We thank her whole heartedly.
Joe and Debbie, Bahamas, March 2006, who travelled with Scenic Tours
 

Dear Helen, I have today received a delighted phone call from my parents who are having the experience of a lifetime in your beautiful country to quote them 'it is better than anything we could have expected'. They wanted me to pass on their thanks for all your help and the arrangements you have set up for them, they also said how lovely their bus driver and hostess are which is adding to their enjoyment of the tour. I would also like to thank you for all your patience and help via e-mail in setting this up I have to admit I was very anxious as I wanted it to go well for my parents as they are realising a dream and it is great to hear how much they are enjoying themselves. Once again thank you from all of us and I will certainly recommend you and your company to anyone who is lucky enough to be going to New Zealand!
Martine, UK, February 2006, who travelled with Evergreen Tours
 

Hi Helen, we have just returned from the trip of a lifetime. Thank you for the part you played in organising our tour. It all went according to plan. Apart from a couple of days when the weather could have been kinder (by the Fox glacier) the coach trip was ideal. We had a great group of people and the tour director and driver coped very well too. We now have a problem of getting back to reality and coping with the freezing temperatures here! I hope Spring comes soon!
Susan and Arthur, UK, February 2006, who travelled with Evergreen Tours
 

Hi Helen. We are back in Toronto after our Australia and New Zealand trip. It was a great trip. We really enjoyed the New Zealand tour. It is a beautiful country. Thank you for all your help in organizing the tour.
Naren and Kalpana, Canada, February 2006, who travelled with Evergreen Tours
 

We chose New Zealand for our honeymoon and it was worth every penny and every minute of the long journey to get there! We found Experience NZ Travel on the internet and Helen was really helpful in helping us organising everything! Thank you for showing us you beautiful and magical country!
Liliana and Roderick, Malta, January 2006, who travelled with Evergreen Tours
 

Kia ora Helen, just a quick email to let you know that we are now back in the UK - having had a wonderful holiday in your beautiful country. I've quite fallen in love with it and I certainly want to go back. Preferably straight away! Thank you so much for helping us to experience what must be one of the best countries in the world. It was quite brilliant - thanks again all your help!
Jean and Maureen, UK, November 2005, who travelled with Evergreen Tours
 

This was an incredible trip, my first to New Zealand. Everything was better than I had expected it would be - so sometimes the marketing is not all hype! The scenery was out of this world and demands a return visit to convince me that it really is so beautiful. The Homestay was great I felt like I had known the family I stayed with for years and of course they fed me till I was ready to burst! I have travelled all over the world, but I have to rate this vacation as one of the best ever I would recommend it to anyone who has an itch to travel to the end of the earth! Pack a good camera, comfortable shoes, and just go!!!!
Frances, USA, October 2005, who travelled with Scenic Tours
 

Here we are, back home again! Booking our holiday from so far away, we expected a few problems. We needn't have worried. Helen you made it all so easy for us. You took care of everything from start to finish most efficiently. We wish you could arrange all our holidays! A wonderful trip which we'll remember for all the right reasons. We had a WONDERFUL time and think New Zealand is a FANTASTIC country. I shall be encouraging everyone here to go and, of course, to get in touch with you if they need advice etc. Well, Helen, this is like saying goodbye to a dear friend, although you may not have heard the last of me!!
Brian and Frankie, UK, October 2005, who travelled with Great NZ Travel
 

It was a wonderful tour, other guests were very friendly and fun to be with. Group bonded, scenery better than pictures, lots of extras. Too much delicious food, couldn't stop eating, 90 Mile Beach drive on bus one of the best activities, saw 100's of dolphins on the Hole in the Rock boat cruise, Milford Sound lived up to expectations and the homestay had an awesome setting.
Donna, UK, March 2005, who travelled with Scenic Tours
 

Overall, we had a wonderful trip with many exciting, new experiences. Everyone we met was helpful and friendly. We learned a great deal about NZ, new words like anti-cyclone, and the perspective of people who live in the Pacific rather than Atlantic and the Southern Hemisphere rather than the Northern. We were surprised by the humidity in Auckland and the fact that it was cooler in the north and warmer in the south than we anticipated. We were glad we didn't drive. The trip was tiring just riding, and I don't believe Americans understand the distances involved or the number of curves involved. They think there's very little traffic, so it's easy, but I would not have wanted to drive in Auckland or Wellington, especially at rush hour. Perhaps with more time, driving might not seem so taxing. We were very impressed with the quality of most of the dinners. All in all it was an excellent adventure and we have already referred friends to your website. Thanks for putting this together for us.
Jean and Bob, USA, February 2005, who travelled with Great NZ Travel
 

I would recommend this tour highly to anyone who loves the outdoors and likes other people. We really had a good time. Your client Dan from Sweden was hilarious - really fun. Our guide, Craig, was the best. I really felt the tour was well worth the money and time. We saw more than we ever would have on our own. The scenery WOW. We are so glad we took the tour. Lots of fun, no hassles for us, a fabulous guide, very nice accommodations. My best regards to you and thanks so much for setting us up with this tour. It was really great.
Gwen, USA, February 2005, who travelled with Scenic Tours
 

Yes the Holiday was bloody awesome, unfortunately time didn't permit us to get to you which is a shame as I had a box of chocks that I carried around for a week for you but I am going to post some to you now anyhow :). Again thanks for all your help it's a trip I will never forget, you have a beautiful country there and I want to come back.
James, UK, January 2005, who travelled with Evergreen Tours
 

Helen, thank you so much for organising our tour for us. We had an absolutely fabulous time. New Zealand is amazing and the tour was superb. I have been on several tours before but the New Zealand tour was exceptionally good. Anyway it really was an amazing holiday.
Claire, UK, January 2005, who travelled with Evergreen Tours
 

The Maori Marae and Hangi was great and one of the highlights of our tour. Our driver was really superb and very knowledgeable about all aspect of New Zealand and we would give him 10 out of 10. Cheryl the tour director kept everyone informed as to what time we were going places and everyone responded by never being late making it so much easier for everyone. Nothing worse than being kept waiting. We enjoyed our home stay and the fireworks in Wellington were great and we had a great view from the hotel. We would have liked longer there. So all in all Helen we had a great time, saw much of your lovely country, made new friends, weather wasn't too bad and would consider going on another tour.
Jenny and Eric, Cyprus, January 2005, who travelled with Scenic Tours
 

It was the best trip I have ever been on. It is the only tour I have ever been on. Thank you for all your help!
Andrew, USA, December 2004, who travelled with Scenic Tours
 

Helen, You are absolutely marvellous, and I will send all our friends to you in the future. I can't thank you enough for all the work you have done for us. You are obviously swamped, juggling hundreds of tourists and their tours, so it is very impressive that you've kept us so well informed and made us feel so welcome.
Liz, USA, December 2004, who travelled with Scenic Tours