Feedback from some of our Travellers' World travellers.....

We love planning fantastic holidays for visitors to New Zealand. We also really appreciate receiving feedback about how your holiday arrangements went, what were the highlights and lowlights (if any!). If you have travelled with us and would like us to post your comments here, please email us on manager@southpacifictravellers.co.nz or complete the on-line feedback form .We would greatly appreciate your time to share your experiences with us. If you don’t want your comments published on the web site, just let us know.

If you’re planning to visit New Zealand, then you will enjoy reading these letters from previous South Pacific Travellers’ World travellers. 


From: G and J, Australia
Date: July 2010
I just wanted to say that we came back from our holiday a few weeks ago now but the time that we had was wonderful.  Not a single problem with checking in or getting the car or anything.  It was a credit to you and your organisation.  I definately will tell others about how great a job you guys do in the travel game.  The operators I dealt with were very nice and helpful.  Will deal with again in the near future.  Thanks again!

From: M and N, Malaysia
Date: June 2010
Hi Linda and Deborah
We would like to thank you as we had a very wonderful & memorable holiday in New Zealand.  From Day 1, everything have been smoothly without any problem from the days we being pick up from the airport and for all the hotel reservation matter.  The drive down the West Coast was out of this world and you cannot believe how many pictures/videos that we taken during this period.
No doubt I will refer to your service should we encounter any one asking about self driving in NZ (which we have a lot since we have been posting our daily status/photo in Facebook to all our friends for our trip).  Regards.

From: Mike, UK
Date: May 2010
Dear Linda and Chris
Just to let you know that Mum and I are home again after a fab trip to Oz & NZ.  All the arrangements you made for us worked seamlessly and it was a pleasure to travel with your itinerary.  I work in tourism, I do management consulting and a lot of training with tour guides and tour consultants and I think I should send some of my trainees to you guys to learn some of the ropes.  Thanks again and I hope the volcano in Iceland has not caused you too many problems.

From: B & C, Australia
Date: Apr 2010
Good morning Deborah
Sorry for the delay but we wanted to let you know that we had a wonderful holiday in New Zealand.  The accommodation that you arranged for us was great and the itinerary and little maps provided, all worked well.  We will be happy to recommend your company to friends who may be considering holidays in NZ.

From: T & J, Australia
Date: Apr 2010
J and I have been thoroughly satisfied with South Pacific Travellers World and particularly with the efforts of you and Sandi - very professional and we will be happy to recommend you to anyone contimplating a similar trip.

From: C.H., UK
Date: March 2010
Hi Sandi
I am writing to thank you for your excellent help in booking our 19 day tour of NZ.  Everything you organised worked perfectly.  The tour was full of content, the drivers were excellend and the tour escort Raewyn was the best we have ever had.  So thank you very much.  Best wishes....

 From: L & D, UK
Date: March 2010
Hi Deborah
We are now back home and almost fully recovered from a most wonderful holiday! I can't thank you enough for sorting and making all the arrangements for us - everything was just as you said it would be and worked perfectly.
We did manage to do the Tongariro Corssing in good walking weather and were fascinated by the kind ofscenery that we had never experienced before - it certainly was a great walk.  The Milford Track was superb - we were so well looked after and made lots of friends.  Again the weather was very kind - rained for an hour on the Milford Sound and then cleared and enabled us to appreciate the sheer magic of the place.
You certainly nave a beautiful country but moreover all the people who we came in contact with were so lovely, friendly and helpful.  I will certainly recommend your company and will continue to sing your praises to all our friends and any lucky prospective travellers to NZ!  Hope I win the lottery so we can come again.  Until then - many many thanks....

From: R & D, UK
Date: February 2010
Good morning Deborah
You beat me to it.... I have just got my computer back from a tune up while we have been in NZ.  When I logged on, there was your email....sorry that we missed you... 
Milford Sound was FANTASTIC, clear skies, no fog and no sand flies.  Our coach driver, Tracey, was brilliant.  She allowed us plenty of time at the vista points on the way but also gave an interesting running commentary.  EVERYTHING you organised for us was just perfect, THANK YOU.
I was initially disappointed at not getting a room at the Nautilus in Napier but when we got to the Fountain Court Motel I am pleased to say we got better deal. The experience was really good and personal.  We also found, by their recommendation, the "Returned Serviceman's Association" restaurant.  Good food, a warm welcome and VERY reasonably priced.  As I said before, your whole package suited us exceptionally well.
Woodend to Te Anau on the motorbike was completed in 10 hours with stops for flat whites, lunch and loads of fabulous pictures.  Once at our motel we found the owners were also motorcyclists and treated us like royalty.  I doubt you could have known this but well done!
We will be coming back again and we will be calling upon your services, but we need to save some money first.... that's unless we win the lottery beforehand when you will be one of the first to know!  In the meantime we are telling anyone we know who is thinking of going to NZ for a holiday to contact South Pacific Travellers World.
I have attached some pictures.... Thank you Deborah.  Kind regards R & D.


From: KW, Hong Kong
Date: February 2010
Hi Deborah
We have just returned from our wonderful NZ holidays.  I just wanted to thank you for the arrangements you made, it made the vacation so much easier!  Everyting worked out smoothly and without any hitches.
I have received the AA Drive Guide "Great Kiwi Road Trips" when we checked into our motel in Auckland, once again thank you.
I just wanted to point out that the Monarch Wildlife Cruise in Dunedin and the Doubtful Sound Wildlife Cruise were the highlights of our vacation.  We especially enjoyed the Monarch Wildlife Cruise the most as we did see a lot of NZ wildlife and the crew of the boat was truly wonderful!  If it is possible, please do let the Monarch Wildlife Cruise company know of our enjoyment in their cruise as well.  We also liked Rotorua verymuch and we did enjoy the Maori culture at the Mitai and we did the Polynesian Spa also. In Rotorua, we also visited the Rainbow Spring Nature Park and sponsored a Kiwi Bird Chick!
Queenstown was simply wonderful!  We did the jetboat one afternoon and it was exhilarating!  There is so much to see & do in NZ that one trip is not enough.  We all look forward to visiting NZ again in the not too distant future.  Thank you very much for helping us with a wonderful & unforgettable NZ holiday!  Thank you!


From: JT, Australia
Date:  February 2010
Hi Chris
I just thought I would drop you a line to say what a fantastic time we had on our NZ trip.  The tour was outstandingly good value for money and I have passed on your site to all my friends and recommended Grand Pacific to all who are thinking of touring NZ.  I can't praise the tour enough, the hotels and food were all excellent and the inclusions were so enjoyable.  Thank you and regards....

From: P. Australia
Date: February 2010
Hi Deborah
I just wanted to drop you a very quick note of thanks. We have now finished our NZ holiday and everything went like clockwork!  Thank you so much for arranging all the accommodation and car rentals.  We had no issues at all and driving around your beautiful country, it was a pleasure.  Lots to see and do!  New Zealand is truly a spectacular place, from Auckland and Rotorua, doing the Zorb, Huka Falls and Wellington (ACDC was cool!).  We loved the South Island and Fox Glacier, Milford Sound was mind blowing and we all agreed we are coming back to Queenstown again some time for another stay.  A truly beautiful town.  We did the jetboat and my brother did the Neve Bungy jump 134 metres - so was lots of fun.   Thanks again for all your help.  WE LOVED NZ!!!  P.

From: S&A, Australia
Date:  January 2010
Hi Chris
We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you so much for all the assistance and guidance on our trip to your beautiful and incredible country.  The itinerary prepared for us by Linda and you was perfect.  We had a great time everywhere we went.  All ran smoothly and without any problems.  We had a great time despite the weather.  We will highly recommend you to our families and friends.  If we decide to go again we will certainly contact you.  Thank you so much again.  Have a great 2010.


From: N, Australia
Date: January 2010
Hi Deborah,
Well we are back in Brisbane today after what turned out to be just a wonderful holiday around your South Island.
The weather was mostly very good - the West coast was apparently much finer than Christchurch. All arrangements went most smoothly, and we were warmly welcomed at all motels, which were all well chosen by you for our purposes.  The white water rafting at Queenstown – not arranged by you but just info. – was really good going through the rapids (actually a little scary) but that was only for about 10 minutes out of maybe four hours – we enjoyed it, but most of the time was taken up in briefing, dressing and bussing. Queenstown Rafting has their operation base on the Shotover river but if you are rafting the Karawau river you go to the Shotover ( 30 mins) then bussed back to the start point on the other river – which is over 30 mins away – same on return. However we enjoyed it. About 45 mins total on River but mostly drifting along. We were delighted with Milford and with the Earnslaw trip to Walter Peak – both in good weather.
The car was effectively provided and was most suitable. I had some trouble getting into Litchfield St a/c no right turns and me in wrong lanes and going round in circles – Thrifty close 12 noon Sat, and I had to get it back 1 pm – so there was a note to say leave car in adjacent car park which was choc a block but finally got a place.Deborah – the whole trip was extremely smooth in all aspects. New Zealand inc. proved to be just as efficient as your organization, and we felt in good hands throughout. Thank you so very much for helping us into a wonderful, exhilarating and relaxing time in your beautiful country.
Just one photo taken by the pilot up on Fox Glacier.
Neil.

From: S, USA
Date:  Dec 2009
Hey Sandi
Thank you so much for arranging a beatiful holiday experience for us in New Zealand.  We carry fond memories of such a beautiful country.
Regards, Sidney

From: T, USA
Date: Nov 2009
Dear Sandi
Just a short note carrying a long thankyou for all of your assistance in preparation for my trip to New Zealand.
It is difficult to articulate what a fabulous trip we had.  It was as if we were "living in a postcard!". Everything (car and accommodations) went off without a hitch... no worries.  A few motels were full but we managed to adjust nicely.  The Sherwood Manor in Q-town put us up in a room with a grand view! All, save one, moteliers were helpful, nice and offered us their expertise regarding the local area.  I especially loved your custom of offering milk upon check-in.  What a grand tradition!  A heartfelt thank you for everything.
Regards, Tricia

From: M & S, USA
Date: July 2009
Hi Sandi
Thank you for everything you did on the internet and in person to ensure we had a fantastic visit to your incredible country.  The KiwiCombo package turned out to be exactly what we needed.  All of the hotels and motels were of consistent quality.  In the motels in particular, we noticed almost exactly the same features, right down to the same brand of UHT milk in the fridge.  Everyone was 100% professional and went out of their way to be friendly and helpful.  When we come back (yes, "when"...) we are thinking that we would do all motels.  Even in the cities, motels seemed to be as centrally-located as hotels.
We think we did about everything we could have expected to do in 12 days. The KiwiCombo gave us the flexibility we needed.
The off-season was definitely the time to do what we did.  The weather was quite comfortable and the non-existant crowds ensured we had a relaxing time.  Thanks again. We will definitely recomment you and your company to our friends thinking about heading your way.

From:  M & S, USA
Date:  July 2009
Hi Sandi
Thank you for everything you did on the internet and in person to ensure we had a fantastic visit to your incredible country.  The KiwiCombo package turned out to be exactly what we needed.  All of the hotels and motels were of a consistent quality.  In the motels in particular, we noticed almost everything had exactly the same features, right down to the same brand of UHT milk in the fridge.  Everyone was 100% professional and went out of their way to be friendly and helpful......
......We think we did about everything we could have expected to do in 12 days.  The KiwiCombo gave us the flexibility we needed...... The off-season was definitely the time to do what we did.  The weather was quite comfortable and the non-existant crowds ensured we had a relaxing time.  Thanks again.  We will definitely recommend you and your company to our friends thinking about heading your way.

From: S & S, Australia
Date: January 2009
Hi Deborah
Hope you had a great start to the new year.  I am unwillingly back to the office today.  My and my wife wanted to let you know that we had a wonderful time in NZ.  Those 10 days will be etched in our memories forever.  We enjoyed every bit of our stay, the highlight being the bungy jumping in Kawarau bridge and glacial hiking in Franz Josef.  We have been bragging about bungy jumping to all our friends out here.  The Milford Sound trip was awesome and it was made even more special after seeing dolphins in their natural habitat.  We thank you for all your help in preparing the excellent itinerary, the guided tours and also all the accommodation especially the Kaiteriteri Apartment.  We wished we could stay more days there. I hope you have received the keys to the apartment.  We never had any problems right through our trip except for the faulty GPS but that's nothing to do with you anyways.  Thank you once again.
Regards S & S.

From: Brian
Date: December 2008
Hi Chris
Just a few lines to say how much I enjoyed the tour.  I had a really great time and everything was so well organised.  New Zealand is a very beautiful country.  Thanks again. Happy New Year, Brian.

From: Debbie
Date: December 2008
Hi Deb!
I am so sorry I did not call you when in Christchurch.  Dad and I had a whirlwind trip that we had barely a minute to rest!  EVERYTHING was wonderful!  You planned and organized a fantastic trip!  We were taken care of every step of the way, Deb.  I cannot thank you enough for all that you did for us.  New Zealand is beautiful!  We did so much while ther, you would be proud!  What a lovely country with the nicest people I know.  My dad was impressed.  We had a so-so time in Australia but NZ made up for everything!  I will be giving your info to our neighbor whom is planning a trip to NZ soon.  Anyway, I cannot thank you enough for all of your time and expertise.
With gratitude and appreciation.
DB

From: D and J
Date: October 2008
Dear Manager
I would like to thank Sandi, Chris, Amanda and all your staff who helped make our tour one of the most enjoyable and well organized trips we have ever taken.
All my questions were answered promptly and the bookings went like clockwork.  The motels were well up to expectations.  Should we ever have a chance to visit your wonderful country you can rest assured we will be contacting you again.  We will also reocmmend you to any potential travelers we know.
D & J.

From: E and J, UK
Date: May 2008

Hi Deborah
Jen and I just wanted to say a very big thank you for arranging what was our best ever holiday, and just the honeymoon we wanted.  It really is a fantastic place you live in, we were gutted to have to leave after just 12 days but we enjoyed every moment!
Every hotel or guesthouse you selected was great, with so many variations we never knew what to expect next!  Our highlights were Mollies which has to be the best place we ever stayed and Jen thought the rainforest at the back of Punga Grove was just super.  Definitely loved Millbrook with the little cottage and had a really good meal at their restaurant.
Oakridge was hilarious as after being declined an upgraded room, we found a leaky toilet which meant they had to move us to the better room in the end – twin balconies and room service!  Wanaka has to be one of the nicest places to live and Millford was just so nice to spend the night.  Bit choppy in the morning though!!
The only slight hitch was the only bit that you didn’t recommend so I take responsibility for choosing a naff car hire company!  After taking the manual Legacy back for 2 faults the service was not quite what we expected and we made do with an automatic for the week in the end.  Next time I want a Holden V8!!
All in all it was just fantastic and we so want to come back one day, but next time we will have longer and maybe stop off on the way as the flights were a killer!!
Thanks so much and all the best
We would recommend you to anyone
Warmest regards
E & J.

Estimado Chris y demas colaboradores de South Pacific Travellers:

Acabo de realizar el tour denominado "Panorama", consistente en 16 días completos recorriendo la práctica totalidad de las islas norte y sur (4.200 Kms. de autobús y unos cuantos en barcos, lanchas fuera-borda y helicópteros). La experiencia ha sido excelente, no solo por el tiempo y la ausencia de incidencias sino especialmente por el excelente trabajo de la agencia Kirra Tours, encargada de prestar todos los servicios durante el tour. La profesionalidad de los dos conductores, los excelentes autobuses, la alta calidad de los hoteles elegidos, la cantidad de actividades que están incluidos en el precio y, muy especialmente, los comentarios de los viajeros del autobús, en su mayoría procedentes de Australia, indicando que Kirra es la mejor opción posible en relación calidad-precio; me han convencido de que el viaje no sólo ha sido extraordinario, sino que el precio pagado es el mejor posible.

Si se tiene el nivel de inglés preciso (nada está traducido al español), merece la pena hacer este viaje, pues el país y sus gentes justifican sobradamente un viaje a las antípodas de España.

Recibir un cordial saludo y mi agradecimiento por vuestro trabajo.

Julio Giménez
Zaragoza (España)

Hello from Canada, The trip was fantastic, your itinerary suggestions were right on the money. The apollo was great, camper parks plentiful and in good condition. We drove over 4000 km. and had a wonderful holiday. Thanks for your suggestions.

Dear Deborah

Thanks so much for these vouchers and for your dedicated help in setting up our entire NZ journey. Before I've even left Canada, I am already looking forward to my second trip to NZ to see and experience all that I can't fit in on this first trip! You've been a wonderful travel agent - hope you don't mind that I've already been recommending you to others contemplating their vacations to NZ.

Best wishes to you and your family for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Christine Fahey

Dear Amanda

We had a wonderful time in New Zealand especially in the South Island. To write to say thank you for all your help was top of our list for things to do when we get back but we will do it now as you have been kind enough to enquire. We will certainly be recommending your company to all our friends when we tell them they simply must visit NZ!

Thanks for everything. We do have a billion photos to go through when we get back! You will be pleased to know that Martin actually had to concede that visiting the South Island of NZ actually pushed Canada off the top of his list of best places he has ever visited - and that is saying something.

Warm regards

J and M

Hi Deborah

Sorry for the delay in responding to you. The ceremony went extremely well and without hitch.

Just to recap on the tour - Ray, our driver, was just the best. Nothing was not do-able, he was always calm and relaxed, and very flexible when it came to us making some minor timing changes on a couple of the days. He gave great commentary along the way as well and is very knowledgable.

The coach was well-equipped and obviously very spacious for the 17 of us. It meant we could all spread out and be comfortable.

All of the accommodation was of a good 3 star standard, particularly AKL, ROT and TPO.

All of the sightseeing and activities were great! You chose perfectly, with our limited time gave people a snapshot of some of the highlights of the North Island.

So, thanks again for all of your hard work. We know we were demanding and pedantic and you handled us perfectly. Even though we were in Melbourne, your customer service and prompt communication with us was excellent.

Don't worry! You'll be hearing from us in the future. There was quite a bit of discussion from the tour group of us doing an 'anniversary' tour through the South Island.
All the best!

Hi Chris

Well what can I say but thankyou so much for organising such a wonderful trip for the 4 of us. We had Trevor as our coach driver and he was brilliant.

Of course you knew what was going to happen in NZ, Ben and you are very sneaky, thankyou so much for helping him organise such a special proposal, it was fantastic, did he give you all the details?

Once again thankyou every so much and the wine was very yummy it's my favourite

Take care

A

Hi Deborah 

Just a short note to say that our recently completely 9 day tour was fantastic, Carole and I had our best vacation ever, we loved New Zealand and the people we met, the success of our tour was due largely to your efforts on our behalf prior to the tour and to our coach captain Gordon Purvis during the tour.

A big Thank Ewe for your help !

I have returned from my trip and just wanted to thank everyone for their help. It was a wonderful time. Everything went very smoothly. New Zealand was one of the most beautiful, scenic countries I have ever seen. The only drawback was that it was cold but I expected that and was prepared. Thank you again for a wonderful time.

Dear Amanda and Co.

Many thanks for all your help, both before and during our holiday in New Zealand.

How was our holiday? It was absolutely fabulous. Needless to say, we thoroughly enjoyed meeting up with our intrepid, travelling daughter. By the time we caught up with her, she had been in the country for a few days and had already been ski-diving at Taupo! She continued along the same vein, with dolphin and whale watching, horse riding and glacier climbing. The two “oldies” were not nearly so adventurous. However, we had a truly wonderful time.

The KiwiComboPass worked extremely well, with two great cars and super motels. There was only one motel that we would not revisit and many where we wished we could have spent longer staying at. The vast majority of the motel hosts were extremely helpful, with assistance ranging from information about the activities and sights in the area, putting our laundry in their machines, giving us books left behind by other holidaymakers, helping carry our suitcases up stairs and even, occasionally, providing a friendly cat to stroke (extremely valuable for a family of cat-lovers missing the moggies left at home!)

For me, there were many wonderful highlights, and it is difficult to pick out just a few. In the North Island – the scenery and dolphin-watching trip in the Bay of Islands, the Sound and Light production at Waitangi, the amazing geysers at Rotorua, the entertaining evening at the Tamaki Maori village and having our head in the clouds at the Skyline Tower in Auckland.

In the South Island it was equally amazing – fur seals lounging in the car park at Kaikoura, the views from the twisty winding road on the Otago peninsula, the fantastic sea smashing waves against the beaches, and the sunset on the beach at Hokitika, As for the mountains – my real, all-time favourites. Living close to a city, working in a built-up area and travelling to work on very busy motorways, I really appreciate finding out-of-the way places with few people and total peace and quiet. Lake Tekapo and the high country, and the southern coastal route felt like that, but I think one of the major highlights was definitely the trip to Doubtful Sound. I am so glad that I took your advice and experienced that trip. All three of us felt that It was truly awesome and fabulous day’s experience.

We really enjoyed the entire trip, whether in the mountains or on the coast, in the countryside or in the towns and cities. Although we had a few days of rain and cloud, the weather progressively improved until we experienced sunshine and totally blue skies, which was much better than we had expected for May.

My only complaint is that we never got to see the penguins! We arrived too early at Oamaru, too late at the Otago Peninsula and, although we were exactly on time at the little beach close to Nugget Point (can’t remember the name), they didn’t show up during the hour we waited and, unfortunately, we had to continue on our journey along the South Coast.

I think I can say that New Zealand more than met my expectations. It is not so much a country that you visit, but one that you fall in love with. I felt very sad to leave. As New Zealand is so far from home, it is unlikely that we will visit again, but, “never say never” is a phrase that comes to mind!

You are very welcome to use quotes from the above.

Best regards

Diane Gagnon

Dear Chris and co-workers,

Cannot adequately put into words the most enjoyable and exhilarating South Island 'Round Robin' you organised and arranged on our behalf, during the limited time at our disposal. Should you have a need for a positive recommendation from anyone - 'refer them to us'.

Regards and grateful thanks Bubbly and Harry

Dear Amanda and Madellan,

It was so nice of you to come join us for lunch. We appreciated your time and company. I hope we didn't discourage you from meeting other Americans in the future. They are not all as bad as us.

As far as the rest of the trip, it went without a hitch. The weather cooperated. We had the blue skies lead our way for the entire week. When we left Christchurch we travelled south to Dunedin but not before stopping to see about 28 little penquins exit the Pacific ocean, walk up the embankment to their homes which were made in the ground approxiamately 2 soccer fields from the water. It made my trip complete. I had to see the penquins in their natural habitat.

Dunedin is an awesome city. I was very impressed. It reminded me of a college town near to where I live with the two exceptions. The 1st difference is, Dunedin is built on beautiful rolling hills and the second is that it is over looking the Pacific Ocean. We were fortunate to travel out the peninsula from town enjoying the views along the way. Upon reaching the end of the peninsula we were captivated with the sight of an albatross winging its way along the rocky coastline. Very cool.

The side trips to Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound were fantastic. I will have to see if I can attach a letter that was written by one of the girls Scott, Teri and Rusty had met on the kayaking trip. As far as Cheryl and my trip to Milford Sound it couldn't have been better. The ride was awe inspiring around every turn it just got better and better. Our camper/van helped to make the moments even more memorable. We were able to park in a couple of areas and indulge in some wine, cheese and crackers, exploiting the views without getting bit by the sand flies. The sand flies were only prevelent along the beaches. We stopped along a raging riverbed, sat on the rocks that adourned the sides, looked to the green mountainscapes rising up from the white crest of river, to the snow capped peaks of larger mountains in the background, all while sipping on a glass of some of New Zealands best. It really doesn't get better than this! This is what life is all about! Nature at its best. The cruise kept pace with everything else we had experienced so far along the way. It was very relaxing. The views from the ship gave us a different perspective from which to see this beautiful countryside. We met up with another couple and together enjoyed dinner and an evening under the stars. We saw the Southern Cross for the first time. I would highly recommend the overnight cruise.

We left the Fiords and headed to Queenstown. What a town! Cheryl liked it the best. I don't think a minute past that she didn't click off another photo. Your choice on accomodations was perfect. I would also recommend the St. James Apartments to anyone. Very clean and nice. Great location. We saw all we could of Queenstown. I don't think we stopped walking all the time we were there other than the ride up the gondola. The views from the top of the mountain will remain in my mind hopefully for a long time to come. The sight of the Remarkables reaching toward the blue skies in the background with the old, well preserved, TSS Earnslaw cutting through the crystal clear waters of Lake Wakatipu creating a light ripple in the water where you could still catch the reflection of the green, blue, yellow, red and white sails floating down from the mountaintop on the backs of the paragliders. This I don't want to forget!

We departed Queenstown and headed toward Lake Wanaka stopping along the way at Arrowtown, A.J. Hackett's infamous bridge, a lite lunch at a local winery (Gibbston Valley) and then to I believe the oldest hotel and bar in NZ, the Cardrona, where we endulged in a native brew. After dinner in Wanaka we endulged in a movie at Cinema Paradiso. This was a most unusual cinema. Definetly worth a look if you are in town for the evening.

We spent the last day and half before returning to Christchurch, viewing and walking the countryside with the Glaciers in sight for most of that time. Like everything before it, they were also inspiring. Kind of scary to think and see how far they have receded over the past years. One can only hope that this trend reverses itself and that they can be saved from extinction. I believe we are on the right track for that to happen.

I know I may have forgotten a few things regarding the South Island but I tried to let you know how much we enjoyed it. Thank you again for your assistance and I hope you enjoyed your Easter. Let Madellan know I figured out how the Easter Bunny is able to get all around the world passing out his goodies on early Easter morning. It only took a trip to New Zealand to figure it out. He has 2 days to do it. It is still Saturday here while you are celebrating your Easter today.

Take care.

Jim, Cheryl, Scott, Teri and Rusty

Dear Deb and Toshi

My apologise for not responding sooner. Wanted to let you know how things went before now.

In a nutshell, it was the best holiday that Nina and I have ever had, in terms of all the things you look for when you have a vacation:

(i) Planning
(ii) Comfort
(iii) Food
(iv) People
(v) Scenery

We loved NZ, and we like many before, and probably many after, have been beguiled into wanting to eventually buy a property. However, this dream will have to wait until I succeed in my new business venture.

Wonderful memories of a truly "big" country in the sense of space but also the people we met who were so helpful and kind with a great sense of humour.

Well as you see we thoroughly loved the experience and as soon as we can will be back.

Will contact you guys when we are planning the next trip and have no hesitation in recommending :

South Pacific Travellers' World

Thanks again for making our first trip to NZ such a winner.

Best personal regards

P & N

PS
N. took some 3000 photos....yes 3000!!! ..... so if the tourist board needs any help just come to us.

Dear Amanda

Sorry for not communicating with you earlier, but you know what it is like when you have been away for a full month and come back to face a million items to handle.

First of all, we thank you for arranging a wonderful trip for us. We came back with a sincere appreciation for NZ and have many memories to keep us warm on winter nights. We fell in love with the South Island and would like to get back there someday.

Our cruise was delightful, our friends in Christchurch were most hospitable, and our family in Australia treated us like royalty. All in all, it was a memorable month in our lives.

Once again, we express our appreciation to you for your involvement. We would be happy to recommend your service to anyone who is interested in arranging a visit to that beautiful part of the world

Hope to hear from you!
Y & P

Dear Amanda,

Thank you so much for your e-mail. Forgive us we should have sent you an e-mail earlier to thank you for such a fantastically arranged trip. The accommodation you offered was superb, everything went very smoothly - I do not think we had one criticism of anywhere that we stayed. Whilst we covered a terrific distance in a relatively short period of time we really enjoyed New Zealand and managed to fit a lot in including a sky dive, white water and black water rafting, swimming with dolphins, bungy jumping, canyon swinging, whale watching, jet boat riding and covering ourselves with volcanic mud!! I am sure there is something I have forgotten.

Unfortunately I have not looked at our photos yet!

My parents intend to visit New Zealand next year (2007). They already have your contact details and will probably be in touch quite soon.
With kind regards

S & S

Hello Deborah,

Wishing you a Happy New Year, though a bit late.

Only arrived back last week, Very tried from Long extended round the world hoilday. with so many good memories.

I would like to thank you and your company for organizing & custimizing itinerary for our needs for [CH02] 4 DAY CHRISTCHURCH - FOX GLACIER - QUEENSTOWN - CHRISTCHURCH tour.

We enjoyed every bit of this tour, and it went beyound our expection,

I will recomanded your company to all friends plaining to visit New Zealand

Thanks again for all your co-operation and support given to us.

Kind Regards
Arvind

Dear Deborah,

Greetings from Malaysia. My wife and I had a splendid time in NZ - thanks to your arrangements. We are very happy with the hospitality shown by the establishments you made arrangements with. The arrangements were well made and the destinations were really awesome. We would like to thank you and your establishement for the superb work in our NZ self drive tour. We would recommend South Pacific Travellers to all our friends when they go to NZ!

Again, thank you.

Jeffrey

Dear Deborah

Judith and I are back home and more or less back on local time, having had a most satisfactory visit to NZ. Your arrangements were in every instance just as we had hoped, and I can think of no way in which they might have suited us better. Many thanks for your thoughtfulness and effort – we look forward to coming back again some day.

Sincerely, David.

Hi Amanda,

Just a quick note to let you know we all had a fantastic time on our recent trip to NZ. It is a stunning country with so much to see and do, and you kiwi's are such a friendly bunch of people. All accommodation and car hire arrangements ran very smoothly, and it was a hassle free way to travel and see the country.

Thanks again for all of your help in preparing and booking our holiday arrangements, I will certainly recommend the Kiwi Combo pass to any prospective travellers.

Regards,
Jacinta

Greetings!

We are back in the states now for about 1 month. All the pictures are in the album, so beautiful!

WOW what a great trip. We want to thank all who helped us to have such a special vacation. Toshimi, Susanne and Amanda.

Again, we had a wonderful trip and thank each of you for making it so relaxing and enjoyable.

Sincerely,
S & D

Hi Sandi

Thank you all you’re excellent and professional work along with the endearing informal touch in organising our tour around the south island recently. Everything went very well and according to schedule.

Terttu and I are finally home having had a wonderful time throughout your beautiful country and we were very lucky with the weather, apart from the test.

Shame about the rugby results! Although I have to say I do not believe there is any disgrace in losing to this All Blacks team after seeing the second test, they were simply superb. I even forced myself to read the New Zealand newspapers however; I must confess that it was a bit hard.

I was outside from half time in the Christchurch test as I was having to bite my tongue being surrounded by friendly Kiwis so endured the rain, hail, sleet and wind returning somewhat dishevelled and with misted up glasses. Typical Pom…

Many thanks Sandi for all your kind help and of course I will recommend you to any prospective NZ tourists in the future.

Best regards

Peter

Dear Amanda

You asked that I let you know how our trip to the South Island last week went. Both J. and I had a marvellous time, helped no doubt by the excellent arrangements made by South Pacific Travellers. Everything went entirely to plan with no hitches whatsoever. The coaches were comfortable with very good and safe drivers and the accommodation and tours that you arranged were exceptional. Even the weather, except for the trip to Milford Sound was very good, not as cold as we experience at some times back here in Australia.

Thanks again for your excellent service. We intend to return to New Zealand at some time in the future and will have no hesitation in again calling on your services and, as well, referring your company to anyone wishing to travel to New Zealand. I have also returned the questionnaire on the internet site.

Regards

Kevin

Dear Sandi,

I´m Ana, from Spain.

I write to tell you that we had a really great time at new Zealand!!! Your country is impresive, but what is more impresive is how kind and charming you (people living there) are. We had not even a problem in the Hotels. Everywhere your vouchers were recognized. We felt always cosy and secure with your organization.

One of the best things of dealing with you, Sandi and collegues, was that the comunication between us was practically inmediate. We never waited much to receive your "e-mail-answer", to our thousand questions... Thank you very much for being in contact with us everyday before our trip: that makes one feel confident on you.

We´ve got a couple of friends that are traveling to New Zealand in three months time: we will firmly suggest your company as serious and comfortable travel agency.

Again, thanks a lot, everybody!!!

Kind regards, ANA

PD: If possible, let your Boss know about this letter, please.

Independent Travel In New Zealand
Inter City coach line as an alternative to self drive.

We were planning an extended trip to New Zealand and wanted to spend more time in each place than an organized tour would allow and we were not particularly interested in driving. We did some search on the internet looking for alternatives and were fortunate to find an excellent travel agency in Christchurch N.Z. The travel agency is South Pacific Travellers’ World. Their web site is www.southpacifictravellers.co.nz The agent we dealt with was Jill Blacklock.
Email manager@southpacifictravellers.co.nz.

I have never had a better experience in planning a trip and we did it all via email. I had done a lot of research and knew generally the places that we wanted to visit so I laid out our basic plan and the time we wished to spend in each place. Jill then made suggestions and recommended some changes based on her experiences and knowledge. We firmed up our plan and she tailor- made a trip for us.

We traveled by Inter City Coach lines. This involved several types of vehicles including large tour type coaches between major cities to small 20 seater buses or in more rural areas VW vans. The transportation was always very comfortable with a great mixture of passengers including locals and people from around the world and friendly informative drivers.

As New Zealand is a relatively small country distances are not vast so most journeys were about 4-5 hours. The coach makes frequent rest stops where there were always clean washrooms and refreshments. If you had to change coaches the driver would be responsible for the luggage.

Jill had arranged door to door service for us. Which meant in the rural areas the coach would take us directly to our accommodation. In the larger towns there was a taxi waiting for us. On our departure the taxi would take us back to the coach station. If we were scheduled for a day tour the taxi would deliver us to the departure point and be waiting for us at the end of the day to take us back to our accommodation. To have this all pre arranged and paid for was amazing and made things so easy.

The tours that Jill had pre booked for us were fantastic. We also used public transportation which we always found well organized and easy to understand. If we were ever in doubt there was always a friendly local who was more than happy to point us in the right direction. We found lots to do and explore in each place we stayed.

Most of our accommodation included a kitchen and laundry facilities which, when you are on the road for so long, are both most welcome.

We have traveled extensively particularly since retiring and always have had wonderful interesting trips. Until this trip it was hard to say which our favourite was as they all have their own interest and fascination. We now say that, so far, this has been the best. The transportation, accommodation, people, and particularly the scenery were just the tops. We would be interested to talk to anyone planning a similar trip or would send a copy of our detailed itinerary as my following account of our trip only scratches the surface of a most incredible trip.

We arrived in Auckland on the North Island and spent the first four nights there. Auckland is a beautiful city with a lovely harbour and is known as the city of sails. From Auckland we headed east to the Coromandel Peninsula. We spent one night at Coromandel Town four nights in Whitianga and one night in Tairua. We took a day to travel from Whitianga to Tairua in a VW van with a driver/ tour guide who was knowledgeable and very enthusiastic about the area. He took us to lots of places off the beaten track. In the evening he took us to some local caves to see the glow worms. This was an incredible sight and a perfect way to see the glow worms.

From there we headed inland to Rotorua for two nights. While there we enjoyed a day sight seeing tour which included a visit to the Whakarewarewa thermal reserve, the Maori Arts & Crafts Institute, the Agrodome for a sheep dog demonstration and sheep shearing. The tour concluded at the Polynesian spa where the thermally heated mineral springs are located.

Our next journey took us across the Rangitaiki plains to Hawkes Bay back on the east coast. We stayed in the art deco town of Napier for three nights. We enjoyed a half day private tour of the area by car ending up at a winery for lunch.

Now we head south to Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city, for two nights. A must see here is the Te Papa National Museum.

From Wellington we flew to New Plymouth spending five nights visiting relatives over Christmas. Not too many tourists make it to this area of the north Island’s west coast. It’s well worth a visit for a couple of days. The Taranaki coast line is very rugged. We flew back to Wellington for one night and the following morning we took the interisland ferry across Cook Straight to Picton on the South Island.

The coach was waiting at the ferry to take us to Nelson where we spent four nights. We spent a full day cruising the waters off Able Tasman National Park.

We started our journey down the west coast of the South Island and our first stop was Punakaiki. The main attraction on this beautiful stretch of coastline is the pancake rocks and the blow holes. We stayed here for two nights before continuing our journey south down the west coast to Fox Glacier.

We stayed in the village for two nights. We took a four hour guided walk on Fox Glacier where all the necessary equipment including boots, crampons, walking poles and jackets were provided. You need to be reasonably fit and agile for this fantastic experience. As we journeyed south we saw spectacular views of the Tasman Sea, remote beaches and high mountain peaks. We passed by picturesque lake Wanaka through Kawarau Gorge into Queenstown.

Queenstown is known as the adventure capital and has lots of activities available for thrill seekers. A more recent claim to fame is that the surrounding mountains were used to film parts of The Lord Of The Rings. We took a one day tour to Milford Sound which included a cruise on Milford Sound. No Matter how short your time is on the South Island this is a must do.

We left the west coast and arrived in Invercargill for one night which was our southern most point of our journey before heading north along the east coast. We took a day to travel from Invercargill to Dunedin on a small bus with eight other people. We traveled through the Catlins stopping for walks in the bush and on the beaches to observe New Zealand sea-lions, yellow-eyed penguins, Hector dolphins a large fur seal colony and many oceanic and native bush birds.

We spent two nights in Dunedin. We took a cruise of Otago harbour to see the Royal Albatross and many other sea birds. We took a half day train trip through the magnificent Taieri Gorge.

Our next stop was further north for one night at the small French village of Akaroa on the Banks Peninsular then on to Christchurch for three nights followed by one night at Hamner Springs before flying back to Auckland on the North Island.

This was the only part of the trip that we would have changed. We could have spent two additional nights in Christchurch and could have easily done a day tour to Akaroa and Hamner Springs.They are both worth the journey there and visiting but the day tours would have saved changing hotels.

After overnight in Auckland we traveled north to Paihia in The Bay of Islands where we spent three nights. We took a full day cruise in The Bay seeing lots of dolphins and wonderful scenery. From here we traveled to the idyllic spot of Coopers Beach in the far north. We spent the last eight days in a house right on the beach just relaxing and enjoying the wonderful beach and ocean and reflecting on our amazing trip. We took a day tour to the most northerly tip of the North Island at Cape Reinga. In the morning we drove along Ninety Mile Beach on the west coast and dipped our feet in the Tasman Sea and in the afternoon we dipped our feet in the Pacific Ocean on the east coast. We spent one final night in Auckland before departing for Vancouver.

In 57 days we traveled both islands from Cape Reinga in the Far North of the North Island to Invercargill at the southern tip of the South Island and the east and west coast of both islands.

The cost for all the coach transportation with door to door pick up and drop off, airport transfers, the tours that I have talked about and all accommodations for two was approximately $14,000 CN.

Hi Amanda,

I just wanted to let you know that we are back home safely and that we had a wonderful visit to New Zealand.

Most everything worked exactly as it should have. It was a nice feeling knowing that everything was taken care of for us. I've completed the survey form on your website. We were very happy with our choice of tours and we would definitely recommend South Pacific to our friends. Thank you for taking the time to give us the proper attention. We appreciated it.

Carol.

We are home again from our March 6 to April 5 trip to New Zealand & wish to express our thanks for your efforts towards making this the great trip it was.

Thanks for the advice on limiting the Motel bookings. It worked out exactly as you predicted, with the twenty days passes covering the days we were able to stay in Gold Chain Motels, either because of location or the already fully booked, by others, sites. Many thanks to you all.

D & L

Dear Deborah

When I spoke to you on the telephone whlist we were in Christchurch, I promised to give you some reflections on our holiday. We have been home for 3 weeks now and are more or less back into the grove of our normal lives. It was bitterly cold when we left the aircraft at Heath Row - at 4.30 am. We had some warm clothes available but it was still a shock to our system having travelled in temperatures mostly above 25C for six weeks - 2C felt like the north pole. It took several days to readjust and it is only in the last few days that the sun has come out and we have been able to turn off the central heating in our house.

We had a wonderful time in New Zealand and we appreciate the care you took in formaulating our itinerary for us. What follows is a bit of a diary but nothing like the careful diary Pat made for the album we create, with photos, to bore our friends!

The car collection on arrival was fine but the drive to the centre of Aukland was made exciting by the one way streets - I found myself making U turns in one way streets but getting away with them as the streets were so quite at around 8pm. Driving generally in NZ was easy - the good wide roads and signs similar to those in the UK, plus driving on the left hand side of the road.

The trip north to visit the 'Bay of Islands' was really great -it was quite a thrill to go through the 'hole in the Rock' we weren't expecting this to happen. We visited the Waitangi Meeting house - so beautiful - lovely grounds and what a special place in the history of NZ. I bought the Penquin History of NZ whilst we were in Aukland and am reading it now and understand more of the significance of what happened here.

A great day in Aukland - we nearly dropped our coffee cups when a bungee jumper went down outside the window on the Sky Tower!

We followed several of your suggestions as we drove south, loved the little railway and toasted our toes on the hot water beach. The Maori evening at Rotorua was really good, the food,the entertainment and especially the coach driver who had us all singing on the way back to our B&B

Our visit to Napier was very special as it was Pat's 70th birthday. Our host Gerard who I expect you know is a very special person. He did a load of washing for us (personally) booked a table for us at a great restaurant called the 'Mission' - drove us there, procured some flowers for Pat for me and gave her some chocolates himself - what a treasure! (All of our hosts in both B&Bs and Motels were great as well.) The scenic tour here was the only flop of our trip. I think a new chap has taken over this outing. He had nothing interesting to say at the Peak and wine tasting isn't too good in the morning, so we cut this drive short

The first rain we had when it mattered started as we arrived at the B&B in Wellington and we got a bit wet walking up the hill to a very friendly cafe for supper.

Lovely drive to Nelson and another really friendly host - Gerry at Grove Villa. He suggested we drove to Kaiteriteri to have time for a leisurely breakfast - it worked out ok and the day with Abel Tasman was another great time - we chose to cruise. The jouney south from here as you know goes through great countryside lots of 'ohs' and 'wows' and the Swingbridge!, We visited the Franz Joseph glacier in the late afternoon -great- our previous experience is for glaciers emptying into the sea. We planned to visit the 'Fox' next morning but the weather had closed in by then and visibility was very limited.

We really enjoyed our time in Queenstown - especially the view from our room in the 'Chalet'. We explored Arrowtown, had a great buffet lunch in the Skyline resataurant. The Milford Sound trip was great, we got off really early to be well ahead of the coaches. Our photos of the 'Sound', the waterfalls etc are lovely , we now need to get that 'DVD' to see how it all worked out in the film.

We made a side trip on the way to Dunedin to meet relatives of local friends who emigrated to NZ in the late 1940s - near Mossburn. They had been sheep farmers but are now retired - miles from anywhere! This meant that our stay in Dunedin was short - what a hilly town. The boulders on the beach must have been a real puzzle to the first maories to arrive. We did much more sight seeing in Christchurch feeling quite at home in this English looking city. On our last morning there was time to go to the Antartic Centre at the airport before dropping off the car and checking in.

That very briefly is our trip to NZ. We shall remember the experience for a long time, it was everything we hoped it would be.

Deborah, many many thanks for preparing this for us, we shall recommend South Pacific Travellers World to all our friends.

Love from P & G

Dear Deborah,

Now regretfully home in England's Winter, this is to record formally what I said on the phone a couple of weeks ago in Christchurch: Bravo Zulu the excellent response you gave to our requirements - to experience everything from Auckland down to the Wellington ferry via Coromandel Peninsula, Rotorua and "Volcano-land" all in 4 days.

Can't be done - but with Johansonn's Adventures followed by Lake Waimangu ( complete with the unknown Dave's Shuttle out - conscientious & very nice chap who also mentioned that you had checked arrangements just prior to our trip - and travel back in their staff bus) we got as close as maybe. Accomodation fine. Only glitch was 11/2 wet days around Coromandel, and even that didn't spoil more than the Whitianga afternoon!

A signal of Bravo Zulu is the highest expression of praise in the Royal Navy, so please pass this on to Top Management (if that isn't you anyway) and please feel free to quote or use in promoting South Pacific Traveller's services. I think you would have been shocked by the poor response of three other contenders, all eliminated very early on!

Regards Martin & Rosemary Smith, now disclosed as a pair of 70 year-olds who were visiting their grandchildren in Christchurch.

Dear Deborah,

Sherna and I had the most wonderful holiday and we would like to thank you for all the effort you went to in putting together such an interesting and perfect itinerary. It was such a pity that we were in Christchurch on the two Saturdays and we could not meet you, but I plan on winning Lotto and buying the house for sale at Mona Vale (is that correct?) in the botanical gardens on the little (Avon?) river.

We loved everything we saw and did. It's a holiday one could repeat over and over and never tire of it. Am keeping my itinerary for anyone who is planning such a trip.

Thank you again and regards

A.

Hi Deborah,

Glad to hear you are back to work and feeling better. We had an absolutely fabulous holiday which was largely due to all your hard work so the flowers were just a small token of thanks. We had a thoroughly good time, but cant wait to come back and explore some more. All our travel arrangements were great, the hotels and B&B's were good ( The one in Napier had fabulous spa baths in all the rooms you must try that one).

The only one I wouldnt recommend was the one in Wellington. The bathrooms were not very clean and the service left a lot to be desired. We met some lovely people and made a lot of new friends. So thanks again for all you hard work. Don't forget to let me know when you come to the UK and I will try and do the same for you.

Many thanks and best wishes

Jean

Hello Jill!

Just a quick note to say thankyou for all your work with our clients driving holiday in March.

They absolutely loved it! Could not stop raving about it!

Thankyou again Jill.

Regards,
Karen

Jill,

Thank you for all your help. The trip was the most awesome experience that my troop has ever had. Many of the boys are wishing they could go back. We definitely have a lifetime of memories of one of the most beautiful countries in the world. New Zealand is a shining jewel with the most breathtaking scenery I have ever seen.

The Boys and I appreciate everything you did to help make this trip a reality for us. I know it was a long time working with you leading up to the trip and I personally appreciated your flexibility. I have been speaking nothing but praise about you and your agency to all the other scout troops here.

Thanks again for everything.

Sincerely,
John

Hi Toshimi.

The tour was wonderful and everything worked like clockwork. It was just the right activity level and we saw lots of interesting things. We didn't have time to explore Tairua but it seemed to be a lot smaller than Whitianga, so I was happy that we spent more time in Whitianga. We had a very nice meal in Tairua at a restaurant across the street from Shells. I can't remember the name except that it started with M. On Saturday night it had a live entertainer (singer-guitar player).

I'd just like to mention a couple of very minor points. The bus stop from Tairua (toward Thames) is across the street from Shells restaurant. We got back to Auckland a few minutes early and didn't realise you had reserved a Regency cab for us. The bus station was closed so we went around to the hotel to call them. We ended up with two Regency cabs, but they were very nice about it.

All in all a great experience.

Thanks a lot.
Sheila

Dear Jill,

Well we have been home for a week now and we are still trying to get our feet back on the ground.

We had the best holiday ever. We loved your country and the people. Both Islands we beautiful in their own way.

It was great to meet you and thank you for taking the time to have lunch with us and for taking us to such a lovely spot.

We loved the Northland and the accommodation that you booked for us in Piahia was fabulous. It was so luxurious. Although when we first got there we wondered if it would be ok as it was way up the hill but the owner had made a path which was a short cut down the back of his property to the road so it was fine.

The last 8 days at Coopers Beach were idilic and it truly is a lovely spot. We were right on the most spectacular beach and had fabulous weather. We were very happy and didn't want to leave. We felt fortunate as the day we were leaving it started to rain and we had an email from the people there and they said that it rained for the next 5 days!!

It is going to be hard to top that holiday. Thanks again Jill for all your help and advise. We couldn't have had anyone better to work with. We hope that all is well with you.

Best wishes. M and A.

Hi Deborah,

What a trip! Thank you so much for arranging our accomodations, transpo and activities. Everyone had a great time. Quite a Christmas holiday to remember definitely.

May 2004 give you much of what you desire.

Sincerely,

Betsy L and family

Dear Jill,

It was a pleasure to meet you in NZ, even if only briefly and I wish to thank you on behalf of the entire group for your assistance with our trip.

All the arrangements worked perfectly which made our stay so memorable. New Zealand is a great country and we were all sad to leave it. I have written to a girl in North Island for 39 years and we actually met and spent a day together in Taupo, so that was special for me.

The driver Michelle Walker, who escorted us throughout North Island and delivered us to Bay of Islands was exception and everyone asked that I pass that information on to you.

Michelle certainly knew how to load so much luggage efficiently, was an excellent driver, knew what to inform us about and nothing was any trouble to her. She also had a sence of humour which was essential with our group!

All the drivers were great, but she spent most time with us and became part of the group

Should I organise another group to NZ I can assure you that I will email you first.

Once again many thanks
Kind Regards
Julia

Hi Toshimi,

I just wanted to say Thank you for all your help in arranging my parents Kaikoura trip. They had an excellent time and wish to express their Thanks for all you did for them, they said the Bendemere Bed & Breakfast accommodation was superb and they will reccomend them and yourselves to their friends when they return to the UK. Once again thanks for your help.

Sue

Hi Deborah,

I'm sorry that we have taken so long to be in touch. We had not forgotten you or your beautiful country! It's just that we don't seem to have had a moment to draw breath since returning to the northern hemisphere, what with visits by our son and his family from America, a huge family get-together and putting our noses back to the grindstone! The latter was the worst, especially after four weeks away.

Well, what is there to say? The itinerary worked very well indeed and any comments we have (after all the superlatives!) of an even vaguely critical nature pale into insignificance when compared with the great time we had.

Highlights? Well, they were almost too many to list! Every time we crested a hill, there were gasps at the sheer beauty of the scenery. The helicopter flight was certainly well up with the best of the trip. Low cloud cleared literally half an hour before we took off. The result left us all breathless (Picture attached, if your network will let it in!)(It was checked by Norton anti-virus before despatch). You were correct in recommending that we stop two nights in Queenstown: we needed it and there was plenty to do. The meal at the Boardwalk restaurant on the quayside was outstanding - both for quality of fare and for quality of service. In contrast, we were disappointed in the Maori display we went to see: when the participants brought Japanese (and other) tourists onto the stage to do the Hokey Kokey, we began to wonder what message they were trying to put over! Nevertheless, the views of the lake, particularly from the Gondola were a photographer's dream come true.

Although the weather at Milford Sound was rain all the way, the drive through the pass and the boat ride were still worthwhile. The sight of those waterfalls going upwards (blown by the wind) was a sight to remember! The need to be back through the pass by 1700, before the road was closed due to the weather, made the first part of the journey back a little 'nervous', shall we say? But, of course, there was no problem. Te Anau and the glow-worm caves was yet another highlight, although the guides did seem to have taken on rather more tourists than they could easily handle when 'traffic jams' of tour groups built up. People had a long(ish) wait either before setting out or on return to the base building. But, again, the sight was worth the wait! The boat trip was refreshing after so much time in a car. There wasn't a lot of time in Dunedin to do the town (and, anyway, we had begun to focus on the fact that we were coming to the end of our trip.
However, we made lasting friendships with a number of yellow-eyed penguins with whom we will undoubtedly exchange e-mail! Seriously, we enjoyed a very informative visit to the one on Otago Peninsula.

I think that summarises what the McL’s thought of the trip. You did say you wanted to hear about it - warts and all. Although I have mentioned some comments that might indicate criticism, please believe me when I say that these are very minor in comparison to the enormous enjoyment we had on an almost minute-by-minute basis.

Thank you from us all for organising a memorable, varied and entirely enjoyable week in your beautiful and hospitable land. Furthermore, the efficient and pleasant way you went about meeting our needs made the organisation a painless experience for us.

L & J McL

PS: J. has one or two reservations about NZ traffic policemen! But that's another story.

Hi Deborah

Returned today to Johannesburg after a spectacular visit to New Zealand and I hope that all my pics come out as beautifully as each place I visited. Thank you and Rebecca so much for arranging such an interesting itinerary, but I think that on my next visit I would like to spend more time in Wellington, Rotorua and possibly other parts of Auckland - so I shall have to save, save, save like mad to undertake another visit.

My trip to Sydney was marvellous and it was wonderful to spend quality time with my family. I must admist I thought Sydney was a lovely city and I was really taken by its beauty as well. I managed to see several ex South Africans and it was good to catch up on everyones news.

I was also fortunate to visit Canberra something I had not planned but there was a flower show in the city which was breathtakingly beautiful and if any of the pics come out as stunningly as the flowers were, I shall post a few to you.

Take care of yourself and everything of the best for the future. Stay in touch from time to time and let me know how things are going with you.

Kind personal regards
N

Hi Rebecca & Toshimi!

Tks for the good experience i have had according to your suggestions!

The first day at the Fox Glacier it was raining so only the walking experience on the Glacier and no flight , but next day in Franz Joseph what a beautiful and unforgettable excursion! landing on the snow, exciting, amazing, delicious, ans so and so TKS a lot indeed

Cheers F

Dear Deborah,

Back to Italy, to the routine of daily life, to the husle bustle of urban living, after a challenging, hectic month through unspoilt, magnificent scenery, breathing fresh, wholesome air, listening to the whistling of a relentless wind, scorched by a strong sun, We would like to express our thanks for your work and all the help you gave us.

You were undoubtedly of great service to us in providing useful information and wise advice for our New Zeland experience.

Everything was ok: car rental, accomodation (maybe not fully satisfying Airedale Hotel in Aukland: good the location, less good the standing), excursions.

The weather too was mild and generous (above all in South Island) offering us very sunny days and unforgettable opportunities for our autdoor activities.

The itinerary went according to plan; we also managed to travel to places (part of Coromandel Peninsula, southern tip of South Island) not arranged in the original draft.

We regret leaving without meeting you; we called your office on saturday
22/03 but we were told you were off duty.

We are certainly very pleased to have come into contact with your Company for which we got a very good opinion. We'll advice it and advertise it if some friend intend to visit your country.

Thanks for all, bottles of white wine and chocolate box too.

With best regards and sincere good wishes, L and B Party.

Dear Jill,

We have been home now for two weeks, settling back in after our tour of New Zealand. Fortunately we can look forward to the Spring and Summer ahead, in fact the weather has been most unseasonal since our return, dry and sunny.

It was a wrench leaving your country. We enjoyed every minute of our tour and find it hard to decide which was the highlight. We saw whales, dolphins, an albatross, most of your native birds (including a morepork!) trekked, fished, played golf and enjoyed some first class meals. The many wonderful flowers, shrubs, and trees gave us great pleasure.

We would all like to say to you a big 'thank you' for organising the first part of our trip - the car choice was exceedingly good, enough room for us and our many bags!, and the change-overs were painless. We travelled over 4,000 miles during the six weeks. The motels worked well, a very easy and relaxed mode of accommodation.

Tom, our son, is still in NZ (somewhere!), he is thoroughly enjoying all the extreme sports and trekking, etc.

We hope we will return in the not too distant future.

Once again Jill, many thanks for your support.

King regards,

A, S, R and R.