New Zealand–South Island Encompassed

3 Reviews

Excellent

33%

Good

67%

Average

0%

Rather Poor

0%

Bad

0%

• J

  James
  Written on June 21, 2018

  3.5 - Good

  Overall I really enjoyed this tour, but i'm left wondering how much that was to do with the tour and thinking it was more to do with the country itself, it's stunning! The accommodations provided were mostly good (The floating boat in Abel Tasman, Nomads in Qtown, Rainforest retreat in Franz Josef), Quirky (Old Sheep Quarters in Weddernburn, Jailhouse hotel in Christchurch) and maybe not so great but fine for a night (Nomads at Wellington and the holiday view park kinda let the side down). You can achieve everything you might typically want to do in New Zealand on this tour, with your guide generally helping to book and explain logistics etc. Expect long days and early starts on the bus, the consecutive days in Queenstown were probably much needed. Your driver/guide will make lots of stops for photos, food etc on the long drives which can break up the long travel days nicely. There was 19 in my group which felt like quite a lot as the bus can be quite cramped, ages ranged from 18-38. Some people in the group didn't appear to get on which occasionally made things difficult but you can get that anywhere and that side really is unpredictable. Also if you're joining this tour In Wellington then expect to join a group who had already started on the North Island (it was a 50/50 split). Of all the activities i did, I'd highly recommend the Canyon Swing in Queenstown (even if you hate heights like i do!), the bike ride in Wedderburn is stunning especially if the weather is on your side - Also try curling whilst you're there! New Zealand is great and i would recommend to anyone who has any small urge to go there.

  

  G Adventures commented on this review

  Thanks for the honest feedback here. Appreciate it and the time taken. Agreed - the Wedderburn bike ride is fantastic. Recommend to all!

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• AW

  Alexander
  Written on February 24, 2018

  3.5 - Good

  The trip was excellent. Some of the accommodations were absolute shite. Specifically Nomads in Wellington. It was terrible. However, other accommodations were excellent. The boat, the jail house and the Wederburn accommodations stood out as being great fun. Summer was a tremendous tour guide. She was constantly outgoing, friendly and in high spirits. She did an excellent job of maintaining the group morale even when managing early mornings, hung over participants and otherwise grumpy people. She provided excellent information about New Zealand and acted both as a tour guide and a friend. She told stories of her first hand experiences in NZ as well as provided facts and statistics for our information. Our tour group got along very well. However, Summer made an effort to socialize with everyone to ensure that any groups that formed were not exclusive or social cliques. This was critical to the inclusivity of the group so that everyone felt welcome; even those with weaker common language skills.

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• 

  Michael
  Written on December 20, 2015

  5.0 - Excellent

  New Zealand is even more stunning than expected. Every day on this trip took us to entirely different landscapes, from stunning cliffs and rivers, to beaches and ocean views, to rainforests and open farmland, it has everything. It really does feel like you've stepped in Middle Earth. Our G Adventures guides (Auto and Lucy, normally just 1 guide on the tours though!) were brilliant and looked after absolutely everything for us. They knew all the best local spots for drinks and food, and helped each individual member arrange EXACTLY the activities they wanted to do (No easy feat, the list of options in Queenstown alone is crazy!). You can do just about anything you imagine here; I went white water rafting, flying a plane, swimming in the ocean with 200 wild dolphins, quad biking and more. If you want to jump out of a plane or off a bridge, that's obviously an option too, enjoy! ;) Couldn't recommend the tour higher!