16/12/2024
There is nothing more satisfying to us here at First Light Travel than hearing back from our guests who have had the trip of a lifetime in New Zealand. Richard and Karen’s detailed travel diary is a perfect example of the incredible experiences awaiting you in our beautiful country. From the vibrant cityscapes of Auckland and Wellington to the serene natural wonders of Milford Sound and Mt. Cook, their journey captures the magic of New Zealand’s diverse landscapes, rich culture, and warm hospitality. If you’ve been dreaming of a unique and unforgettable adventure, let their story inspire you to plan your own extraordinary journey with us. Read on for a glimpse into the trip that could be yours!
How the trip is developed
16th May: Richard and Karen first enquired about our Two Week North and South Island Self Drive Tour through the website. That same day, Jaydene, our Senior Travel Designer, called them using the contact details they provided.
19th May: Following their conversation, a tailored travel proposal was created and sent to Richard and Karen.
30th May: After two rounds of tweaks to the proposal, they confirmed their trip with a deposit.
2nd June: Our team completed all of the booking requests to the individual accommodation, transport, and activity providers.
11th June: The fully booked trip confirmation was sent to clients - this is peace of mind that all the details have been confirmed.
16th October: With the final balance paid, the clients received a full, detailed final itinerary and travel vouchers for their trip via email.
10th November: The Travel Team completes the final safety checks with all bookings reconfirmed with the travel partners supplying the Walkers' accommodation, transport, and activities.
THE ADVENTURE BEGINS......
Sat 23rd Nov
• arrived at Auckland airport, the driver was there to meet us and transfer us to the QT, all went smoothly
• QT Hotel was great, fabulous location, and good room size, and the staff was great. The only concern was the level of lighting in the bathroom, it was low and there was no light in the shower. Minor inconvenience at best
Sunday 24th
• took the ferry over to Waiheke, the island was fun to tour
• Simon from Ananda Tours was there to greet us, he was very knowledgeable and gave us a great day. We stopped at 3 locations for wine tasting and had a great lunch at one of them (Spanish style)
Monday 25th
• car pick-up with Budget went smoothly, we had an easy ride to Rotorua
• we liked Rotorua, we went down to the lake where there is a fabulous park for anyone traveling with kids. They offer scenic rides on jet boats or via helicopter
• had lunch at Urbano (worth recommending) which was very good and close to the hotel
• Rydges is a former Holiday Inn. One wing may have been renovated, but the wing we were in certainly had not. The room was a good size, but the bathroom was tiny. Overall, the room was very tired and desperately needed re-doing. The bed was very comfortable.
• the hotel is across from the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve which was fun to walk around with lots of geyser activity
• The cultural experience we had was amazing. The food at the buffet diner was fabulous, and the cultural show itself was incredibly engaging. We'd absolutely recommend it, it was very educational.
Tuesday 26th
• we drove from Rotorua to Huka Falls, which was some of the best scenery we've driven through en route
• Huka Falls should be recommended as a must-see to anyone driving from Rotorua to Napier
• the drive from Huka Falls to Napier was 140km and went through some very scenic countryside
• several roadwork situations en route, but all manageable
• we checked into the Masonic Hotel in Napier and our room, the Mark Twain room, was great.. a small living room, with a fridge and coffee/tea kettle and a separate bedroom/bathroom. It had an outside patio, very nice indeed
• we walked across the street to the Art Deco Trust and booked an hour-long car tour of the city with a docent/driver called Rod. It was excellent. We were shown a 20-minute movie of the earthquake devastation and the subsequent rebirth of the town in Art Deco style. Rod took us on a drive in a 1940 Packard convertible and even arranged for us to visit a gin factory in an old To***co Art Deco building. Fantastic!
• The earthquake of 1931 so defines Napier's history, I strongly suggest your clients engage with the Art Deco Trust on one of their walking/car tours
• one night is more than enough time time to enjoy Napier
Wednesday 27th
• drove from Napier to Wellington and stopped off at Masterton on the way which was nothing to write home about
• the drive was not as scenic as the drives from Auckland to Rotorua to Napier, until the very last section that goes up and over into Wellington. H2 had multiple roadwork sections so driving was slow at times
• we checked into the QT, walked along the waterfront, and had dinner at the Foxglove on the harbor front which had a balcony overlooking the harbor area. Fun place to dine
• the room we had was considerably smaller than the room at the QT in Wellington, but the hotel vibe was the same, very quirky but fun
• we booked a 5 hr Wellington tour for Thursday with Zozo Tours
Thursday 28th
• the Zozo tour was tremendous. The tour guide Stacey grew up in the area and gave us a very personal perspective on each of the small towns she drove us through around the peninsula. It turned out to be her very first tour, she drives like pro!
• we had lunch at a great little cafe and drove past Sir Peter Jackson's home in a tiny coastal village. She's known him since she was a child and her husband works in the Weta workshop that built a lot of the scenery for the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies
• it's worth putting Zozo Tours on your list
• she recommended the Kijo restaurant https://kojirestaurant.co.nz/ which we went to and was absolutely amazing, and an infused gin bar called CJR Merchant which was also a lot of fun https://www.facebook.com/CGRMerchantCo/
• we toured the Tepapa museum which was incredible and should be on your recommended list https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/
Friday 29th
• dropped the car back at Wellington Airport, everything went smoothly
• flew from Wellington and picked up the rental car in Nelson
• in retrospect we should have flown from Wellington to Blenheim, there was nothing of note to enjoy from Nelson to Blenheim and it took 2 hrs, so starting at Blenheim with a wine tour before moving on to Kaikoura would have been the best start to the south island
• we had a late lunch in Blenheim at the Fancy Cow winery/brewery which was pretty good
• checked into the White Morph in Kaikoura a little later than planned, since we got a nail in a tire and had to exchange the car at the Blenheim airport. The White Morph room was spacious and overlooked the ocean
Saturday 30th
• the whale-watching tour in Kaikoura was tremendous, the boat was great, and the crew was very experienced. We got to see the s***m whale they had been tracking, well worth recommending this tour to your clients
• drove to Christchurch and stayed at the centrally located Christchurch City Hotel, the room was a good size and the bed very comfortable
• walked around the city and came across the Marketplace, a vibrant eating and drinking location where we had drinks and a bite to eat, a very fun place
• Christchurch itself was nice, but probably not worth a stay
Sunday, Dec 1st
• set off for Mt Cook
• stopped at a small town called Geraldine and had lunch at Cafe Verde, which is well worth recommending to your clients
• continued to Lake Tepako, where the sun was shining and the lake was spectacular
• continued to Aoraki / Mt Cook and checked into the Hermitage
• the Hermitage is a large hotel catering for large groups of tourists traveling in buses so it's not very cozy, but they did a good job with the breakfast and dinner buffets, lots of choice and the food was good
• our room was very spacious with this spectacular view from our window👍👍
Monday Dec 2nd
• we did two activities we can recommend, the Glacier experience to Lake Tasman (10 min bus ride away) and a helicopter tour with Inflight, a 7-minute drive to the heliport.
• the helicopter tour was amazing, it included a landing on a mountainside directly across from Mt. Cook which was spectacular
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Tuesday Dec 3rd
• drove from Mt. Cook to Queenstown which was a very nice drive
• stopped in Cromwell for lunch at the heritage site, the Grain Store cafe did a great mince pie!
• drove to Arrowtown which is a must for people to go to, it's a very cute town with lots of restaurants and shops, dates back to the 1860's
• drove to the Rees Hotel and Apartments in Queenstown. The apartment we had overlooks the lake and it's been the best of all the accommodations we've stayed in, one bed, bathroom, living/dining/kitchen. Very nice indeed.
Wednesday Dec 4th
• got picked up outside the hotel at 7:30 am. There are two bus stops but the instructions didn't specifically say which one, but it's the one across the road from the hotel
• it was a 16 seater mini-bus and there were 14 of us on the tour. We stopped at Te Anau en route after 2 hours and it was a further 2 hours to Milford Sound.
• heavy rain and mist meant we could not see across the sound at all, but with the rain came spectacular waterfalls which I've already shared with you in a separate email.
• we drove back to the hotel at a significant pace (our guide wanted to get home) and we were dropped off at 7:45 pm, so it was a long day but very worthwhile
Thursday Dec 5th
• we drove to Glenorchy 45 minutes north of Queenstown which was a lovely drive along the lake. It's a very cute small town and worth the drive.
• we reflected on not being able to see Milford Sound and decided to book a helicopter with Glacier Tours to take us back to Milford Sound and the surrounding area. We booked the "Extended Tour" which was 2.5hrs and landed 3 times...Milford Sound airport, a beach, and a snow top / mountainside. We finally got to see Milford Sound. Tremendous!
• this wrapped up our visit and Friday 6th we headed home.
Thank you so much for helping us enjoy your beautiful country, we truly appreciate your help in putting this wonderful trip together.
Cheers...Richard
