Kirra Tour Bus
339 New Zealand Independent Tour Reviews
4.7/5.0
4.7 out of 5 based on 339 user reviews.
Overall Tour Rating
Value For Money
Accommodation
Tour Pace
Relaxing Journeys Experience
Reviews
5
Independent Coach Tour
Jonathan Marquez (United States)
01/09/2018
Excellent independent tour with some activities included. Accommodations were comfortable, transportation around the South Island was prompt, comfortable, and informative . The included excursions such as the trip to Milford Sound and the TranzAlpine train ride were wonderful. I would highly recommend this tour if you want transport and accommodation around New Zealand but don't want a guided tour. This tour is pretty inclusive for the independent traveler such as myself.
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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.
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.
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.
5
Independent Coach Tour
Carol Goulden (United Kingdom)
19/03/2018
Everything was well organised and Marie was extremely helpful answering my questions immediately.
4
Independent Coach Tour
Maryte Collard (Lithuania)
19/03/2018
We had this tour planned just for two of us and we were pleasantly surprised how well it was done and what an excellent service we received. Thank you, Marie!
4
Coach & Fly Tour
Mark Godfrey (United States)
11/03/2018
We LOVED our trip! Marie did a fabulous job, and would HIGHLY recommend you all to others. The only recommendations would be, to warn travelers that in Greymouth the transfer to the Franz Josef bus was very confusing. It was an Intercity bus not marked Franz Josef (only Fox); and the bus driver was not helpful (unlike all other New Zealanders we met who were wonderful). Also, if we were to do it again. We would choose our day " off" between the two days of very long bus rides. We LOVED Milford Sound, had gorgeous weather, and our time in Queenstown was beautiful. All in all, we loved the South Island, and are hopeful to return one day.
4
Independent Coach Tour
Sandra O'Rorke (United States )
09/03/2018
We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to New Zealand. We loved the country and loved the people. Relaxing Journeys helped us choose a tour that ended up being perfect for us. Originally, I wanted to see as much of the country as possible, but Toni convinced me that it would be a hectic trip based on the time we had available, because we wanted time to relax as well. We had several days when we were on our own, and we enjoyed those days as much as the days that were planned out for us. Overall, it was a great trip!
4
Independent Coach Tour
Mary Jenner (New Zealand)
04/03/2018
We thoroughly enjoyed this tour & were very impressed with the degree of organisation & efficiency. One point though - In Nelson we had a 15min walk with luggage to our motel, which we had to locate & would have loved a 'shuttle'. Conversely, we had a shuttle at the Quest, Christchurch for a 2min. ride to bus-stop, could have walked & a longer sleep-in ! Thank you.
5
Independent Coach Tour
Anthony Ireland (Austalia)
27/02/2018
Mani's advice not to try to visit too many places in the limited time was most helpful. even then, another 5 days or so for an extra night in each place would have been even better - but given the limited time, we thought the balance was just right. I can't imagine how it could have been done any better.
The shuttle transfers were excellent, the east to west train journey and Milford Sound both magnificent. My only complaint - not a complaint about your service at all - was the prices in Queenstown. As one local resident observed in a newspaper letter, those prices really are an immense rip-off that could harm tourism in the long run. That said, we came home with a very high regard for the hoteliers and transport services, and for New Zealanders. Also, I was most impressed with the quality of the newspapers - they seem to have maintained quality better than Australian publishers. We would like to come again some day - particularly to the South Island; if we do we will certainly be contacting you again. We could not speak too highly of Mani.
5
Independent Coach Tour
Steven Larsen (United States)
25/02/2018
This was a great vacation. I loved just showing up and having everything arranged. It made the trip so easy.
4
Coach & Fly Tour
Keith Wong (Hong Kong)
14/02/2018
Good coverage of major attractions in both North and South Islands in a limited time. Accommodation was a bit disappointing at both Rotorua and Christchurch but the transportation vehicles and drivers were both very good.
4
Independent Coach Tour
Ralf Hempfling (Germany)
04/02/2018
The hotels are located good, in two from seven hotels we had Rooms with a bad view, bad beds and not quiet. The organisation and planning by Relaxing Journeys was good. We have seen everything we wanted.
5
Independent Coach Tour
Patricia Edwards (United States)
04/02/2018
A great introduction to the South Island. Perfect tour if you're looking for a reasonably priced and well organized travel agenda. Coach drivers provided invaluable information and wonderful stories, both facts and legends of the South Island. You can opt to plan your own time in the two cities. Milford Sound cruise was spectacular.
5
Coach & Fly Tour
Mo Chase-Powers (United States)
01/02/2018
Outstanding itinerary from Marie! The logistics to work out were many but she did it and we hit all the high notes of this beautiful spectacular country in two weeks. The people were kind, friendly and welcoming.They clearly love and embrace their country and are very respectful of the Maori indigenous people that were the first settlers. So much history in this small country to learn and how the people have adapted to this land of many volcanoes. Highly recommend this company for very good prompt service and value.
5
Independent Coach Tour
Deirdre Collins (New Zealand)
28/01/2018
The experiences were rushed. Only one little hiccup with the itinerary where the time for the Intercity bus made us feel we had missed it. Our itinerary said 10:10 am, when the bus left at 11:00 am. Tamaki experience was amazing! Fantastic that everything was booked for us, it made everything more convenient. We will arrange our travel with your company again!
5
Coach & Fly Tour
Alyson Smith (United Kingdom)
16/01/2018
The tour that was put together was varied and gave me a great picture of the diversity of the country. The travelling was long but comfortable. The trip from Queenstown to Milford sound in one day was particularly long but worth it as I loved that area. The hotels were all very comfortable and the staff very helpful. The airport pickups were really good apart from the last one from my hotel in Auckland to the airport. Due to people not being ready at hotels, road works and taking people to collect a camper van I was quite late getting to the airport and had to do some queue jumping to get to the gate on time but I did make it.
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