New Zealand Luxury Trip Review, Abel Tasman Cruise, Tahunanui Beach, Mount Paku Stay, Hobbiton, Flowers, Wildlife & Views

Review by traveler

Bryan T.

1.16.2020

General Info

Traveler Review

Which Country (Countries) did you visit on this trip?

New Zealand

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

Despite the fact that this travel company is half a world away from me, the entire team was informative and responsive to all of our needs. They accommodated a lot of our wishes and helped us form together the most efficient trip possible, given that we only had two weeks to see the entire vacation. With very few hiccups, I would definitely recommend this company for any New Zealand vacation.
I was particularly impressed with their patience for someone as eager and over-enthusiastic as myself. Our first call went for more than an hour, and I remember sending them a couple dozen emails to firm up the plans. They answered every question diligently, sending me and my wife information on all our possible experiences so that we could make more informed choices. They sent us multiple, detailed itineraries, one for each time my wife or I asked to include something else. They supplemented our information with their own expertise, and in the end, they helped us truly experience the country.
Every excursion they planned for us was magnificent. The Dart River Jetboat Tour, for example, was one of the last additions to the itinerary, and it turned out to be one of the best experiences despite the fact that neither my wife or I were expecting much. The Abel Tasman Cruise, which was their suggestion, turned out to be the best part of our trip (bottle-nose dolphins followed us for about half an hour). The travel planners helped us see so much in just twelve days, and yet, with their advice, we got home without feeling fatigued. We had plenty of downtime to recharge, plenty of time to shop, eat, and hike at our leisure.
Definitely use the travel company. They're totally worth it.

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

The Abel Tasman Cruise and the Nelson region in general. It was the last part of our trip and a huge surprise. It has beautiful beaches (especially Tahuna, which was pretty empty), lots of wildlife (seals, fish, dolphins, etc.) and some pretty great farm stays, too.
We also loved the North Island. We went to Tairua and stayed on Mount Paku in one of the best Air BnBs we've ever been to. Mount Paku has excellent views of Tairua and the ocean (the trailhead is right up the street from the Air BnB, by the way). We went to Cathedral Cove which was beautiful, but we enjoyed the nearby Hahei Beach just as much (and there were much less people, as it's a locals beach). Hobbiton is absolutely worth it, too. I was nervous that it would be a tourist trap, but it's far from it. The place is gorgeous, the drive out it awesome, and the food was delicious at the little cafe there.
I would highly recommend renting cars and driving around the country. Even the long drives were pretty fulfilling. We drove from Queenstown to Christchurch, and it was gorgeous view after gorgeous view. There is even this beautiful field of flowers near Tekapo that came up out of nowhere.

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

We would have spent maybe a day or two in Wanaka. We only had an afternoon, and it seems so cool. It has a bunch of high-end shops, some delicious food, and some great parks. I think it would have made the trip from Queenstown to Christchurch a little easier, too.
If you do the Dart River Cruise, you should go funyaking. We didn't, but the driver showed us the end of the funyaking trail, and it winds through these rocky chasms that must be absolutely gorgeous from the inside. We went for a hike through Aspiring National Park, which was nice, but I think the funyaking would have been better.
Make sure that if you take the train from Christchurch to Picton, you have a seat on the side facing the ocean. All the views are essentially on one side, so the experience is so much better from there.
We actually thought Wellington was a cool place. A lot of people downplayed it, but there are a bunch of beer gardens and art galleries and stuff that we wish we had gone to see. We were really only there to fly out, but both of us thought it was a very hip and upcoming city. Could have been very cool to explore it!
I think we would have liked to go to Waiheke Island or to Cape Reinga in the North Island, if we had more time. We got lots of good feedback on them. There just wasn't any good way of getting to them.

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New Zealand Luxury Trip Review, Abel Tasman Cruise, Tahunanui Beach, Mount Paku Stay, Hobbiton, Flowers, Wildlife & Views

General Info

Which Country (Countries) did you visit on this trip?

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

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