Cook Islands Travel Agents & Reviews

Being a first time visit to NZ and so far away we thought best to be in the hands of someone that knows the land.Our travel designer was able to put find us excellent flights at a better cost than we could have on our own.A detailed itinerary was presented based on our physical activity level, cultural tastes, accommodation and general interests.Our designer was easy to work altering some of her suggestions to activities and points of interest that we favored . We traveled the north and South Island,for almost 4 weeks and never encountered any problems with reservations for accommodations or tours, they were seamless. Our car rentals were prearranged as well as Ferry tickets, etc. making it stress free and allowed us time to focus on enjoying our sightseeing. It’s a beautiful country with people that couldn’t be nicer, it was a trip of a lifetime.

This was a trip of a lifetime.  We worked well together, came up with an awesome itinerary for 6 weeks to New Zealand and Australia.  You name it we were going to do it.  This truly was an itinerary with planes, trains & automobiles.  Let's not forget to include boats, helicopter, camel and kayak.  We had such a variety of things planned including wine tasting in both NZ and Australia.  I can't say enough good things about our travel company!!!  In the planning stages they even spoke to us about where and when to go as far as seasons and which way to go whether it be Australia first or NZ. As it turned out, the recommendation to go to New Zealand first was perfect. We were saved the experience of Australia for only a few weeks and maybe being stuck there!  No stone was left unturned, even when the fires occurred in Australia.  Our impact was going to be minimal.We left the US on March 9th for NZ arriving on the 11th.  No problems with Covid-19, we continued on with our itinerary.  Sailing in the harbor in Auckland, wine tasting on a beautiful little island outside of Auckland.  On to Queenstown which is delightful and Milford Sound for an overnight on a ship.  Absolutely beautiful.  Glad we did this vs a day trip or boat ride.  We flew back to Queenstown, which I'd recommend because you have a great overview of the mountains.  Breathtaking!!  Picked up a rental car and drove to Franz Josef to climb the glacier.  We're an older couple, but this was an incredible, first-time experience! My husband still marvels! We took a train to Christchurch which is still suffering the after effects of the 2011 earthquake.  Again a train up the Pacific Coast which is beautiful to Nelson.  Kayaking, hiking and a catamaran in the Tasman Sea.  What scenery!!  Up to Rotorua for more fun.  Well this is where the wheels starting coming off of our fun.  Things got cancelled because of Covid-19 and the ever changing environment of new shut downs and what the government was asking of people and vacationers.  Starting on the 15th of March our travel agent was continually in contact with us about Covid-19 and how our itinerary was going to be impacted.  She made alternative suggestions, we made the decision to extend in NZ.  As our trip went along, things kept changing....  NZ decided to shut down on March 25 midnight.  Our new flight home was March 29, then March 27.  She worked with us so closely and was so helpful she actually got us a flight home on March 25.  While we were having fun and enjoying ourselves, this company was working for us behind the scenes.  You can't ask for more than that!!  By the way, we came home and quarantined.  To date, we're healthy.

We had the most wonderful 15 days in French Polynesia that I could’ve hoped for! Rick was so helpful in getting us prepared for knowing what to expect across our many islands and excursions.  The trip was set up to let us experience a wide variety of things from cultural, historical, water and land excursions.  The recommendations for the types of accommodations in the locations were spot on!there was a small service worker strike that had the potential to impact our transitions through the islands and I return home. I reached out to Rick over the weekend as soon as I learned about it. He was so responsive, and very helpful. 

New Zealand is amazing country and 2 1/2 weeks wasn't nearly enough time.  We planned the trip because our daughter was studying abroad in Wellington for the semester.  Our travel planner tailored the trip to our specifications, quickly making any and all necessary changes.   Traveling from the South Island to the North, the itinerary was thorough and included maps, directions as well as additional activities to do in each location.  We arrived on the South Island, just after a heavy rain storm that closed Milford Sound.  This was to be our first excursion and we were a bit disappointed.  We contacted our travel planner and her team in New Zealand who were diligent in trying to rebook a modified version of the tour.  Due to weather it did not happen, but the customer service exceeded our expectations. The rest of our time went as planned with awe inspiring scenery from glaciers to geothermal sites and relaxing daytrips to wine regions and beaches. The real testimony of our travel company's "above and beyond" customer service came four weeks after we returned home.  Our daughter's program was canceled due to COVID19 and she needed to return home before June.  Neither United or Air New Zealand would help us with rebooking.  We called our travel planner and she immediately contacted the airlines having new tickets issued within a day.  When these flights were canceled, she again contacted the airlines and found a flight to get her back.  We can't thank her enough for handling this stressful situation.

I absolutely loved working with Jo. She knows her islands! She was the only travel agent who actually listened to me and took into consideration my preferences, instead of just sending me a bunch of options and asking me to pick what I wanted to do. The best part of working with a travel agent is that they get to know you and plan the trip just for you. Jo did just that! I highly recommend working with her travel agency.