All Reviews
Relaxing Journeys

Having traveled around NZ many years ago, I had very definite ideas about where I wanted to go and what I wanted to experience. Toni was very pleasant and cooperative in answering questions, offering advice and making adjustments to the standard itinerary to ensure that my objectives were satisfied. I highly recommend Relaxing Journeys in general and Toni in particular to help plan the NZ trip and then make all the necessary reservations for the rental car, ferry, hotels and activities. Thanks to their capable efforts, my 30-day NZ adventure was wonderful.

It was a great experience to travel with Grand Pacific Tours through New Zealand. There were so many highlight and all was well organized, also the tour group was pleasant.

Good itinerary. Terrific drives and wonderful scenery. Though a lot of driving for a solo driver. Motels generally excellent. But the Quest in Auckland not so good.

Our holiday flowed seamlessly, not a single hitch, and the NZ South Island was simply stunning. We are coming back for sure, and would highly recommend this tour to anyone who loves natures beauty, and magnificent landscapes.

Overall, excellent trip although one needs to be aware that roads are very different to what most would be use to and hence, additional time is needed between stops. Accommodation, in the main, very good to excellent with hosts rated the same. Service provided by Relaxing Journeys first class, both before and during which after been caught in a bush fire stoppage, the company was able to find us alternative accommodation our then desired destination.

We had an unbelievable time in New Zealand. First off, our only regret since coming home is we wish we would have had more vacation time!! So much to see. After a brief miscommunication as to where and who had our travel documents, everything went perfectly and better then we could have imagined. At our B&B accommodations, it was like meeting old friends. We felt very welcomed everywhere we stayed. Having the vouchers and reservations for the attractions was very helpful. When I asked Marie if it was possible to make an adjustment in our package to make a slight detour to Hobbiton, it was no problem. We had a difficult time reaching our destinations in the time indicated in the itinerary. Roads in New Zealand are very narrow and wind every which way, sometimes with very little room to spare for error. So after the first day of driving, we took this into consideration in the remaining days of our trip and allowed extra time to be sure we made our tour reservations on time.

We were three couples from India & wanted to have a self-drive tour in New Zealand. After reading reviews of Relaxing Journeys, I contacted them & were fortunate to have Mani as our guide. First of all, on behalf of all 3 families, I shall like to express our gratitude to Mani & Relaxing Journeys for the immaculate planning of our tour & the perfect execution of all our requirements. The accommodation & both the vehicles – one in North Island & second in South Island, were good and there were no major hitches, barring a few minor ones. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in New Zealand & were fortunate not to miss any planned activity due to bad weather. The helicopter ride to Franz Joseph glacier & Whale and Dolphin tour in Auckland were highlights of our tour! We even did skydiving from 15000 ft. at Queenstown – a lifetime experience & we would recommend it – even though one feels scared at the thought of it. A small suggestion – even if 4 people are sharing a double bedroom accommodation, please see to it that there are separate bathrooms for both & if not, at least there should be privacy in the form of locks from inside for the common toilet unit – which caused a lot of inconvenience to us at most of the places! All in all, we again thank Mani for his prompt help throughout our planning phase & perfect tour for us – I shall definitely recommend Relaxing Journeys to all my friends in the future wholeheartedly.

Very well organised no hiccups, great car, the pre-booked tours worked very well and the itinerary has been worked out to perfection. New Zealand needs a pat on the back to how they have enhanced tourism along with the good quality of roads and network. Well done Toni and Relaxing Journeys look forward to doing the South Island.

Mani did a great job of putting together our tour. We booked this trip on February 2 and departed the USA on February 12. Accommodations, logistics and activities all worked perfectly. It was remarkable that Mani could get this all done in such a short time during the high season. The pace of the trip was a bit taxing, but we loved every place we visited and we won’t change a thing. Highlights for us were Bay of Islands, Akaroa, Te Anua and the Glaciers. We were a bit underwhelmed by Nelson/Richmond. But we loved the surrounding areas (Abel Tasman, etc.). All in all a remarkable trip. Especially given the last minute booking. Thank You Mani!

All of the sights were amazing, however I would have liked more time at some places. There were a couple of days with very long distances and we had to miss some sights to make the arrival times. I extended the Lord of the Rings tour one the last day to a full day tour – much better! We had 8 days of rain and the GPS got us lost a couple of times, but it was in all a very good trip.

I had a fascinating and enjoyable holiday owing to Relaxing Journeys and particularly special mention and great thanks go to Toni, who directed me through a long process of booking this tour and was exceptionally helpful and understanding. The Ultimate Rail, Cruise & Coach Experience was absolutely Ultimate. The coach was the star of this tour, very comfortable, clean and luxurious. The tour captain, Paul was a careful driver, excellent organizer and a knowledgeable guide. A helpful and good companion during this tour. The accommodation with one exception was of the highest standard, the highlight was The Regent of Rotorua with thermal mineral pool, the very place to rest after a busy sightseeing day. Exceptional were also The George hotel in Christchurch and Distinction Dunedin, both luxurious and also providing free of charge laundry facilities. In all hotels WiFi was free. Evening meals at hotels were excellent, beautifully served and very tasty. Breakfast mostly English style, a little too heavy for me, non-English European, but highly appreciated by my Australian and British companions. Luggage handling was very efficient, all transfers smooth and easy. Many times we could feel very exceptional, being greeted by hotel management, having complimentary drinks or special happy hours. We were a group of 19, Aussies, British, Canadians and me, from Poland. We quickly made a friendly team, everyone had a good time on the tour. Although summertime, it was quite rainy and cold but did not spoil our fun. I found New Zealand a fascinating country, so unspoiled nature, so clean air and pure water and breathtaking scenery. Friendly, warm people, ready to help any time. Most of the inclusions I found very interesting, though I expected more walking than sitting on a bus coach. However, the distances were enormous (we drove nearly 4000 km in 19 days), so this time no time for wandering in the wilderness. But the highlights were the optional attractions, the highlight was helicopter flight with landing over the Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers, so spectacular, a float plane flight over the Mount Tarawera Volcano and a visit to Skippers Canyon, complete wilderness and scenery from the Lord of Rings! New Zealand was much more than I expected. I highly recommend Grand Pacific and Relaxing Journeys Small Group Ultimate Tours.

Very enjoyable. The sights and experiences were terrific. Enjoyed everything. Thanks!