All Reviews
Relaxing Journeys

The booking as well as the trip went very smoothly. A great overall experience. Thank you!

Well-organized and well-paced. Capable tour director (Dianne Stanford) with a good sense of humor. Our bus driver, Cole, offered thoughtful insights into NZ’s indigenous history. Perfect balance of organized visits and free time. Comfortable accommodations. Interesting for us to be the only Americans in a group of Australians and to have only 13 in the group. Well-chosen visits and commentaries.

Everything was very well organised right from the beginning. Staff were welcoming friendly and knowledgeable, nothing was too much trouble. Food was superb. The whole experience was fantastic from the wildness of the scenery, the roughness of the Tasman Sea to the peacefulness when all motors were turned off for us to enjoy the silence, just the birdsong. An amazing experience and excellent value for money.

This has been the highlight of our time in New Zealand, we couldnt have asked for better weather, better companions or better staff, the fact that we saw dolphins within five minutes of setting off just topped the whole cruise off perfectly.

This was a wonderful 23 day trip. The trip was completely outlined in the 13-page itinerary we received before the trip. We drove 2,700 miles and stayed in 14 different hotels/motels. The quality of our accommodations was beyond our expectations. All the indicated driving distances were accurate; every reservation for lodging and excursions had been made and we were warmly welcomed at every stop. The Kruse Commentary system provided a lot of information as we traveled; we had to call their technical support for one issue, and the response time to resolve it was within one hour. It was a more carefree vacation for us, knowing that all the logistical arrangements had been handled by Relaxing Journeys.

We probably should have had extra days at a few places. Overall it was a trip of a lifetime. We learned so much about the ecology, birds, and history of New Zealand. Several motels gave us upgrades which was great. I didn’t realize every room has a kitchen. That was a pleasant surprise. I would suggest giving the option to skip Kaikoura and maybe stay at Hanmer Springs.

I loved the tour, especially the West side. I would love to spend less time on the East side and more on the West. I loved hiking on the West. Thank you.

Great tour!!! All the accommodations, attractions, car rental, transfers, etc. came off just as promised. In general, all the accommodations were very nice. No reserved parking at the Ibis in Wellington was an issue. Not having free internet in this day and age is also a disappointment. The itinerary was very detailed and we tried to experience as many sites along the way as possible. We loved Queenstown. An attraction we did there, which was not mentioned, that we think at the least should be mentioned, if not set up in advance with a voucher, was the Walter Peak Farm Tour. We took the cruise over, which was beautiful, and then experienced the sheep shearing and sheep herding demonstration. We loved it!! On top of that, the BBQ was great and well worth the extra cost based on how expensive food typically is in NZ. Toni did a great job for us, especially with how the issues of the earthquake and forest fires affected our tour.

Very enjoyable trip, helped by good weather for most of the time. Everything went smoothly as per the itinerary. Only concern was motel at Paihia with room being in separate building next door to the motel although room itself was good. Slight security concern.

Grand Pacific were excellent.

The Grand Pacific Ultimate NZ Small Group Tour was exceptional. The coach was spacious and very comfortable. In fact, someone from a non-ultimate tour asked to look at our coach and described it as a “Rolls-Royce” compared to their coach. The itinerary was also terrific – almost everything we did could be the “best part” of an overall fantastic 19-days. We had a great time and are so glad we choose a small group ultimate tour. The accommodations and meals were also magnificent.

Well planned. Regarding the accommodation we would definitely not recommend Adrian Motel or Edgewater. We could not even shower at Edgewater and both motels are only suitable for mum, dad and very small children. Glacier View is a budget motel but quite comfortable. I would really like to thank Marie Sarmon for her outstanding service regarding the whole trip. We always received a quick response from her and was a pleasure to deal with. She is an outstanding member of your team.