Highlights of New Zealand

Traveler Reviews

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  Claudia

  February 24th, 2026
  Hi TourRadar: Below is what we wrote to G Adventures. Dear G Adventures: We are writing with feedback pertaining...
  Hi TourRadar: Below is what we wrote to G Adventures. Dear G Adventures: We are writing with feedback pertaining to our Highlights of New Zealand trip from February 1-15, starting in Auckland ending in Christchurch. We booked through Tour Radar. Our impression is there is very little coordination, communication, collaboration between the two agencies which has a negative effect on the customer. I won’t elaborate, but suffice it to say when I called G Adventures before leaving the USA to inquire about E Sim cards (part of the package through Tour Radar) this was the G Adventures’ representative’s reply, “That’s not our problem. You should have booked directly with us.” I did pass this response on to Tour Radar. Not a good first impression. I feel confident in saying all of the 16 travelers were very disappointed with aspects of the trip that could have been solved by G Adventures. People who had been on many G Adventures trips said that they had never experienced anything like this from the company. Before I list the areas that caused disappointment and complaint, let me say that the places we visited were wonderful, the hotels were good, and the driver was an experienced driver, helpful where he could be, and tried to accommodate requests. Feedback for G Adventures as a Company: 1- Our Driver was our tour guide. Several of our fellow travelers who had been on G Adventure tours said they always had a guide and a driver. It was our combo driver/guide’s first time with G Adventures, apparently called out at the last minute because you did not have drivers to do the trip. He clearly was not prepared by G Adventures as evidenced by: A) CEO Greeting prior to dinner the first night- horrendous. G Adventures should have provided a “welcome to the adventure” script. A fellow traveler had to suggest we do introductions as we gathered in the lobby. That was it – then we all went to dinner at a rather second rate restaurant. B) G Adventures did not provide the Driver/Guide with a clear agenda of the day; for example we were often confused as to whether we should buy snack or lunch- or it if was just a bathroom break. Sometimes we went to 2 or 3 in the afternoon before stopping. C. Dining options, at least for dinner, are often provided by the guide. G Adventures should have supplied these to our Driver/Guide. D. The Driver usually unloads the vehicle of traveler baggage. Ours went in first to get our room keys, and the travelers unloaded the luggage the first time... We thought it was a one-time deal…but ended up being the norm. E. The Seymour Ap to book the excursions was not effective. We were told about it for the first time during our CEO briefing, and few travelers could make it function. Our driver tried to help on the second night, but still not all could access it. We should have had access to it prior to arrival in New Zealand. We had asked if we could sign up in advance for activities but were told to wait until arrival. Having to wait until New Zealand led to several people not being able to even sign up for some of the activities because of problems using the Seymour Ap. The companies through which we booked on Seymour also said it was problematic. F. Again, I reiterate that the driver was nice and tried his best to help. He personally helped me when items were left behind at a hotel. However, a knowledgeable guide focuses on the travelers and their experience whereas our driver was focused on trip logistics – getting us to a destination and checked in. We missed our Group Farewell dinner because the driver did not plan in advance – and it was Valentine’s Day when we reached Christchurch. At 5pm in the evening contacted us through Whats Ap with a meet-up spot. Many people were annoyed – 11 did not go. 9 of us met up in the hotel’s bar/restaurant which served the same food as the “Fully booked” hotel restaurant. Makes one wonder in the thoroughness of the research work to find a spot. Disappointing. Sincerely, Claudia Jaccarino and Sharon SlaytonShow more
  Traveled in February 2026
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  Michelle

  January 26th, 2026
  Wow, what an amazing time I had seeing both islands of New Zealand! This trip has so many stops, activities, and...
  Wow, what an amazing time I had seeing both islands of New Zealand! This trip has so many stops, activities, and beautiful places to see. The people are kind and the food is delicious!Show more
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  Traveled in December 2025
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  B

  December 31st, 2025
  Saw many highlights and great to have a local guide. Glowworm trip was great. Many optional days to decide to do...
  Saw many highlights and great to have a local guide. Glowworm trip was great. Many optional days to decide to do what you wanted with free hiking/exploring options available, good for all ages as you could make it more active if you wanted. Decent breaks on long journeys and nice standard of hotels, would be great if breakfast was included everyday and a few more activities. Was only 12 if is which was a good group size especially given the smaller mini bus.Show more
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  Traveled in December 2025
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  None

  December 26th, 2025
  I found that this tour was quite comprehensive including nearly all the sites I've read about and wanted to see in...
  I found that this tour was quite comprehensive including nearly all the sites I've read about and wanted to see in New Zealand. Our CEO, Dan, was a local Māori and knowledgeable about the various cultures and institutions living side by side…as well as being the best driver on all those twisty mountainous roads! As for the territory that we travelled through, I can't say enough about the magnificent beauty of the land and the opportunities we had to stop on our daily journey and do short easy (for me) hikes and take in the smells, sounds and panorama. For me it was a supernatural experience and I found that, minus some minor things, like no breakfast included at many stops and perhaps a couple outdated bathrooms at our accommodations, it was a wonderful trip that I will fondly remember for a long time. And our group was a great group of people! Mary, CanadaShow more
  Traveled in November 2025
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  Elizabeth

  September 22nd, 2025
  A beautiful tour of both north and south islands. We had 11 people and this was a good number..
  Traveled in August 2025
  

  Reply from: G Adventures

  Thanks so much for your review, Elizabeth! Our world deserves more you!

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  RODRICK

  March 7th, 2025
  The New Zealand North to South tour was an incredible experience! The itinerary was well-planned, offering a perfect...
  The New Zealand North to South tour was an incredible experience! The itinerary was well-planned, offering a perfect blend of breathtaking landscapes, cultural experiences, and exciting activities. From the stunning beaches of the North Island to the majestic fjords and mountains of the South Island, every destination exceeded our expectations. A special thank you to our tour leader, Peter Fletcher, whose knowledge, enthusiasm, and excellent organization made the journey even more enjoyable. His insights and friendly approach added a personal touch, ensuring that everyone had a fantastic time. Highly recommended Tour Rod from Malta, EUShow more
  Traveled in February 2025
  

  Reply from: G Adventures

  Thank you so much for your feedback, Rodrick! We are delighted to know you enjoyed your time in New Zealand with Peter and hope to welcome you on another adventure in the near future!

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  Derın

  December 23rd, 2024
  The guide, Josie, was wonderfully knowledgeable and exceptional driver. She kept us not only in the loop all the...
  The guide, Josie, was wonderfully knowledgeable and exceptional driver. She kept us not only in the loop all the time, but also used her personal knowledge living in NZ to our advantage throughout the journey. The only drawback that we have seen is the sequence for Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo's planned day is way too consolidated and the accomodation in Lake Tekapo should be changed to a better available option.Show more
  Traveled in December 2024
  

  Reply from: G Adventures

  Thank you for sharing your experience with us, Derin. We are so glad you enjoyed your time in New Zealand with Josie and will pass on your concerns to the appropriate teams.

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  Robert

  November 23rd, 2024
  kat was a great leader clean bus, excellent driving skills, and a commitment for timelines was appreciated.....
  kat was a great leader clean bus, excellent driving skills, and a commitment for timelines was appreciated.. negative- too many of the rooms were on second floors with no elevator music was played the instant the bus moved, rock and roll was the dominant theme very little reflected native/local cultureShow more
  Traveled in November 2024
  

  Reply from: G Adventures

  Thank you for sharing your honest feedback with us, Robert. We are glad you enjoyed your tour leader, but will pass on your negative comments to the appropriate teams.

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  Douglas

  September 30th, 2024
  Overall this was an excellent tour. There was a good variety of activities offered to cover all ages. Our CEO Siobahn...
  Overall this was an excellent tour. There was a good variety of activities offered to cover all ages. Our CEO Siobahn was amazing. Her local knowledge and presentation were exemplary. The pace was generally good except for one day from Franz Joseph to Queenstown. It was a very early start due to the long distance. The hotel could not provide an early breakfast so there were some complaints. Our CEO went out and bought some cereals, muffins and bread so we could eat in the common kitchen. We found that this tour was aimed more to the younger crowd, so we had to adjust our expectations somewhat. We have toured quite a lot and we have been spoiled with luggage transportation from bus to room and back, eg: Gate1, Viking etc. There were 6 elders on this tour. Perhaps pre-trip advisories might mention that luggage would be self handling and there may be some stairs involved. The only thing that caught us off guard was the following. We have never been on a tour that left guests dead ending in a location far away from the starting point. I didn’t carefully read into this until well after I had booked air tickets Vancouver-Auckland return. Thus, I had to do re- booking from Christchurch to Auckland. This could be a bold letter warning for future travellers. Another little glitch that we experienced was a lack of information sharing between the TourRadar app and the Gadventure app. Our CEO was telling us in the beginning that daily info would be posted on the Gadventure site. Our trip didn’t even show up on the Gadventure site for many days. Also I need to complain about the E-sim for New Zealand that I bought through TourRadar. I think it’s called Alio. It didn’t work for phone calls. It worked well for Google Maps and it worked for ordering an Uber. It also rendered the Apple Messaging app useless on my phone and iPad. I should have dumped it early on the tour and bought a local sim.Show more
  Traveled in September 2024
  

  Reply from: G Adventures

  Hi Douglas, We are glad you had such a great time in New Zealand. Yes, many of our tours do start and end in different cities, so I am sorry that you didn't see that. We'll let product know to see if they can make this clearer. We hope to see you on another G Adventure soon

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  Janet

  April 4th, 2024
  The tour guide was exceptional! The accommodations could have been better.
  Traveled in March 2024
  

  Reply from: G Adventures

  Thanks Janet, This looks like such a great trip. We were glad to hear that you had such a great time with our guide. See you back on the road with us soon, we hope.

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