9 Day Wild West

The transfers were seamless and the accommodation selected were very good. This was a fantastic introduction to the South Island and we look forward to being back!

I'm not one to take the time to write a long review online; however, I wanted others to benefit from my experience on this tour with Relaxing Journeys. My wife and I purchased the 9 day Wild West tour. This was our first time to New Zealand so we thought we would focus on the South Island. We chose this tour because it spent more time around Queenstown, and we weren't interested in the drive to Mt. Cook, which was a part of several of the other tours. We had an amazing time on this tour, so I think we made the right choice for us. First, I should tell you that we added some extras to the standard Wild West tour package. (1) We paid for the premium hotel package. We were very happy with this decision, as we were pleased with all of our hotel rooms. (2) We also added the breakfast package. Since most of your days are fairly busy, it was good to know each day started with a good breakfast before heading out. We were happy with this decision too. (3) We added an extra day in Queenstown at the start of the tour. I would HIGHLY recommend this added day. Our flight didn't arrive until early evening, so it would have been a bummer to get up the first morning and check out of the room and head to Milford Sound and Te Anau. We just got there and we are leaving already. Instead, with the extra day, we were able to schedule the 4WD Safari of The Scenes Tour and get a wonderful overview of the area. It was a great tour and we highly recommend it. Then we had the full afternoon to stroll around Queenstown, which ended up being our only time to do that, so I was really glad we had this extra day. Day 3 was our Milford Sound / Te Anau day. Since we were coming back to Queenstown after the one night in Te Anau, the Hotel St Moritz happily stored our luggage for the night; thus, we only had to bring a simple carry on bag with us, which was super convenient. Plus, the Hotel St Moritz had our luggage already in our room when we returned the following night, which was a pleasant surprise. Anyway, the Milford Sound trip makes for a long day, but it was totally worth it. Some of my best pictures of the whole trip are from this day. Amazing scenery, and not just at Milford Sound. The bus ride to Milford is EQUALLY amazing. I also liked that we did not have to go all the way back to Queenstown. By the time you get to Te Anau on the way back, you welcome the opportunity to get off the bus and be done for the day. We then had a wonderful meal at the Redcliff Cafe in Te Anau. Day 4 was a leisurely morning, followed by the Glowworm Cave tour. Another fantastic tour, we highly recommend it. We then had the bus ride back to Queenstown. Day 5 started with the Walter Peak farm & BBQ Lunch tour. We really enjoyed the steamboat ride and the tour. The BBQ lunch was really really good. It was one of our best meals on the trip, and we had some really good meals. I typically don't care for lamb meat, but I tried it here. Wow was it good. I would eat lamb a lot more if it always tasted this good. We intentionally asked for the 10am tour so we would have the afternoon open in Queenstown. We relaxed at the hotel for a little while, and then headed up the Skyline Gondola for dinner. We booked this activity on our own and not through RJ, simply because it was not offered on their site. If you do this too, I highly recommend the small upgrade fee for the premium dinner. It guarantees you a window seat, which you need when the sun goes down. Those in the middle of the restaurant pretty much get a reflection of the restaurant for their view, the window seat is a must have. We went up the gondola well before dinner so we had time for a couple luge rides, which were also fun. Day 6 was our transfer to Wanaka. We signed up for the Wanaka Jet Boat & Wilderness Walk tour, which again was fantastic. Be sure you pack a small lunch or snack the night before. There is not enough time when you arrive in Wanaka to get lunch before the tour. After the tour, we had the tour company drop us off in town instead of our resort so we could get lunch. We then grabbed a cab to Rippon Winery, literally known as the most photographed winery in the world. From the winery, you can take a hiking trail back to the Edgewater Hotel. Another awesome day. Day 7 was our transfer to Franz Josef. The bus ride was scenic, as expected, but its hard to surpass the first six amazing days. The town was small, but we had a wonderful dinner and a leisurely evening. Day 8 started with a morning helicopter ride to Franz Josef glacier, landing on the glacier. Once in a lifetime activity. Highly recommend it, if the weather cooperates. We then took the Across Country Adventure Quad Tour (booked on our own). This was another fantastic activity; however, the tour guide said we had a very good group. All of us were good drivers and could keep a good pace, so we went further than most groups get. Even so, I think this would be a great tour either way. Day 9 was our transfer to Greymouth and the TranzAlpine train. I was a little disappointed in the train ride. Partly because I had VERY HIGH expectations. I thought this was going to be the highlight of the trip, yet it wasn't nearly as amazing as the previous 8 days. But I also think it was the time of year. We went in late Fall, after the fall colors passed and before any snow hit a lot of the mountains. That said, the train was comfortable, the open air viewing car was an excellent way to see the scenery, and it was a great way to get to Christchurch. Our hotel in Christchurch, the Heritage Hotel was amazing. They upgraded us to a two bedroom. The story behind this hotel is equally amazing. Day 10, the day all good things must come to an end. We did the Hop-On-Hop-Off Tram + Punting Avon + Botanic Gardens tour (booked on our own). The city is still rebuilding after the massive earthquake several years ago, so it's fascinating to see that process in action and to hear those stories. Now I should also add that we were blessed with near perfect weather for our entire trip. The only rain we saw was at the airport as we were flying home. It was a little chilly a couple of times, but it was sunny and clear almost the whole time. Amazing weather. So I know that helped make this a fantastic vacation. That said, Relaxing Journeys did a wonderful job planning and organizing every detail. Every tour operator was great and on time. The voucher system worked beautifully. It was a wonderful, stress free way to see this amazing country. Not once did we wish we had a car. Anyway, thank you Relaxing Journeys for an awesome trip. We plan to return with you on our next trip, when we tour the North Island.

The most beautiful place in the world I've ever been - even better than Scotland and Norway. The day trips were excellent. We added an extra night in Te Anau so we could do the Milford Track and also the Glowworm Caves, and we are SOOOO glad we did. Both were spectacular! Skipper's Canyon 4WD adventure and glacier heli-hike were awesome as well. Even the days when we were just riding a bus many hours from one place to another were wonderful. The scenery is stunning, and the drivers gave interesting and informative commentary. The accommodations were clean, comfortable, conveniently located, and had refrigerators and microwaves, which made breakfast fast and easy. We were grateful we booked through Relaxing Journeys. The TranzAlpine Train was cancelled due to fire damage of one of the bridges. Sally booked us on a coach instead and emailed us the voucher. Had we booked everything ourselves, we would not have even known about the fire, nor how to get an alternative route to Christchurch. Relaxing Journeys just took care of it all for us!

Everything went as planned, no hiccups. Would loved to have had more time in some places, not helped by arriving very late at some destinations, but overall a really well planned trip. The buses were very comfortable and viewing excellent. All guides were very well organised and stopped at some unique places for a break. Level of accommodation was varied. Most situated in the middle of town and close to food outlets. Only one was a 30 minute walk into town which was not great especially at night. It seemed that middle of the road accommodation varied in each town, in saying that all were very clean and beds comfortable and bathrooms clean with loads of shampoo and soap for free. Toni was excellent in organising the tour and constantly made contact prior to tour. Nothing was a problem to change. On arrival in Queenstown we were supplied with a very nice tour package with loads of brochures on what to do in each town. This was extremely helpful when organising what to do. Loved the whole experience and would do again. Very happy.

We are always organizing holidays ourselves as we don't like traveling with a group of people, etc. However, as we started planning our trip to NZ a bit late, most of the hotels were already booked and it was difficult to find decent accommodation at decent prices. This was the primary reason why we started looking for other options and we have found Relaxing Journeys Independent Coach Tour turned out to be a perfect solution for us! Although everything is planned for you it still gives you the flexibility of an individual travel. Mani, who was our consultant, managed to book fantastic hotels despite the peak of high season and low availability elsewhere. It's great that you can actually adjust the standard route to your needs (we added Christchurch via Mt Cook to Queenstown day trip at the beginning and overnight stay in Punakaki - both highly recommended!). The trip was perfectly organized, everything went as planned. Mani was always very helpful and managed to address all our enquiries, including during the trip itself. Based on my experience I can recommend Relaxing Journeys. If we ever get back to NZ, we will use their services again.

I have booked my tour with Relaxing Journeys from 31 Oct 2015 to 7th Nov 2015 and it is a worry-free 8 days tour with them. Everything including service, planning, accommodation and transportation is superb! I had went on 3 tours and they are Doubtful Sound, Alpine Snow Heli Landing & TSS Earnslaw steamship gourmet dinner and these are all very well planned and organized tours which my family and I all enjoyed very much. I must thanks Mani for all his efforts in helping me to plan my trip and helping me to find the local tour at Franz Josef which my family and I wanted to do so much. His reply is always very prompt and to the point whenever I tried to contact him. Two thumbs up to Mani!!!