The trip was everything we expected. The ship was very clean and comfortable. The crew and staff were very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. The food was very good, and we especially enjoyed the “soup service” in the early afternoon. We would recommend this trip to our friends who may visit NZ.
The seventeen day visit to South Island was all that could have been expected. The scenery was spectacular and the people as friendly as claimed. The organization and planning by Relaxing Journeys was flawless. One change to the published itinerary that we would recommend people consider involves the excursion to Milford Sound. Leaving from and returning to Queenstown makes for a VERY long day. We requested a move to Te Anau and departure from there. We also chose to go to Doubtful Sound rather than Milford Sound. This request was very smoothly handled by the staff at Relaxing Journeys. The distances involved in the daily drives are quite short and, at first glance, the allocated times seem overly generous. The roads in New Zealand, while perfectly safe, are quite narrow with many sharp curves. Traffic volumes are low and NZ drivers are generally courteous and not aggressive so the driving is not difficult but it is relatively slow. So once again Relaxing Journeys has it right: the suggested times are what are required. We chose the “middle level” of accommodation with included breakfasts. This worked very well for us. The venues were easily accessible, clean and comfortable with in some cases spectacular views. All of the “cooked’ breakfasts were excellent. The hosts at the smaller venues were very helpful in providing local information. All-in-all our visit was most enjoyable – helped by good weather of course. Should we return to visit the North Island we would not hesitate to make the arrangements through Relaxing Journeys.
Fantastic, well organised itinerary. All accommodation, car hire, tours and transfers went without a glitch, including the reinstated Tranzalpine train journey. The add on tours to Waiheke Island and Franz Josef Glacier were great additions. We did however find the one night at Kaikoura after the difficult and long internal route, followed by a further long drive, including further necessary delays for roadworks, to Akaroa to be insufficient and tiring. We understand this situation has been forced upon you and will improve, with time, especially when the road north of Kaikoura is reopened. There are is also lots to do in Kaikoura including whale watching, swimming with dolphins etc. Happy to recommend Relaxing Journeys. A great way to combine a planned itinerary with the freedom of your own vehicle. Thank you Mani and team at Relaxing Journeys for a wonderful experience.
Driver and Tour Guide were very knowledgeable and worked well together. It was a very enjoyable experience. Grand Pacific are a great company to travel with.
Rethink the routing to Kaikoura, we stopped at Hanmer Springs which made the travel time more acceptable. We suggest you break at Hanmer if possible, and then time in Kaikoura, then Christchurch. We understand the coastal route closure, this will remain a problem for at least another season. Also would be good to warn of the ongoing roadworks on this route, and frequent prolonged stops. Kaikoura worth it, and they need the business, but the full drive, including photos, views etc is a risky proposition for inexperienced long distance drivers. First choice accommodation excellent, some of the others were good to very good. None bad. Pace was busy but with sufficient stability built in to deal with domestic issues, washing etc. The only issue as noted was the Kaikoura section.
We thoroughly enjoyed our short trip in the South Island, what a sensational part of the world. Wish we had more time there. The holiday went like clockwork, all bookings fell into place, our 2 bedroom accommodation perfect for our needs and in great locations. This is our second holiday booked with Relaxing Journeys and we can’t speak highly enough of the whole package. We have recommended them to anyone we know thinking of booking a New Zealand holiday. Thank you Mani for your assistance and excellent service.
I want to thank Relaxing Journeys, and even more Mani for his expertise, guidance, patience and continuous work on our trip. From the very beginning email and even during the tour he was fantastic and a real asset to your company. Everything was planned exactly as we discussed and agreed for the self drive tour. When we arrived and throughout each stop there was not a single hitch or hiccup in the agenda. The documentation was fantastic, and the Kruse GPS was a welcome addition, although she cannot always be trusted so we were very thankful for the atlas provided. I note this because after speaking to some of the others we met during our stay did not have the same experiences we did with other tour companies. The staff/owners of the various places we stayed had nothing but good things to say about Relaxing Journeys and their professionalism and communications while other tour companies where not nearly as thorough. Overall the lodging was very, very good with the exception of a couple of the hotels which looked ‘tired’ and reflected a need for remodel or updating furniture, mattresses or building interiors. The B&B and boutique hotel stays we absolutely loved! The tours Mani booked for us were perfect and just enough that we felt there was no down time. I would and have already recommended Relaxing Journeys to others I have met.
Absolutely perfectly planned and executed by all involved.
A very relaxing and memorable tour. If you want the double rooms book very early as they are popular. The food was top class.
Amazing!!! Tour was spectacular. Everything went well and above expectations, from itinerary to car rentals, to lodging, it all was great. Accommodations were great and excellent locations. We packed a lot of activities in 2 weeks and it all went very smooth and without hassles at all. Cannot say enough words to express our gratitude to the staff in Relaxing Journeys. Special thanks to Christine and Toni. Amazing service!
The trip was extremely well planned by Relaxing Journeys. As two couples traveling Toni understood more what we needed than we did. Thank you Toni and Relaxing Journeys.
People planning on driving on the South Island after long plane flights might be better served (all things being equal) by going first to Queenstown, where much can be done on foot. This would provide a bit of time to get over jetlag and (for Americans) acclimate to driving on the left side, roundabouts, etc. Accommodations ranged from very good to excellent with the exception of the Arthur Wakefield Inn. During high and shoulder season it would help for people to know that they need to book local trips well in advance, if not actually do the bookings for them; we found that three days notice was not always enough to get to do local tours, etc. we wanted to.