3323 Relaxing Journeys Reviews
4.7/5.0
4.7 out of 5 based on 3323 user reviews.
Overall Tour Rating
Value For Money
Accommodation
Tour Pace
Relaxing Journeys Experience
Reviews
5
Budget Self Drive
David Lucas (Australia)
29/07/2018
We put together a custom tour, as we wanted to visit the Coromandel region as well as some inland scenery and Lord of the Rings filming locations. While browsing the online options, Relaxing Journeys popped up with a "can we help you" window, and it went from there. Relaxing Journeys proved to be the most helpful and quickest to respond of the tour companies that we checked out. Georgina was our coordinator and she was extremely prompt and helpful throughout, and very patient with all my chopping and changing. I'd mentioned the types of things we wanted to see, and she suggested tours and visits that I would never have even known about. I could never have arranged such an enjoyable and eventful holiday by just doing it all on my own. Upon arriving at our Auckland hotel, our package from Relaxing Journeys was there waiting for us, and included a detailed itinerary, book of vouchers for our tours and events, lots of brochures, and a generous road atlas. I spent a fair bit of time mapping out our routes and reminders for when we needed to phone ahead to confirm bookings. I didn't need to bother as it was all presented for us in our package. The vouchers were immediately recognised and accepted by all the tour/event operators and we never had any dramas. Our only out of pocket costs were for extras like food, fuel, and merchandise. Driving in New Zealand is a pleasure. New Zealanders are courteous drivers and are generally lovely people. We did struggle to find anywhere to park in Wellington, and anyone driving there in a camper or larger vehicle may wish to research this in advance. Our hotel (Distinction Century) let us leave our car there after checking out and before we drove to the airport, for a small additional fee, while we toured Wellington. This was a great help and much appreciated. Special highlights that we most enjoyed included: the glass bottom boat at Whitianga; the Te Puia cultural evening at Rotorua; the Hobbiton tour from Rotorua; Ohakune - everything about Ohakune but especially our drive out to Tawhai Falls and the Tongariro region; and Weta Studios and a Lord of the Rings filming locations tour at Wellington; and the tour to Edoras with Hassle Free Tours, which alone was worth flying to Christchurch for. Anyone visiting Wellington should also set aside half a day to visit the national museum, Te Papa, which was recommended to us by several locals. If we had more time, I would have included the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, and finish our trip in Queenstown, but those will have to wait until next time. I'm already thinking of next time! Thank you to Georgina and Relaxing Journeys for an excellent, well organised tour, and to New Zealand for your fantastic scenery, food, wine, culture, and people.
4
Scenic Cruise
Name Withheld (New Zealand)
28/07/2018
It was a wonderful experience. Riding the TSS Earnslaw was monumental and it makes the trip historical as well. The food was amazing in every aspect. The only problem was the time they allowed for the guests to enjoy the dinner. As the highlight of the trip, I am sure that almost everyone would have wanted a bit more time to enjoy their dinner and not feel rushed. I think adding half-an-hour would be sufficient as it takes them quite some time to prepare the diners for the meal. The farm show was a good way to end it. However, I was expecting for a sing-along on the way home to Queenstown which did not happen. Overall it was very good.
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4
Scenic Cruise
Name Withheld (New Zealand)
22/07/2018
The Walter Peak Gourmet BBQ & Cruise was perfect, very welcoming staffs, great food and we had fun. We went on a rainy day so it was a pity that we did not have the chance to take better photos. Would recommend to others.
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5
Geraldine Regalado (Philippines)
22/07/2018
Our agent Marie Sarmon was very helpful from the very start. She is very knowledgeable of their services and provided us with very good options. The entire journey was more than our money's worth - starting with how Marie dealt with us, to the comfortable bus and schedule, to the knowledgeable driver and tour guide. There's nothing like Relaxing Journeys. They will hear from us again next time we visit New Zealand. I will also recommend them to all my friends. Thank you for one memorable trip, Marie! More power to you and your entire team!
5
Independent Coach Tour
Alan Boey (Singapore)
20/07/2018
Marie Sarmon did an excellent job in organising this custom tour for us. My wife and I really enjoyed ourselves. Everything was perfectly timed and never once did we have to call anyone for assistance (being free and easy). The view from our hotels was ... no words can describe. Some rides was cancelled due to weather but that we can understand. If we could do this again, we definitely will. Thanks so much for the great time.
5
Mid Range Self Drive
Daniel LIm (Singapore)
14/07/2018
Relaxing Journeys really planned the itinerary well. Pace was excellent, allowing us time to take in the view and explore off the beaten track. Jo, our tour consultant was impeccable. addressing all our queries and planning our add-ons. After sales service was also excellent! Due to weather constrains, one of our add-on activity had to be cancelled. Relaxing Journeys promptly initiated the refund. Overall a very good experience, will definitely be back for round 2.
5
Coach & Fly Tour
Karen Flenche (Australia)
25/06/2018
This was my first solo trip,and I was nervous about organising and traveling alone. Relaxing Journeys organised my trip swiftly and thoroughly. I had a wonderful time traveling independently on tour. Now that I have had a 'taste' I am looking forward to returning and spending more time in the places I enjoyed but didn't have enough time in due to the shortness of the trip. Would highly recommend using this tour company and visiting New Zealand.
5
Premium Self Drive
Jay Marden (United States)
20/06/2018
Our tour was excellent and whenever we needed assistance it was prompt and helpful. Excellent trip! My only suggestion to better a great trip and organization is to improve the GPS service, which often did not pickup destinations. Consequently, I think in the written, daily itinerary those destinations should better include sites/locales very close to the destinations to bring greater clarity to the drive(ing). Regardless, great trip and thank you!
5
Cruise & Nature Tour
Robert Bailey (New Zealand)
09/06/2018
Awesome day out. It really was far out. Good, skillful, helpful crew. I missed my breakfast and told them I was hungry and they went and found me something to eat. Good knowledge on the island and I learned a lot about this type of volcano. Better still I was well inside an active volcano and that is pretty far out.
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5
Mid Range Self Drive
Caitlyn Beaton (United States)
29/05/2018
Highly recommend!! Our tour was fantastic and an excellent value for the price. Marie was very helpful in helping us add on an additional stop on our self-driving tour, and gave us suggestions on when to leave to get to where we needed to be on time. She was also helpful in allowing us to book the rental car for a few days longer as our flight out was not actually at the end of our tour. The hotels were excellent and breakfasts at each place were wonderful (especially Princes Gate in Rotorua!). We ended up needing to rearrange a few things as we spent way to much time in one place to go to the third activity that day. It was very simple to call each place and rearrange our bookings a bit so everything worked out well. There was a small snafu getting the tour package from the rental car company but the company was very helpful and overnighted it to us in Rotorua and we had no issues along the way not having it. Driving through the North Island was a dream and much simpler than expected. Already thinking about when we can go back and what lovely trip Relaxing Journeys can help us with! Many thank yous!
4
Budget Self Drive
Graham Peach (Australia)
21/05/2018
We rejigged this tour a bit to add some activities: we included a drive to Paihia for the day to visit the "Hole in the Rock", and a segway tour in Christchurch. The accommodation was a bit uneven...better in Auckland and Queenstown (but it wasn't bad anywhere.)
Overall, although more expensive than an Asian type holiday, it was a good experience!
5
Independent Coach Tour
Khang Li See Toh (Singapore)
19/05/2018
We definitely enjoy our trip with Relaxing Journeys. They provided a detailed itinerary for our trip. As long long as we read thru it, generally it will be a smooth sailing. We will definitely recommend Relaxing Journey to friends.
3
Independent Coach Tour
Nick Joyce (Australia)
14/05/2018
A good overall trip and feel like i saw quite a bit of NZ. It ran smoothly re shuttle connections etc.
5
Overnight Cruise
Derick Markram (New Zealand)
13/05/2018
An amazing tour a must do! Friendly staff, food was great. Even though the bunk beds were small it was neat and tidy. Overall one of the highlights of our trip!!! We had perfect weather but the staff and other travellers who came back a second time told us if it rains it is more spectacular so we cant wait to come back again! Thanks for an amazing experience. Will highly recommend this cruise to family and friends.
5
Independent Coach Tour
Melissa Foo (Singapore )
09/05/2018
The trip went very smoothly, thanks to Relaxing Journeys who made all the arrangements. I had multiple transfers starting from Auckland to Rotorua to Taupo then Wellington, all pick-ups & transfers were on time, also the hotels arranged by Relaxing Journeys were v good & comfortable esp the Bolton Hotel in Wellington which had a kitchen & living room, plus 2 large double beds. I highly recommend using Relaxing Journeys when planning for NZ trip.
5
Overnight Cruise
David Moore (New Zealand)
08/05/2018
Amazing scenery. Staff were very welcoming. Food was great and the cabin was very well appointed.
5
4WD & Ferry Scenic Tour
William Georgopoulos (Australia)
04/05/2018
A thoroughly enjoyable tour experienced on a beautiful sunny Autumn's day. The tour operator's talk as we explored the island was informative and interesting. I do recommend this day tour.
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5
Premium Self Drive
John Phillips (Australia)
04/05/2018
Sky City accommodation 7/10. a bit tired, but the location 10/10. All other accommodation 10/10. Our only suggestion for improvement would to be accommodated near to the airport when leaving early the next morning. We commend Salt Air who offered us a 45min helecopter ride over the Bay of Islands instead of the Cape Reinga tour which was cancelled due to bad weather. Mani hopefully the South Island next year.
5
Coach & Cruise Eco Tour
Name Withheld (Singapore)
03/05/2018
We were really lucky during this trip as we managed to see just so many Albatross flying just beside us with wings wide open. Unfortunately we only see managed to see 3 penguins coming from the beach.
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4
Premium Coach Tour
Alan Anderson (Australia)
25/04/2018
A very interesting tour, reasonably paced most of the time but a long day form Rotorua to Masterton - may have been better to stop in Napier for the night. Coach driver was excellent (both driving and commentary) and tour guide adequate.
5
Cruise & Nature Tour
Name Withheld (Australia)
25/04/2018
Had a trip to White Island. The boat was very comfortable the crew really friendly and helpful. The tour of the Island amazing the guides very informative. Lovely lunch on the way back. All crew members very friendly and full of local information. We had a wonderful day & recommend it.
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4
Small Group Hobbiton Tour
Alona Sanico (New Zealand)
24/04/2018
Although I was a bit anxious after booking online because I didn't get confirmation until after 24hrs, the whole experience was really amazing. Getting the tour at a discounted price and getting the same quality when you pay on site is such a bonus! Will definitely recommend this to friends!
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5
Independent Coach Tour
Alan Russian (United States)
22/04/2018
Hotels were outstanding. Eric was our favorite Great Sights tour guide. We didn't have any issues and appreciated how well put together the itinerary was.
5
Small Group Tour
Campegia van Calcar-Sugar (USA)
22/04/2018
Small group and Ultimate Coach, the only way to travel. The tour beyond our expectations and our driver/guide/"nanny", Davis Underwood was the very best with a wealth of knowledge, wonderful sense of humor and an excellent driver to boot. Both islands are stunning and we were very happy with the selected optional tours.
4
Independent Coach Tour
Leng Gong (Singapore)
22/04/2018
We had such an wonderful time on our trip. Thank you, Relaxing Journeys, for making it possible. We are returning customers. This is our second tour with Relaxing Journeys, both times on Independent Coach tours and we loved every bit of it. Everything was so easy and smooth-going, and arranged right down to airport transfers. All we had to do was to show up on time to be picked up, and off we went for another great tour. I would definitely recommend Relaxing Journeys for you next trip to New Zealand. Their tour consultants (in our case it was Toni, for our earlier trip Marie, for this later trip) were always responsive, patient and helpful. Thanks, guys.
5
Overnight Cruise
Andrea Counts (United States)
21/04/2018
The tour from start to finish was excellent. The staff at Real Journeys were professional, knowledgeable, and extremely helpful. It was a great value for the money. I definitely will not hesitate to book another excursion with Real Journeys.
4
Sightseeing Coach Tour
William Norton (Australia)
20/04/2018
Good commentary by coach driver. Always kept informed of any developments by consultant, Toni Harris.
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4
Low Cost Coach Tour
Sarah Mort (Australia)
18/04/2018
Enjoyed most of it, especially Rotorua. Fabulous countryside. Vale and Monica were great - love that NZ dry sense of humour! Hotels were mainly great (Travelodge Wellington room was minuscule, but fine for one).
5
Overnight Cruise
Bob Blackburne (Australia)
16/04/2018
Milford Sound is incredible and Relaxing Journeys provided an informative and enjoyable tour. Our cabin was located on the lower level and we did not sleep much during the night due to constant noise (sounded like cables rubbing against the boat?) - other passengers we spoke to had similar problems. The food was great with a wide variety, alcohol prices were ridiculously expensive.
5
Small Group Tour
Peter Burkert (United States)
15/04/2018
Outstanding tour. Saw NZ from top to bottom. Paul an excellent driver and guide. Meals and hotels quite good overall. Lots of driving involved but the elegant coach made it quite comfortable. With only 20 people, everyone became pretty friendly during trip.
4
Budget Self Drive
Robyn Smith (Australia)
14/04/2018
My tour was organised and there were no problems with any of the bookings. Out of the 11 motels there were only 2 that I wouldn't stay at again, majority were excellent places. Changes to the tour were made with no issues or problems and in a very timely and friendly manner.
5
Overnight Cruise
Lynne Gardner (United Kingdom)
12/04/2018
Very well be organised, good food and just so enjoyable.
5
Independent Coach Tour
Fernando Araya (Costa Rica)
10/04/2018
I'm not a big fan of bus tours, have had some bad experiences in the past. I was not very convinced about this but me and my wife decided to take a tour over the South Island for a couple of reasons, one the time we had and two, we drive on a different side. What a nice surprise it turn out to be. The hotels they choose for us were nice and relaxing, the bus drivers were friendly and very informative and knowledgeable of every stop we were heading to. They were always right on time. The place we visited were amazing, Queensland, Christchurch, Milford Sounds were just breath taking. We which we had more time in New Zealand, but with the amount of day we had we are sure we took advantage of all that these places had to offer.
4
Sightseeing Coach Tour
Helen Sands (Australia)
09/04/2018
The tour was great the guide was informative, lunch delicious. A tour well worth doing.
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4
Independent Coach Tour
Caelen Schutzman (Thailand)
09/04/2018
It was a little more bus time than I originally expected. Wished there was a bit more time in Franz Josef. All in all it was a great trip though. Really enjoyed the train. Mt. Cook and accommodations were excellent.
5
Overnight Cruise
Roger Harradence (Australia)
09/04/2018
Tour was extremely well organised - launch and bus transfer to ship. The ship itself was very well designed and suitable for the experience. Our cabin was ideal and well appointed. The crew were extremely able, helpful, happy and eager to help. I have marine engineering background and Glen (skipper) was very happy to engage my interests in the ship. The food via Philip was high quality and generously prepared. Carol, the naturalist, was a charming lady and very knowledgeable. We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise, all experiences and meeting the other passengers. We cannot recommend this cruise highly enough.
5
Budget Self Drive
James W Gorham Jr (United States)
08/04/2018
Jointly planning this trip with Relaxing Journeys gave us the best of both worlds -- an independent tour with the benefit of the experience and connections of helpful professional tour planners.
5
Budget Self Drive
Oliver McAuley (Australia)
07/04/2018
We did a lot of travel, met really nice people, saw lots of beautiful scenery and sampled some fantastic NZ wines (and food). The 40th wedding anniversary surprise was also very nice. There were only two minor set backs. 1) We couldn't get to Milford Sound because the road was closed due to snow. 2) The Monarch Wildlife cruise was difficult to find using Google and also with the GPS that I had brought, so we went to the address on the coupon where we found the office was open but unattended. We called them on their contact number and the boat was a further 20 minutes up the road. At this stage a huge storm had moved in. It was very windy and the sea was becoming extremely choppy. The weather looked like it was getting worse so, because of my wife's lack of sea legs, we called Monarch again and cancelled the cruise. They were very nice about it and offered a cruise for next day but we couldn't accept as we had to leave next morning. Other than these two hiccups, you have provided us with a wonderful experience. One that we shall always treasure and certainly recommend to others. Thank you Relaxing Journeys.
5
Budget Self Drive
Amanda Hinton (Australia)
05/04/2018
We had the most amazing time in New Zealand thanks to the fabulous organisation of Toni. We couldn't have been happier with every aspect of trip.
5
Overnight Cruise
Mark Buttner (Australia)
04/04/2018
We thoroughly enjoyed this experience. Cabin and bed was comfortable. Food was plentiful and great quality! Staff were helpful, friendly and knowledgeable!
4
Coach & Fly Tour
Lucy Chan (United States)
04/04/2018
The booking process is quite smooth, especially with the help of Toni Harris. There were 12 of us traveling as a group with different arrival and departure times from various part of the world. Toni worked with me to get everything organized. There was no "bad" surprises throughout the 14 days. All the arrangements are well through out and hotel accommodations met our expectations.
5
Low Cost Coach Tour
Don Cruise (United States)
03/04/2018
We really enjoyed the tour. Our tour director, Phil, was excellent. He was a walking encyclopedia about New Zealand, very kind and helpful. The only suggestion I have is to get some different name tags. The little safety pin was very hard to put on and it was always crooked. A lanyard would be much better.
5
Budget Self Drive
Chris McDonald (Australia)
03/04/2018
I initially was a bit hesitant in not using a local Australian travel agent, but after all my dealings with Relaxing Journeys and their rep Toni, I can now say that after the trip is over I can't praise the organising of it highly enough. Toni was extremely easy to deal with about a few changes to the initial itinerary as listed on the website. One thing to keep in mind when doing a driving holiday is that even though the trip should take "x" hours per day it was not unusual in our case to add 3 hours to this for the sightseeing and meals. I would also suggest that you have at least a two night stay in one place per week of travel to allow a bit of r&r. And don't forget that it is supposed to be a holiday so no need to get up at the crack of dawn and hit the road.
4
Overnight Cruise
John Ralph (Australia)
02/04/2018
The location is fantastic and the Milford Mariner is an excellent way to see it. The team went out of their way to make the tour memorable. An excellent choice of buffet dishes for the evening meal. Our itinerary did not make it clear what time we needed to be at the wharf and where to park which resulted in us wasting about 4 hours. The tour checks in at 4pm and you can drive your car to the actual wharf at 4pm and park in the allocated bus bays.
4
Premium Self Drive
Peter Yeaman (Australia)
02/04/2018
Tour was very good and we enjoyed the included activities. Distances were quite reasonable and total driving time reasonable except day one where we scored large amounts of roadwork. All the B&Bs were good with great breakfasts and excellent informative hosts. Not sure about the Kruse. The commentary was great but GPS one of worst I have used and maps out of date with it not knowing where we were on several occasions including twice on SH1. Often reverted to Google Maps on phone.
5
Small Group Tour
Don Mitchell (United States )
31/03/2018
Loved the tour. Would recommend it. Everything was taken care of with no worries for us. Only complaint would be the audio system on the coach. The driver was hard to understand. Also would like to see shades that pull down from the top of the window to block the sun in the early morning and late afternoon or if that's not possible some window tinting at the top. Not crazy about the three buffets. The food was excellent in the hotels with the exception of the Distinction in Dunedin. The hotel itself in Dunedin was superior but the food did not live up to the rest of the hotel. The tours were all handled very well. We felt very welcome in the country. Again, we loved the tour and would highly recommend it.
4
Budget Self Drive
Craig Tozer (Australia)
30/03/2018
Great organisation and support. Tour was right mix of activity and downtime.
5
Tasman Glacier Lake Cruise
Marguerite Castello (Australia)
30/03/2018
Wonderful experience. Excellently organised.
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4
Sightseeing Coach Tour
Frank Fernandez (Australia)
29/03/2018
Our driver and tour guide was very cheerful, funny and interesting. The route was good and actually helpful to gain your settings for later walks around the city. I would like to add the the seats of the minibus were a bit cramped considering most of the tourists onboard were retirees and not athletic types. Overall it was very good.
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4
Coach & Fly Tour
Hugh Nierengarten (United States)
29/03/2018
Relaxing Journeys itself warrants the best possible rating for this tour. The number of connections for lodging, transportation, tours, etc. came off without a single missed, or even delayed, connection. So the planning and logistics were, in our view, flawless. Two factors contribute to an overall rating of less than excellent for the tour: (1) weather had a significant impact on the last four days of our tour and resulted in the cancellation of two of the most anticipated events: the helicopter ride at Franz Josef Glacier and the train ride over the Southern Alps; (2) The Air New Zealand folks in Auckland were impossibly unhelpful. Because of TSA computer issues with the US DHS, check-in was delayed even though we had arrived 3 hours early. A general announcement was made of an indefinite delay for the flight, but there was absolutely no communication about what was happening or going to happen from Air New Zealand. It took us the full three hours to check in, get boarding passes and then check luggage. Then, without warning, boarding for the flight was "closed". We had to rush through endless high end retail to get to the gate as they were closing the doors. Auckland airport's layout is a mess, and Air New Zealand's reputation in our eyes will be severely tarnished! I would never hesitate to use Relaxing Journeys in the future, though our travel "bucket list" has many other destinations before we return to New Zealand. I have, however, already recommended Relaxing Journeys to several prospective New Zealand visitors, one of whom is actively planning a Christmas 2018 tour.
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