All Reviews
Relaxing Journeys

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!

We found the itinerary, accommodation, car hire and the extra activities all made for a great and comprehensive tour of the North Island. We were not able to use all of the activity vouchers, (mainly due to weather) but that did not detract from the experience.

I have sent a detailed review to Toni Harris that I’m sure she’ll pass on to those who need to know. Her service throughout our whole booking and travelling experience has been outstanding. There were some difficult issues for her to resolve quickly when some of the trestle bridges burnt in a bushfire while we were there on the Tranz Alpine Railway – she managed this situation most professionally and should be highly commended on her efforts.

Everything went like clockwork. Our limo driver picked us up in Auckland, our car was ready at Thrifty and all the vouchers were honored without question. We especially enjoyed the Kruse GPS which gave us some historical information about the areas we were traveling through. I’d recommend Relaxing Journeys to anyone traveling in NZ

Really enjoyed the hotels on North Island. It was a pity about the TranzAlpine express but when we contacted you about this the response was prompt but we decided that another long coach trip was not what we wanted so made our own arrangements for which you provided good connections and the refund was prompt.

Could not have been bettered, great tour, perfect hotels and well organised. Thanks a million.

We had a fabulous holiday due to the thorough planning and organisation of our 16 night tour of New Zealand. Relaxing Journeys had fine tuned the trip to our brief and this resulted in a stress free holiday. Both the accommodation and hire cars were of a high standard and the voucher system ensured swift booking-in processes at every motel. The only problem we encountered was the address given for Dunedin. It stated Cumberland Street Dunedin when in fact it should have read Cumberland Street North, North Dunedin. This resulted in a wrong location given by satnav and unnecessary time/fuel spent driving around the city. Apart from this minor issue we would have no hesitation recommending your company to family and friends for the holiday of a lifetime. Many thanks.

Best two week tour to experience all NZ has to offer. I highly recommend this tour!

An excellent tour. Very well planned and executed. Hotels first class. Tour Captains and Tour Manager informative. The Grand Pacific badge gives priority at venues, discounted drinks and excursions. The inclusion of most meals was a bonus. Included excursions and visits were also brilliant and we got priority – e.g. visit to Te Papa museum in Wellington before opening time, dedicated area on the Milford Sound boat, special evening at Dunedin and an evening’s entertainment on our last night – wonderful!!!

This has been a great holiday and will recommend it to friends. Could have done with a few free days with longer stays but appreciate these would have required a longer holiday and more expense. Accommodation excellent with only one exception in Wellington (this was ok, but rather scruffy). Rewa House was exceptional mostly due to the excellent hosts, Eden House in Auckland and the accommodation in Dunedin and Napier also superb. The overall organisation was perfect, with superbly arranged pick ups always on time – well done. We enjoyed the Hole in the Rock and the Milford Sound trips even though the latter required a long coach journey and the jet boat ride in Queenstown was a real treat – not for Carol though, having read the leaflet she decided it was not for her. Consequently the operator only charged for three of us. Everyone we met were so friendly and helpful – a credit to all concerned. Thanks for everything,