Tour Itinerary - Day by Day

• Day1

  Arrive Auckland

  On arrival into Auckland you will be met by a Grand Pacific Tours representative and transferred to your hotel.

  Stay: Skycity Hotel (D)

• Day2

  Auckland - Bay of Islands

  Depart Auckland and travel to the Parry Kauri Park to see a magnificent example of a Kauri Tree. Enjoy a visit and informative talk at the Kauri Museum in Matakohe, then travel via Whangarei to Paihia, situated in the heart of the beautiful Bay of Islands. Enjoy a guided tour of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, the location of the signing of the treaty between the Maori tribes and the British.

  Stay: Scenic Hotel Bay of Islands (2 nights) (B, D)

• Day3

  Bay of Islands (Free Day)

  Today is at leisure for you to explore an array of exciting activities available in the beautiful Bay of Islands (own expense). Perhaps you would enjoy a day tour to the very top of New Zealand including a drive along the sands of Ninety Mile Beach before visiting the lighthouse at Cape Reinga. You may prefer an interesting tour of Russell to gain an insight into New Zealand's earliest European history, or visit the Kerikeri basin to browse through its fine arts and crafts. There are also many water activities. Swim with dolphins, sail on a Tall Ship, or try your hand at fishing. The choice is yours and your Coach Captain will be available to assist. This evening is also free and you may like to enjoy a relaxing dinner cruise (optional). (B)

• Day4

  Bay of Islands - Auckland

  This morning travel aboard a luxury catamaran to Cape Brett and the famous Hole in the Rock. Keep an eye out for bottlenose and common dolphins before returning to Paihia. Travel south via Whangarei to Auckland. This afternoon includes a visit to Sky Tower at your leisure, one of New Zealand's most spectacular attractions.

  Stay: Skycity Hotel (B, D)

• Day5

  Auckland - Rotorua

  Today enjoy a city sights tour of Auckland. Continue through the picturesque countryside to Hobbiton for a buffet lunch. This is followed by a guided tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set from The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Your guide will recount details of how this beautiful piece of farmland was transformed into The Shire from Middle Earth.

  Stay: Sudima Hotel Lake Rotorua (Superior Rooms) (2 nights) (B, L, D)

View Full ItineraryTotal 19 Days

Day6

Rotorua

Today begins with a Gondola ride and breakfast at Skyline Rotorua. There is also time for a luge ride! Travel to the Agrodome for an action packed hour of farming entertainment and education that's unlike anything you've seen before. Enjoy some free time this afternoon before travelling to Te Puia to see the boiling mud pools and awesome Geysers that Rotorua is famous for. This evening experience an entertaining Maori Hangi and Concert. (B, SD)

Day7

Rotorua - Napier - Masterton

Depart Rotorua and travel along the Thermal Explorer Highway to Huka Falls and Lake Taupo. Continue to Napier known as "The Art Deco Capital", where a city tour will showcase an impressive collection of art deco buildings. Enjoy some free time to explore the fascinating architecture before travelling through the Wairarapa, an emerging cool-climate wine region.

Stay: Copthorne Hotel & Resort Solway Park (B, D)

Day8

Masterton - Greytown - Wellington

Enjoy a leisurely start to the day before travelling to Greytown where you see the most complete example of original Victorian wooden architecture. Drive through the scenic Rimutaka Mountain Range into Wellington, then enjoy a city tour of the nation's capital which will highlight the history and culture on show here.

Stay: James Cook Grand Chancellor (B, D)

Day9

Wellington - Picton - Blenheim

A highlight this morning will be time to explore Gallipoli: A Scale of War exhibition at Te Papa, New Zealand's National Museum. (Exhibition will run untill April 2018, Departures in May will recieve a Guided Tour as alternative). Other Cutting edge technology brings these stories to life through the eyes of New Zealanders who found themselves in extraordinary circumstances. This afternoon board the Interislander Ferry, cross Cook Strait and travel through the Marlborough Sounds to Picton where you board your coach for the short journey to Blenheim.

Stay: Scenic Hotel Marlborough (B, D)

Day10

Blenheim - Christchurch

Tour through Marlborough Country, famous for its food and wine, then travel to the seaside village of Kaikoura. Continue onto the garden city of Christchurch.

Stay: Hotel Distinction Christchurch (B, D)

Day11

Christchurch - Arthur's Pass - Franz Josef

This morning board the TranzAlpine, renowned as one of the great train journeys of the world. Travel over massive viaducts, river valleys and spectacular gorges as you ascend to Arthur's Pass located in the centre of the Southern Alps. Board your coach and travel to Hokitika, famous for its Greenstone before continuing to Franz Josef where time is available to experience a scenic flight (optional, weather permitting) over the spectacular glaciers.

Stay: Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier (Douglas Wing) (B, D)

Day12

Franz Josef - Queenstown

See the snow capped peaks of the Southern Alps as you travel south along the West Coast to Fox Glacier. Continue via the Haast Pass, an area of stunning beauty before arriving into picturesque Queenstown, a year round resort situated on the shores of magical Lake Wakatipu. This evening is free and you may choose to dine out at one of the many fine restaurants.

Stay: Mercure Queenstown Resort (Lakeview Rooms) (2 nights) (B)

Day13

Queenstown (Free Day)

Today is a free day. There are plenty of sightseeing options and your Coach Captain and Tour Guide are available to assist. You may wish to enjoy the thrill of a jet boat ride, a heritage tour of the scenic Skippers Canyon or get up close to a Kiwi bird. This evening board the vintage steamship TSS Earnslaw and cruise across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak Station. On arrival sit back, relax and enjoy a gourmet barbecue dinner which the chef will prepare in front of you at the Colonel's Homestead. After dinner enjoy a short farm tour then reboard the TSS Earnslaw for a sing along by the piano as you cruise back to Queenstown. (B, SD)

Day14

Queenstown - Te Anau

Enjoy a leisurely start this morning before travelling to Arrowtown, an old gold mining village and visit the Lakes District Museum. Continue to Te Anau, the gateway to Fiordland. This evening you may like to visit the Te Anau Glow Worm Caves (optional).

Stay: Distinction Luxmore Hotel (Deluxe Rooms) (2 nights) (B, D)

Day15

Te Anau - Milford Sound - Te Anau

Depart Te Anau for a fascinating drive to Milford Sound where you board your launch for a cruise on this magnificent fiord. See the spectacular Bowen Falls and towering Mitre Peak as you enjoy a picnic lunch. This afternoon return to Te Anau where some free time is available. (B, L, D)

Day16

Te Anau - Dunedin

Travel via Gore and Balclutha to Dunedin known as the "Edinburgh of the South" and enjoy an informative city tour followed by some free time to explore at leisure. Travel along the Otago Peninsula to Larnach Castle where you will hear of the tragic and scandalous history on a guided tour. Tonight a Scottish evening will be presented comprising of bagpipes, great food, special Haggis Ceremony and gift.

Stay: Scenic Hotel Dunedin City (B, SD)

Day17

Dunedin - Mt Cook - Twizel

Farewell Dunedin and travel to Oamaru famous for its limestone. Follow the Waitaki River and see Lake Benmore as you continue to marvel at Mt Cook, New Zealand’s highest peak. The opportunity is available to enjoy a scenic flight (optional, weather permitting) over the Southern Alps. Travel to Twizel for your overnight stay.

Stay: MacKenzie Country Hotel (B, D)

Day18

Twizel - Christchurch

Continue to Lake Tekapo and view the brilliant turquoise water, visit the Church of the Good Shepherd and the Sheep Dog Statue before arriving into Christchurch for an informative city tour. This evening enjoy a farewell dinner with your newfound friends.

Stay: Sudima Christchurch (B, SD)

Day19

Depart Christchurch

Time to say goodbye. You will be transferred to the airport for your flight home after a memorable New Zealand holiday. (B)

• Click here to download the 19 Day New Zealand Showcase Tour (2017/2018) PDF
• Click here to download the 19 Day New Zealand Showcase Tour (2018/2019) PDF

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Tour Reviews

View all 99 reviews of this tour from past clients of Relaxing Journeys, averaging 4.7 out of 5.

• 5This trip was amazing. I will definitely recommend it to family and friends. We saw all of New Zealand and what a beautiful country.

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  Sandy Oldendick () - 04/03/2018

• 5This tour was perfect! I can't imagine a better way to visit New Zealand for the first time. The itinerary and the included excursions were very well done; the majority of the optional excursions that I participated in were well worth the additional money spent. Our coach driver on the North Island, Steve Mahon, was so nice and such a pleasure that we wanted to take him to the South Island with us. However, Steve Roskilly, our coach driver on the South Island, was just as wonderful. I'm still amazed at the knowledge that these men shared with us on their respective tours. I loved them both. Now, our tour guide, Gary Deutscher, was absolutely astounding. His personality was great, and he was always available to help with any questions or problems that anyone may have needed. He worked very hard to make sure that everyone on this tour had the best experience possible. However, he worked in such a way that most people on the tour probably weren't aware of how much time he spent making sure that this our tour was the best it could be. I don't believe that anyone could have done a better job than Gary!

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  Marilyn Filgis () - 04/03/2018

• 4In general a tight program, but that has to be expected when you want to see and experience as much as possible.

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  Hans Christensen (Denmark) - 04/03/2018

• 4I thought everything was very good, I really liked the hotels that had complementary bottled waters.

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  Donna Sena (United States) - 04/03/2018

• 4Couple of ups and downs but overall we had a great time.

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  Philip Bainbridge (Australia) - 19/02/2018

• 5Very well organised, North Island. Was better in that there were less people and allowed a bit longer at stops. Hotels all good except for Te Anau, at which the bathroom was not too good for seniors.

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  Pat Carlsson (Canada) - 19/02/2018

• 5A very enjoyable tour with a great tour guide and excellent and knowledgeable drivers. The effort of our tour consultant Mani was excellent.

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  Walter Lorencz (Australia) - 28/01/2018
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4Toni was great as well as the drivers Kevin & Riki. Learned a lot about New Zealand and also about the Maori.
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Anne Scott (Canada) - 22/01/2018
4Really enjoyed the north island tour, but the in the south we spent to much time on the coach and not enough time at destinations, arriving at hotels with not enough time to prepare for dinner and socialising.
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Victor Cadman (United Kingdom) - 22/01/2018
4Excellent tour.
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Tracie Evans-Holt (Australia) - 05/11/2017
5The itinerary, tour inclusions and optional activities were all excellent. The coach drivers and tour guide were very professional and gave excellent service. Thank you.
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Margaret Mayne (Australia) - 05/10/2017
5Wonderful trip. Having Raewynn as guide made it extra special - as did having Cole as our driver for North Island - they make a class team. Re tour pace: maybe one or two more 'two-night' stays -but then that might mean missing something out or longer coach journeys - neither of which would be great.
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Mel & Beryl Twigg (United Kingdom) - 05/10/2017
5Had a fantastic time on this tour, it covered a lot of places and the scenery was absolutely beautiful, the Coach Captains Kevin and Andrew were brilliant and their knowledge of New Zealand was remarkable. Big thank you to Toni for organising my tour. Would definitely do another tour in New Zealand again and look forward to booking with Relaxing Journeys.
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Nicole Parkes (Australia) - 15/09/2017
5It was amazing...highly recommend.
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Karen de Boer (Australia) - 12/09/2017
5Grand Pacific were excellent.
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Steven Harding (Australia) - 14/03/2017
5Driver 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.
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John Hull (Australia) - 04/03/2017
5It 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.
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Monika Baumli (Switzerland) - 19/02/2017
5An 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!!!
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Michael & Valerie Rowberry (United Kingdom) - 22/01/2017
5Wonderful tour of New Zealand that doesn't miss a highlight. Pace is fairly quick, although your do stay a couple of days in several places. Accommodations are generally located near the center of town and were very good. Tour director was awesome! The number of included tours makes this a great value.
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Diana Frink (United States) - 01/01/2017
5Loved New Zealand!! Our guide Nike, was the BEST! Drivers Kevin and Riki were very informative, courteous,and there to help me, whenever it was necessary. They all contributed to a wonderful tour and made sure we enjoyed the best time we could, while touring New Zealand. All in all, the tour and the people, exceeded my expectations.
I will recommend this tour to my friends and family, for sure. It truly does not get better than it was.
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Diana Coles (Canada) - 18/10/2016
5The NZ-tour surpassed my expectations, it was an amazing tour. I have learned a lot from the tour-guide and the coach-drivers: 1) about the geology of the NZ Islands and 2) about the culture of the Maori people, their history, their beliefs, and their way of life. New Zealand is a civilized, clean, welcoming, friendly country. In short, it was for me a great experience. The only minor lowlight is that the tour-group was not more diverse with respect to different nationalities. One aspect of traveling is to meet people from different parts of the world and exchange views with them. One word about my travel consultant, Marie, she is excellent in what she is doing, she is very responsive and she guided me throughout the process of booking and she provided me with all the information I needed to make this a successful travel experience. Thank you.
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Nikolaos Tzafaras (United States) - 15/09/2016
5We had a fantastic holiday in this amazing country. Will definitely return one day. Grand Pacific really look after you. The only negative is I felt we didn't have enough "free time" and felt things were a bit rushed in places. A special thanks to Marie for her help in organising our tour. I will be recommending both Relaxing Journeys and Grand Pacific Tours to New Zealand travelers.
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Merilyn Lyall (Australia ) - 19/04/2016
5Grand Pacific Tours are very good at what they do; we would recommend them to anyone. Tour was full-on, particularly with the 6.00am starts. Saw much more than we would have done had we hired a car. NZ is a beautiful country and the people are very friendly/helpful. We shall definitely return....under our own steak next time around. On the 'downside', not receiving our bags, wallets, etc until we reached Auckland was unsatisfactory.
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Peter Abell (Australia) - 04/03/2016
4We loved our trip. The tour leader and the drivers were all exceptional. Our only complaint would be that at various spots on the South Island there were two, even three Grand Pacific buses at each stopping spot we went to. It seemed a case of "who is going to get there first"!! Of course, this meant that we were effectively on a coach trip with 80 or so people. It meant lines at facilities that could be avoided if staggered trips were planned, i.e. one tour start off on a particular day, then the next etc. I know Grand Pacific can't plan around other coach companies but some planning within Grand Pacific could be helpful. Very large groups made difficulties at meal times especially breakfast when timing is tight. I must stress, there were no ugly moments! Staff in hotels were great. Having said that, we had a lovely group and we couldn't fault our drivers and leader, John, as I said before. Thank you for the opportunity to share ideas with you. Kia Ora Marilyn and Paul C
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Marilyn Christianson (Australia) - 04/03/2016
5The tour far exceeded my expectations. The organisation was very good, nothing left unchecked. The days were packed and varied. I think the information we were given at the start of the tour was excellent, and was referred to on a number of occasions. New Zealand is a beautiful country and I am very pleased I decided to see it with Grand Pacific Tours. I will not hesitate to recommend you to friends. Thank you, I had one of the best holidays ever.
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Trish Burns (United Kingdom) - 22/01/2016
5Brilliant tour would recommend to anyone and explain it is not a holiday as it is full-on to cover all the areas in both islands. Also loved all the little extras - collecting suitcases, private room for last night dinner, arrangements on board so etc. etc. To many to mention. I loved the whole thing.
Only downside was access to wifi in a few places. Some unreliable and others because hotels were charging. Travelers need it!
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Susan David (United Kingdom) - 22/01/2016
5It was a great tour! We saw so much of the country in the 3 weeks we were there, and we loved the Hobbiton village as well as the Weta Cave Workshop as I am a big Lord of the Rings fan. It was a very fast paced trip, however, with not much time to relax. Linda and Rangi were wonderful drivers and tour guides!
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Bryan Burns (United States) - 19/01/2016
5The tour itself was fantastic and we had a great group and tour leader as well as two very good and informed drivers who shared their knowledge as we went. The hotels were good on the whole except for Te Anau which shut up the bar ridiculously early as the girl wanted to go home! The food was generally very good except for Te Anau which had a disappointing breakfast and although we had a Haggis Ceremony which was fun, the hotel itself was not as good as some of the others. The optional extras where brilliant and many took them up. Overall a very good experience with lots of professional care and fun.
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Sheila Crouch (United Kingdom) - 17/11/2015
5A wonderful overview of New Zealand!
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Reidin Condon (Ireland) - 17/11/2015
4Overall was awesome. To see the whole country in that amount of time is awesome. I understand that one night stays are a necessity to insure the coverage of both islands but you should consider two days and eliminate some small towns.
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Andrew Okimoto (United States) - 18/10/2015
5The tour was well put together well coordinated the both the driver and the captain friendly and informative really felt like we were part of the family it was amazing experience and one we hope to repeat soon.
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Collin Ingraham (United States) - 15/09/2015
5Very good I got full value of my money. Drivers and tour guide very professional.
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Usman Admadjaja (Australia) - 02/05/2015
4Wonderful way of seeing New Zealand. The tour guides were absolutely wonderful.
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Mariette Huot (Canada) - 04/04/2015
4We both had a very good time and enjoyed touring New Zealand. The coach driver Steve in the North Island was very knowledgeable and informative and his humour helped all of the passengers have a very good time. Most of the hotels were excellent with one or two such as Scenic Hotel Franz Joseph and MacKenzie Country Hotel Twizel not meeting our expectations. Disappointed that we did not see either the Franz Josef or the Fox Glacier. Some form of road / walking trips to these needs to be arranged for future tours.
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Robert Cort (Portugal) - 11/03/2015
5We did the 19 day Grand New Zealand Tour. I think it could have been shorter. We spent a lot of time in the coach retracing our steps and zigzagging across the county. I also think the coaches should have WiFi. We spent a lot of time on the coach just sitting there, waiting for others.
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Linda Lohse (United States) - 08/03/2015
5On the whole a very well organised tour. Lovely bunch of people. A pity some hotels do not offer free wifi. The hangi feast was great and though we took a few optional tours, most of the stopovers were great, namely Hobbitton. Skippers canyon was out of this world.
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Siew Yun Chau (Australia) - 08/03/2015
4Would have liked to go to Invercargil. Hotel in Dunedin was very cramped and dining room space was very poor, we were not informed about the gardens across from the hotel which we could have visited instead of walking around the town centre waiting for the coach to return. The visit to the Treaty Grounds was disapointing , some tours got a show, we only had a talk and a song from the guide.
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John Ireland (United Kingdom) - 04/03/2015
4The hotels were good (except MacKenzie Country Hotel - furniture tired looking, problems with closing doors/patio doors). The food was very good, the tour guide Paul excellent, both drivers helpful, and quite knowledgeable. Too early wake up calls. The guided tour in Napier wasn't very good.
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Marie Kohli (Canada) - 26/02/2015
5This is the first time we have been in New Zealand. The 19 day tour was great. It highlighted the many different aspects to NZ. We were amazed by the scenery and diversity that New Zealand has to offer. Totally awesome. As a keen photographer I would have liked to have more stops for photography but I understand the needs to keep to scheduled itinerary. Taking photos from a moving a coach is difficult and largely hit and miss given reflections in the glass and rapidly moving exterior. All in all I got some pretty amazing shots. I had reported earlier that a couple of the hotel rooms we stayed in were in need of renovation and maintenance (eg lights that did not work and cracked tiles in the bathroom) but that did not detract from our comfort. We found all the hotels clean and a suitable standard overall. Our thanks to Murray, John and Barry for taking such good care of us.
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Joseph & Irma Jambor (Australia) - 16/02/2015
5Thought day 14 was a wasted day, would have been better to stay half a day in Queenstown then do Arrowtown arrive in Te Anau late afternoon instead of before lunch. I have just retired after 38 years driving and managing a bus and coach company, the drivers were very very good in my opinion, maybe just a few too many buffet meals on North Island.
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Grant Cooper (Australia) - 14/02/2015
4Interesting tour. Excellent drivers and tour escort. Very knowledgeable and accommodating . Described as a luxury tour which it is not. Most hotels only average though probably best in some remote areas. Napier should be an overnight destination, 75 minutes in this interesting , cultural city is NOT enough. Very good food quality and choices. Tui brewery stop is unnecessary when there are more interesting things to see and do.
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Linda Genser (Canada) - 09/02/2015
5The tour was everything we had hoped for and we had a great time.
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Catherine Shearwood (United Kingdom) - 06/02/2015
5Wonderful tour to get a good oversight of NZ, excellent guide (Peter) and coach captains (Linda (North) and Paul (South). Very knowledgeable and always willing to go the extra mile. Occasional issues with 1-2 hotels but this was flagged on our tour review form as we went along.
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Ciara Mottram (United Kingdom) - 17/11/2014
4Our tour was great. I didn't give it a 5 for a couple of reasons. While our tour director, Garry Deutsher was superb, as was our driver on the North island, Steve Mahon, our driver on the South Island, was not as good. He was knowledgeable and personable but sometimes we couldn't hear him, despite requests to speak up; he failed to give us some quiet times and he inserted his personal opinions more often than appropriate, offending some folks I m sure. I'm not saying he's mean-hearted because I don't think he is but I don't think he is as sensitive to others' choices as he could be. Also, I was disappointed at the inconsistent levels of wi-fi availability throughout the trip. All hotels on a premium coach tour should have unlimited free wi-fi in the rooms. In addition, the coaches should all have wi-fi available as we are riding along.

We were very pleased with the quality of the hotels and the meals on the trip. The food served on the buffets became somewhat boring as it was pretty much the same. We much preferred those dinners where we ordered a la carte as we couldn't gorge ourselves, the quality was generally superior and less food was wasted. We would encourage a la carte dinners more. Most all of the included activities were terrific. There was, however, too much free time. We do believe that every day should have included activities both morning and afternoon. We had a very cohesive group n the North island so it was difficult, despite Garry's best efforts, to create another cohesive group when all the new folks joined us for the South Island part of the tour. Again, Garry Deutsher and Steve Mahon were excellent, plain and simple.
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Bernard Barela (United States) - 18/10/2014
5For first time visitors to New Zealand we got a terrific overview of both Islands in a short time. The drivers and guide were helpful and informative and made sure we got the best from our holiday.
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Peter Barlow (United Kingdom) - 18/10/2014
5I had an amazing trip to New Zealand really enjoyed every moment I was there. Everything went well and was very happy with all my hotels and with how each day went. I had two excellent coach captains and my tour guide was excellent as well and answered any question I had. Thank you of all of your help with sorting out my trip and with pick up from Auckland airport. I would love to come back to New Zealand again some time in the future.
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Donal ONeill (United Kingdom) - 18/10/2014
4Everything was well planned and variety of activities excellent. Coach captain and support were excellent as well. Seat rotation worked fine except that it split up our party of four everyday which was not so good. Hotels and food were all well presented except for the last one where the food and service were disappointing. Overall the tour exceeded our expectations and we had a wonderful time.
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Janet Gaten (United Kingdom) - 05/10/2014
5A wonderful trip with a great group of fellow travellers. On both islands the care, knowledge and passion of the guides for their country was outstanding. The itinerary was varied an covered many interests. The accomodation was excellent. Buffet style eating became a little monotonous but was the best way of covering everyone's tastes. We are regular travellers but this was our first coach tour. We were tentative but it met all our expectations.
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Paul & Jane Cameron (Australia) - 05/10/2014
4Very enjoyable tour, covering a good range of highlights of New Zealand. However it would be good to spend slightly longer in the cities. Our time there seemed a bit rushed especially Dunedin where we ended up with 20 minutes to explore the city which was not enough.
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Helen Anderson (United Kingdom) - 30/09/2014
5We had a wonderful time in New Zealand! The only reason I didn't rate the tour pace as excellent is because the pace was too fast for us. We could have used extra time along the way to further explore unexpectedly interesting places like Dunedin & Oamaru. Hotels, meals, coaches, coach captains, itinerary were all excellent. We ate lamb everyday (a real treat because lamb is so very expensive in the USA), tried 20 new wines, never saw so many sheep in our lives, took too many photos of the spectacular scenery, and met many very welcoming, friendly people. I'm telling all my friends that they should add New Zealand to their travel plans.
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Eleanor Minich (United States) - 04/04/2014
5We thought it a well planned and excelliant tour. It gave a comprehensive experience of your country. We came away with lots of memories and memorable moments - too many to list here. Our two drivers were excelliant and full of interesting backgroud information. We think that the excelliant weather was the iceing on the cake.
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Garth Letori (United Kingdom) - 17/03/2014
5This trip was trouble-free for us, from start to finish. The agents at Relaxing Journeys quickly answered all of my questions during the planning stage of the trip, and made sure that we were signed up with the tour we wanted. Grand Pacific was great. Both tour guides (John, for the North Island; Riki, for the South Island) were very organized, efficient, thoughtful, and kind. They both taught us so much about their beautiful country. We especially enjoyed the stories and information Riki shared with us, because he is Maori. The trip includes so many wonderful excursions, we hardly would have needed to add any optional activities. One that we did add, the Glowworm Cave in Te Anau, was kind of disappointing to us. On day 5, we loved the visit to Hobbiton, and the lunch at Longlands Farm & Restaurant. We loved meeting our fellow travelers from all over the world. The hotels were all very nice, and the food was plentiful. Be prepared for the lack of efficient wireless internet in most of the motels and hotels, sometimes the Wi-Fi was available only in the lobby; or, the free data was limited to 50 MB or, only one device could be used at a time. We had a wonderful holiday in beautiful New Zealand!
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Cynthia McCarty (United States) - 11/03/2014
4There is always room for improvement and with regard to free time with the days when the hotel was to far from twn with nothing to do. The day when we had to provide our own dinner we had to take transport to and from the hotel to a restuarant after arriving late at the hotel.
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Dawn Basel (South Africa) - 24/02/2014
5A brilliant way to see New Zealand and make lots of new friends. Can honestly say the tour exceeded our expectations. Wonderful drivers, amazing travelling companions and a beautiful country - the holiday of a lifetime. Must give a very special mention to Grand Pacific Tours for implementing 'Plan B' so efficiently when our inter-island ferry was cancelled. Thanks Toni for 'being there'. I know we didn't need to use your services a great deal but what you did do was greatly appreciated! Would highly recommend both Relaxing Journeys and Grand Pacific Tours.
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Michael Simmonds (United Kingdom) - 24/02/2014
5My objective was to see as much of NZ as possible so I knew what I was getting into with a coach tour - long hours in the coach, massive numbers of people, changing hotels constantly, bags out by 7 am etc. So armed with this knowledge ahead of time, I loved every minute of the trip!! And I saw everything!!! The passengers were wonderful - we broke into little groups based on age, interest, etc. No one was late or tardy. Meals were very good quality although a little bit the same. Only 1 hotel - Christchurch Sudima Hotel seemed very tired (although we had a wonderful meal there - not a buffet :-)!) and Sudima in Rotorura was also a little tired. Sometimes it was difficult with the lunch stops - they were often very short eg at Hokitika we had 45 mins to see greenstone, and another attraction plus have lunch - even trying to grab a sandwich is difficult when there are 2 tour buses arriving in the same small town is daunting. This happened on other occasions sadly as well. But I do understand the timing issues with the distance to cover in order to see everything! Loved the coach captains for both islands - both very different but I could not have experienced the full culture and history most particularly that of Maori without them!Optional tours that I chose were very good except that the Napier walking tour was disappointingly unavailable and the Wine and Culture tour operated by Queenstown Heritage Tours Ltd was terrible for the price - guide not a wine expert and itinerary was changed - one place was hardly a winery, more a banquet hall with beautiful grounds for weddings.
Just loved my trip and would highly recommend Grand Pacific tours to friends! Mani at Relaxing Journeys was attentative and thorough. Please consider my comments as constructive not negative - this was a wonderful tour and trip of a lifetime for me.
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Helen Genik (Canada) - 21/02/2014
5Really enjoyed our tour. Good value for our money. Saw many sights we wouldn't have seen if we would have tour on our own. Some of the accommodations were dated, especially during our first stay in Christchurch, our stay in Roturua and Twizel. On our return trip to Christchurch, we stayed in a newly renovated wing of the hotel - very nice. Most accommodation offered half hour to one hour free internet but at times the internet was very slow. We felt New Zealand is behind with their technology. The meals were usually very good to excellent. The breakfast were buffet style and offered a lot of variety. The dinner meals were buffet style and on some occasions were restaurant style. Only bad meal was in Wellington. Optional tours were frequently fully booked, thus not available to coach tour members. If there's a tour someone would truly love to do, I would recommend booking it independently. i.e. Gondola dinner in Queenstown, Twin Glacier helicopter tour in Franz Josef. Would highly recommend Te Anau Glowworm Caves, Ninety Mile Beach in the Bay of Islands and Skipper Canyon in Queenstown. Would highly recommend arriving in Auckland early and taking a tour of the Coromandel with Bush and Beach. Booking our tour with Mani from Relaxing Journeys was a breeze. He responded to e-mail and questions promptly. I was skeptical paying for our tour via electronic fund transfer, but there were no concerns.
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Suzanne (Canada) - 19/01/2014
5Exactly as advertised and anticipated. Good itinerary, well organized. I had thought that there would be a tour leader separate from the bus driver - combining those two functions seems to put too much pressure on the driver and leaves us unattended when he is busy parking his coach, etc.
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Judith & Eugene Neigoff (United States) - 19/01/2014
5I have nothing but praise for the sevice and help received from Toni and all at Relaxing Journeys and would recommend you to anyone I know intending to travel to NZ. However, most of our Group were not happy with the standard of Grand Pacific's 'Meeters and Greeters ' in Auckland and Blenheim, particularly in Auckland and I think we mentioned this in report to them. Otherwise a really enjoyable Tour. Thank you all.
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Martin Webb (United Kingdom) - 19/01/2014
4On the North Island we had an excellent coach driver who was very knowledgeable and made sure everyone's needs were met. He joined in with everyone and made everyone very comfortable on the journey. On the South Island we felt that the coach driver was not as good as driver and he never really joined in with everyone. Overall we had a great time and met many lovely people from all over the world. The country is truly amazing and a beautiful place to see. In three of the hotel stays we were not given the right bed combination which was requested in my booking, which was disappointing. The Hotel Sudima in Christchurch we felt was not up to par in their rooms. The main comment I would like to bring up is that a lot of us on the tour felt that it would have been better if we had gotten to our hotels earlier in the day so as we could explore the city we were in. Some days we would not arrive until 5pm, or later which meant very little time to get freshened up for dinner and leaving no time to look around the town or city we were in. Your country is certainly beautiful and what has been done with your tourist attractions is certainly first class. It is a credit.
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Robyn McPhee (Australia) - 05/11/2013
5I was very pleased with the overall tour - it was better than i imagined it would be, mostly due to the input of both driver who really did a wonderful job in displaying their country, which is very scenic. They did everything possible to give us a very smooth passage every single day. Some of the hotels were not as good as others, the food was very good but could have shown a bit more variety in content for me.
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Gerald Donnelly (United Kingdom) - 05/11/2013
5Beautifully put together and extremely well led. Would love to come back and see some more!
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Susan Forsythe (United States) - 30/09/2013
4We had a great time. The coach captains did a great job. A few times they had bags in our rooms when we arrived at a hotel - that was special. They were very knowledgeable and tolerable and understanding of 45 people who don't all think alike. Just a few suggestion (not complaints). Several hotels have limited Wifi - they may say free, but often it was not much free - several had Wifi only in the lobby. Even China was better than NZ with Wifi . Also, we missed a couple of optional tours because they were booked out. The alternatives we had were good, but we could have booked the same tours ourselves months ago online and we would have been assured of a space. The coach captains called ahead only about a day - we would have booked months ahead online. We thought Grand Pacific might have priority or reserved spaces but that's not the case. Mani was very good with convincing us to book through you because he was helpful and always prompt to get back to us. He kept us informed, and well, we booked through you. Great trip; we loved New Zealand, now what to do with all those pictures!
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Larry Boyer (United States) - 15/09/2013
5Thank you Michelle for doing such a great job. You provided information when required and made the booking stress free. Grand Pacific provided a great experience for us. The coach drivers on both islands did a great job. The whole holiday was a wonderful time & thank you for the beautiful weather. We would recomend Relaxing Journeys and Grand Pacific to anyone wishing to have a stress free time being looked after by people that take pride in what they do. (It truly shows). Thanks again.
Jerome & Agnes Beuerlein
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Jerome & Agnes Beuerlein (Canada) - 29/03/2013
5The only criticism we have (not major) is lack of free internet at hotels. Superb tour!!!
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William Noble (Canada) - 16/02/2013
5Very well organised from beginning to end, both by 'Relaxing Journeys' and by 'Grand Pacific Tours' who were the Operators. The itinerary was comprehensive and every-thing promised therein was delivered and more, while the early starts almost always meant convenient arrival times at the next hotel for welcome free time there. Sell the house if necessary, but don't miss taking a chopper for a glacier landing ... such a unique experience and the biggest of numerous highlights! The camaraderie among all onboard the full coach including both drivers/guides was extraordinary and a welcome additional bonus. Touring New Zealand in this way proved a superb introduction to a beautiful, fascinating and inspirational country. To be continued ...!!
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Jim Cripps (Singapore) - 16/02/2013
4We thoroughly enjoyed the tour. As expected it was a fairly full on pace but we managed! Scenery and weather was excellent. Was interested in the concept of having a driver/guide as one person as we noted other tours we saw en route were like Europe with separate guides. South Island guide (Chris) was very good, we were less impressed with North Island guide (John). Both were excellent drivers though. We told GPT this. Got fed up with too many buffet meals, option for a 'little' bit more flexibility in doing own meals (as an option) at two night stops would make us more happy, (and could pull the GPT price back a touch).
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Stephen & Ruth Wedd (Australia) - 16/02/2013
5Kia Ora! The tour could not have gone better for us! What a beautiful country from the rolling pasturelands and Maori customs of the North Island to the dramatic scenery of the South Island. We seemed to hit it off almost immediately with the largely Australian members of the tour party. Darly's lunch cruise on the first day in the Bay of Islands was a great 'ice-breaker' which most of the party attended and it just got better from there. Both the coach captains (one each for north and south islands) were superb. They were full of useful information, good advice and were always willing to go the extra mile to ensure we got the absolute most from the holiday - and of course we always felt extremely safe in their hands. Pauline's highlights started with the fantastic Bay of Islands along with the visit to the beautiful art deco town of Napier and the victorian experience of Oamaru. I did the optional helicopter ride on Franz Josef glacier - spectacular!! and of course we were all blown away with the cruise on the Milford Sound and what about the views from the Mercury hotel in Queenstown!! At all times the weather was sunny and warm - good for us but not so good for the farmers and 'drought' conditions have now been declared! We had a week in Sydney to 'wind down' after the adventure of the tour and we are now attempting to get back into northern hemisphere mode after the 26 hour journey. Pauline is doing a presentation on the tour to the Eskdale WI (utilising some of the hundreds of photos I have taken) so you may get some enquiries for more tours after this. Thanks again for everything.
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Tony & Pauline Moore (United Kingdom) - 14/02/2013
5My wife and I were completely satisfied with the entire tour. It is obvious that the tour operators, Grand Pacific, are true professionals. We were concerned that 19 days on a coach might get very long. We were pleasantly surprised that each day was very thoughtfully planned and the time on the coach was managed so that the 19 days passed without us ever getting tired of being on the bus. All the activities were well planned out and spaced so that we had sufficient breaks and activity. The drivers were well informed and continually gave us pertinent and interesting information about each region as we drove by or stopped to visit and observe. The Maori hangi and the Scottish haggis were truly feasts. All the meals were plentiful and well presented. We would definitely recommend this tour to any one and have already told many of our friends about our fantastic experience. During our trip one of our drivers even went out of his way to accomodate several people who wanted to attend a weekend church service. During our initial preparations Mani from Relaxing Journeys was very helpful. In the Bay of Islands we would definitely recommend the 'free day' bus trip to Cape Reinga.
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David Mueller (United States) - 14/02/2013
5We went on the 19 day Grand NZ Tour and it was more than we could have hoped for. It was just amazing! The organisation which went into our tour was spot on. Before the tour started we were impressed with the organisation and professionalism of the office staff and that gave us confidence that we had made a good choice. Our tour coach captains were very good, especially Chris, who kept us really informed, talking us through so much information and we learned so much about New Zealand. The hotels were well chosen, but (there's always a but!) some of the rooms were a bit tired looking. The hotel food was always good and so much of it too. If you want to see all of NZ and have limited time, and are aware this is not a 'holiday', but a 'tour' then this is the way to do it. Every day is full on, up and away early, which if you are prepared for is great. The way we changed seats on the coach is very good and gave everyone a 'fair go' at the best seats. We were particularly blessed with excellent weather, but Relaxing Journeys can't take credit for that! (Ed. Why not?) All in all it gave us a wonderful look at NZ, the New Zealand story, it's fabulously welcoming people, it's famously beautiful scenery, and the variations in its food. Well done - it was a tour we are so pleased we took, and will never forget for all the right reasons. Thank you.
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Andrew & Julia Stonier (United Kingdom) - 14/02/2013
5An excellent tour. We got to a lot of interesting places in NZ. The tour was well organised and good value for money.
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Neil Burns (United Kingdom) - 19/01/2013
5We had a great time!! New Zealand is beautiful in so many ways! We were the only Americans in our group, so meeting so many people from England, Australia and New Zealand was an extra bonus! Our coach captains were great and all the personal we worked with were very helpful. My suggestions for improvement would be these - a smaller group would be more manageable. (Ed. There is this option under our small group touring section). All the hotels need to give access to free wifi! and we really didn't need the travel bags and paraphernalia given to us. We were already packed.
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Susan & Max Reese (United States) - 06/01/2013
4The tour was very well organised with friendly, helpful staff & included everything that was in the itinerary. It was very 'full on' with early wake-up calls & full days so I did find that by the time I got to day 15 or so I was starting to wane - but that was down to me rather then the holiday! The hotels were generally good, some better than others. A couple were a little 'tired' but overall the accommodation was fine. The food was also very good - plentiful & good quality. The excursions were excellent as was the choice of optional extras. I would definitely recommend this holiday to anyone looking to cover New Zealand extensively in one hit - with the warning that it is hard work but VERY enjoyable.
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Paulline Bethell (United Kingdom) - 16/04/2012
5A very enjoyable tour right from start to finish. All pre-booked arrangements ran like clockwork, accommodation was uniformly excellent, food was fabulous, and even the weather was fantastic - only two wet days and one of those was at Milford Sound, which was a bonus because all the waterfalls were flowing freely, giving some memorable experiences and photos! The coach drivers on both North and South Islands were great - different personalities but each very knowledgeable, informative and entertaining as well as being very capable professional drivers. The general tour pace was excellent, allowing plenty of free time to either relax or pursue more vigorous activities depending on individual preference. Just a couple of minor points : (1) the North Island coach was new and the audio system was not sorted out properly, making it difficult to hear in the rear half of the coach, despite the best efforts of the driver; (2) some of the morning tea stops were a little long for our liking, but seemed to suit most of the group; (3) the accommodation for our extra night at the end of the tour in Christchurch was not quite up to the excellent standard we had enjoyed up to that time (lack of shelves in the bathroom, shower curtain rather than a glass-doored enclosure, heating which didn't work properly). However, overall, a great trip with lots of highlights and memories of a beautiful country. Love to return and spend more time in selected places! Will recommend this tour as excellent value to anyone wanting a fairly complete taste of what New Zealand has to offer.
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Rod and Marg Evans (Australia) - 16/04/2012
5This was the best coach tour we have ever been on. Since my daughter has mobility problems we were a little nervous as to whether she could be accommodated for most of the activities, but as it turned out thanks to your wonderful staff she missed nothing. Having the bus with 2 exits was definitely a plus so that we did not feel that we held up other people. Both of our bus captains Steve and Pete were wonderful! Funny, informative, helpful and extremely personable. The activities chosen for the tour were fun and well chosen. The people from Australia were certainly a plus for us and spoiled us by being so gracious to us. Mike the shuttle driver from the airport relieved all of our fears as to whether Grand Pacific was a good company. He was the best ambassador you could have sent. He oriented us to Auckland and made sure we had our document package at the hotel. All of the hotels were wonderful for us and I felt they were a good value for the money. Great job and thank you to all who made our trip so great. We would certainly return to NZ in a heart beat if it were not so far away!
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Rosalie & Alison Scher (United States) - 08/03/2012
5We were very pleased with this tour and would highly recommend it for anyone who has limited time but wants see as much as possible on both islands. We Brits find New Zealand expensive for most things so this tour represented good value for money as most meals were included as were many entrance fees to various sites and attractions. Grand Pacific, the tour operator, were faultless. Both Coach Captains, for North and South Islands were informative and amusing and kept us entertained with their (awful) jokes. The hotels and food were generally excellent. The coaches were new, clean and comfortable. The PA sytems were good in that the drivers comments were easily heard. The Coach Captains always allowed for plenty of comfort stops so none of the legs of the journeys were particularly arduous. We were always delivered next to our hotels or attractions so this tour would be excellent for anyone with limited mobility. As with any tour like this you can't please everyone all the time and there were occasions where you would want to spend more time at a particular venue but by and large the pace was about right. Finally thanks to Kirby of Relaxing Journeys who kept us well informed throughout the booking process as this was all done on-line from here in UK.
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Robin & Doreen Bailey (United Kingdom) - 08/03/2012
5A great trip, from the start booking with Relaxing Journeys, Georgie our consultant provided excellent support and feedback everytime I contacted her. The price from Relaxing Journeys could not be beaten by anyone, even Grand Pacific, so the team at Relaxing Journeys get a big tick from us. The tour itself was great the two bus drivers Steve in the North Island and Peter in the South Island were a wealth of knowledge and made the trip even more memorable. All of the hotels were excellent with the exception of the Pullman in Auckland who need to take a leaf out of the book of the others. Not having to dip into your pocket all of the time for the inclusions as they were already covered was great and those that weren't were good value. Relaxing Journeys is highly recommended by us.
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Wally & Lucy Wolfe (Australia) - 08/03/2012
5This 19 day tour of both Islands with Grand Pacific Tours was better than we could have hoped for. With excellent driver/guides - Geoff in the North Island & Ross in the South Island, a full and always interesting itinerary, and so many inclusions, we were highly impressed. The hotels, included meals, and airport transfers were exceptional. Thanks to all, especially Georgie, for your great service. We have passed on your information to our local travel agent, and highly recommended both you and Grand Pacific.
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Barry & Betty Adams (Canada) - 02/03/2012
4This was our first coach tour. The organisation was excellent with welll chosen key activities and places to visit. It gave us a very good feel for both the Islands which were so diverse in their scenery but both spectacular. There were so many beatiful places to see it is difficult to choose but I particularly enjoyed The Bay of Islands, Longlands Farm and Resaurant and Napier in the North and Milford Sound and Queenstown in the South. It was sad to see the devastation caused by the earthquake in Chrischurch but I feel people need to go and see it. An activity I would have welcomed but wasn't included was a visit to a winery whilst we were in the Marlborough region. I enjoy a glass of Sauvignan Blanc! For us the coach tour was definitely the best way to see New Zealand. It took all the hassle out of choosing hotels, travel arrangements and deciding places to visit. Both coach drivers, though very different in personality, were very good careful drivers with great knowledge of their islands. They had the double responsibility of coach driver and tour guide which they did to a high standard. The tour was full - 48 people for both the islands but everyone was cooperative and friendly. No-one was ever late for the coach! There was a lot of time spent on the coaches but this was the only way we could have explored NZ. Welcome rest stops every 2 hours which I felt were very necessary, and they were usually at interesting places. The hotels were all of a good comfortable standard - the only one which was of a lower standard was a last minute change from Twizel to Omarama (Heritage Gateway Hotel) which was more like a motel but fine for one night. There was some variation in the standard of meals provided by the hotels. Personally I preferred the hotels which offered three course meals, much more sociable. The buffet style meals were mainly of a very good standard the exception was at Masterton (Copthorne Hotel & Resort Solway Park Wairarapa). There was no choice only rare beef or the scrag ends of the joint. I know that there were complaints about this particular meal which I support. This was an exception. The only small complaint I have is that often we did not arrive at hotels until 5.30 and dinner was served at 6.30. This did not give enough time to unpack, relax and reflect on the day. A really enjoyable holiday.
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Pauline & Stanley Anderson (United Kingdom) - 19/02/2012
5This was our first time to tour on a coach in this fashion. We had a great time. The food in NZ is fabulous, the country is beautiful beyond words and the people are very nice. The coach drivers were very experienced and knowledgeable. The only downer was the quality of some of the hotels we stayed in. The value when all added up could not be beat.
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The Kents (United States) - 09/02/2012
5Two motels were below par otherwise the accomodation was good. The food was great. The service was of a high standard. The carry bag provided for our carry-on luggage was rubbish and I saw instances where they failed during the tour. The maps provided were useful. Overall the tour was great and I would recommend it.
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Robert Black (Australia) - 09/02/2012
5Memorable trip. Beautiful hotels, great food, excellent coach captains. The only very minor comment would be that it would have been nice to stay a bit longer in one or two of the destinations (one day less in Rotorua and one more day in Queenstown for example) but then we wouldn't have seen as much as we did in the time we had. Overall, fantastic tour and we wouldn't hestitate to recommend Relaxing Journeys. Particular thanks to our Tour Consultant, Kirby, who couldn't have been more helpful and to our drivers Steve Mahon and Peter Nolan. Great guys - safe drivers, informative, interesting and most of all, funny. Sincerely hope we'll return to your beautiful country in the future.
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David & Alda Willacy (United Kingdom) - 01/02/2012
5We only had 1 stop that I didn't care for. It was in a little town that had a few shops but not of much interest and we were there too long. We could have used a little more time in some locations for retail therapy. Buffet meals were tiring and usually very similar. The meals that we had a choice of 3 courses were enjoyed by everyone. I'm not sure why we mostly had twin beds, we would have prefered a queen bed. Buses were comfortable, rotational seating was great, and schedule was good. We enjoyed the trip and would recommend it highly to others. We were the only Americans on the trip which was fine. We learned alot from our traveling companions about their countries.
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Keith & Sheila Roberts (United States) - 01/02/2012
5The 2 Coach Captains were safe courteous drivers and were very knowledgeable about the NZ history, culture & places of interest. They both possessed a sense of humour and made everyone feel at ease & part of the group. The staff at Relaxing Journeys were always very professional from the time we made enquiries about tours to when we received our travel documents (much sooner than other tour companies usually provide theirs). We would have no hesitation in recommending your organisation & Grand Pacific Tours, in fact we have already done this to 3 friends since we returned to Australia earlier this week. Naturally there were a couple of things we thought could have been organised differently but we realise that there were 46 others on the coach that had to be satisfied, we have no problem with that. Overall, a great experience and we will definitely be travelling to NZ again.
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Judy & Michael Murray (Australia) - 19/01/2012
5Your tour was marvelous. I have been in the travel business for many years selling land tours similar to yours with many of the well known tour companies. Trafalgar, Insight, Globus, Tauck. I have even been lucky enough to go on many of them myself. Never have I experienced such wonderful inclusions and so much food!!! Many of the tours that I have been on, if providing dinner, there would be one per 3-4 days. I mean a 10 day tour would provide only 2-3 dinners. And most of the optionals are in addition to the basic tour price. (Tauck is an exception but that is reflected in their prices). We had even considered some of the cruises covering the same areas and the excursions on those would have doubled the cruise prices! I have raved about this tour since my return and sadly doubt I'll get back to your magnificent country considering the distance for U.S. citizens but I am totally pleased, impressed and satisfifed with your product. Many Thanks.
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• Relaxing Journeys Experience
Chris Gibbons (United States) - 19/01/2012
5Outstanding trip. Drivers were courteous, knowledgable, and safe. Having them at the wheel allowed us to enjoy the scenery with ease. Scenery was amazing and tour stops for the most part were enjoyable. The group we had was wonderful and we totally enjoyed getting to know them. Hard to say good-bye in the end. Would strongly recommend this tour to anyone.
• Overall Tour Rating
• Value For Money
• Accommodation
• Tour Pace
• Relaxing Journeys Experience
Randy Horning (United States) - 19/01/2012
5I loved the tour. The motorcoach was extremely comfortable. The itinerary was wonderful except I would have preferred a slower paced tour with 2 nights in Wellington. The hotels were excellent except that there were no elevators for my handicapped roomate. The guides were excellent. The group of people were an excellent mix. The food was unbelievable. I never have experienced the quality and quantity of food on any tour that I experienced on this tour. I have already recommended the tour and your agency to someone from SC or GA today at the Blood Alliance. Alex was very well informed and had an excellent sence of humor which was appreciated by eveyone.
• Overall Tour Rating
• Value For Money
• Accommodation
• Tour Pace
• Relaxing Journeys Experience
Diana Nadanyi (United States) - 18/01/2012
5We had a wonderful time on our trip. We had 2 wonderful drivers (one on the North Island and one for the South Island) who were informative, helpful, and creative. The trip was as good as other top companies we have toured with. The accomodations were great and so was the food. I am so glad that most meals were included in the price. We would most definitely tour with Grand Pacific Tours again.
Alvin & Nickolyn Russell (United States) - 08/11/2011
5We had the best time - NZ is a most beautiful place. The tour was well organised and drivers from both North & South Islands were helpful, available and always there for us - to recommend help and advise, they kept everyone safe and had the best sense of humour making our long days shorter by passing the time with DVD's, tapes and expert knowledge of the different areas travelled. Our group of 48 were easy to travel with, good humoured and we all got along famousley. We were sorry our holiday had to end and e-mail adresses were exchanged for future correspondance. Thank you Grand Pacific for a great holiday!
Terence & Margaret Veitch (Australia) - 08/11/2011
5I just completed the 19 day Grand Pacific Tour to New Zealand departing April 4th from Auckland, booked through Relaxing Journeys. I have travelled to many countries but this was by far the most beautiful and best organized trip I have ever done. We were blessed with beautiful weather throughout the holiday. The two guides - Steve Maurice in the North Island and Alex Rollinson in the South Island were exceptional coach captains. All of the hotels were excellent and the meals were equally as good. It was definitely a 'trip of a lifetime' and I thank you very much.
Ann Spiars (Canada) - 04/04/2011
4We have been home for a short while now but just wanted to send you a note to say what a wonderful time we had in New Zealand. We started out a little sceptical of a coach tour, never having been on one before but from day one we had a ball. The others on the tour came from both Australia and overseas and we all got along so well. Indeed we have made several lasting friendships. The scenery of the country was magnificent, the people friendly and welcoming and the knowledge of the coach captains enormous. Every day there was something new and exciting on the itinery. Very occasionally there was a hotel room that might have been better but the same could not be said of the meals which were always plentiful, well presented and delicious. On the final day the train was over an hour late (can?t blame you for that) and we were running late for the farewell dinner but we still had a great time. If we were to be critical of anything it might be that the method of seat rotation was not well explained to the new people joining the group on the South Island. Overwhelmingly this tour has our endorsement. The people with whom we travelled, and we had the best, put the icing on the cake. For your part, we thank you for the manner in which you helped and kept us informed from the very first enquiry until the day the tour began. We would have no hesitation in booking future tours with your company.

Peter & Marion Wilson (Australia) - 27/03/2011
5We had a wonderful holiday with a great crowd of people. Both of the drivers we had were good and the commentaries were very interesting - we certainly learnt a lot about New Zealand during our 19 day trip. The advantage with a holiday like this is the lack of stress! No driving, no searching on the map to get to the tourist site or find accommodation, no carrying cases, in fact we just sat back and enjoyed ourselves. Perhaps sometimes we found we had done a lot of kilometers in one day - but if you don't move around, you don't see anything, that's sure. We definitely saw a lot! Unfortunately, we didn't see Christchurch - of course, we knew this wouldn't be possible before leaving Switzerland, and can only be thankful we weren't in the town during the earthquake. During our stay at the Cotswold Hotel, we took the opportunity of walking just as far as the 'no go zone' and saw some of the damage. We did this in order to tell people back here in Europe about the situation. However, everyone we met told us that they had been 'lucky' when compared with the earthquake in Japan! Many thanks to Georgie for all her help in booking our journey ... we'd love to go back again, but will definitely have to save up first.
Brenda & Pierre-Andre Girardbille (Switzerland) - 14/03/2011
4We just loved it. What a magical country. The inclusions and activities were just perfect. The places we visited, the activities we participated in were great. Had a good mix of people on the tour and we have made friends that we intend keeping in touch with. Accommodation was of very high standard including the meals. The Tours & Activities were also if a very high standard & our Guides both on the North Island and South Island were both good men. Enjoyed the fact that Cole Marsh our guide on North Island was Maori. His passion for his culture was infectious and the history he shared with us was very informative. Towards the end of our tour on South Island the devastating Earthquake hit Christchurch. We were due to go back into Christchurch the day after the Earthquake. Naturally that couldnt happen. The way our Guide Warren, handled the whole situation was to be admired. Alternate arrangements were made, we were found accommodation, fed and looked after very well. Nothing but admiration for Warren he was under his own personal stress with his family back in Christchurch, but made our needs a priority. Would recommend this Tour to anyone - just great. Only thing was we needed a holiday to get over our holiday!
Colleen & Justin Wells (Australia) - 06/02/2011
5The trip was great offering variety of sights and also some time to relax. Grand pacific Tours offered a professional service and the couch drivers were very good. There was some difficulty with the seat rotation when we left the North Island and new people joind us on the South Island. This caused some unpleasantness for the passengers which they need to sort out. They were very quick to find us alternate accommodation as we were due into Christchurch the day after the earthquake. We were very pleased about that.
Christine & Douglas Goodall (Australia) - 06/02/2011
5The Grand New Zealand Tour was excellent. Our driver/guides/tour organizers for both the North and South islands were very knowledgeable, organized and responsible for keeping us on schedude. Accommodation and meals were good and in some cases, better than expected. The activities included in the tour were very good. Overall, very good value for the price. Grand Pacific was very accommodating in finding alternative accommodation and arranging for transportation and other needs as a result of the Christchurch earthquake. Indeed, my travel companion, Doris, had left 2 items of clothing behind in Rotorura and had asked if they could be brought to Christchurch for pickup on what was to be our last day of the tour. We had determined that this would not be possible due to the earthquake, however, a Grand Pacific staff member met us at the Christchurch airport with the parcel of clothing items before we left the country. This was exceptional service under the circumstances.
Corinne Chapman (Canada) - 06/02/2011
5Very well organised. Had a great time. Wonderful country and people. Early morning rises took a bit of getting use to. Watch your waste line. Would loved to have stayed longer.
Fred & Jen Dierkx (Australia) - 22/01/2011
4Fantastic! That is how we would describe the recent tour that we took on the North and South Islands of New Zealand. Firstly thank you so much for giving us the opportunity of doing the 19 day tour with the option of starting on the 4th day. In so doing we were able to see the highlights that we wanted to see, based on the dates that we arrived in New Zealand. Secondly thank you for setting up an itinerary that was varied, fun-filled and well-balanced with activities that were very much to our liking. Naturally there were times when we would have liked to have more time at certain sites but we understood that the driver had a schedule to respect and he could not allow more time there. Our driver/tour director, Alex Rollinson, was awesome. Well-informed, courteous, humorous and very helpful, he kept the group in high spirits and on schedule. We were, however, surprised to learn that he was to assume both roles of driver and tour director for the entire 19 days. It seemed a great deal to ask of this man considering some of the highways and mountain roads that he had to drive. We thank him for a wonderful safe journey. We would recommend this tour to anyone who would want to visit New Zealand without having any worries or hassles to deal with. The accommodations were generally very good. Only the hotel at Franz Josef left a little to be desired. Food was generally very good. We met so many wonderful people who were sharing in this wonderful experience with us. We truly loved New Zealand and hope to return some day to visit the northern most part that we were unable to see. Thank you Georgina for your help in planning and helping us to realize this dream of ours to see New Zealand. Rest assured that we have come back with so many fond memories of this journey.
Cynthia McDonald & Ron Mundle (Canada) - 17/11/2010
5What a wonderful time we both had! The coach was comfortable, our driver Cole, was friendly, informative and kept us amused with anecdotes and all his local knowledge. The hotels were good and food very good. we would definately go again!! Thank -You!
Murray & Susan Kelly (United Kingdom) - 27/10/2010
4We enjoyed every minute of the tour. We were well looked after by our coach captains. The choice of hotels was very good. Everything ran like clockwork. We would recommend this tour to everyone. NZ is a wonderful country, with friendly people and beautiful scenery.
Ben & Wilhelmina Smit (Australia) - 19/01/2010
5We had a fantastic holiday. South Island was especially beautiful. The coach was fine, the drivers & guides were excellent. Hotels were of a good standard and food generally was also good. It was our first ever coach tour. If we had some 'niggles' these were: some of the attractions were not at all intersting, but the majority were fine & a couple of days involved too much driving with very little to break the journey. Maybe there was nothing significant to stop and look at on those days? Overall we thoroughly enjoyed the trip.
Peter & Linda Day (Australia) - 24/09/2009

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