We wanted to see a lot of the country, but we also didn’t want to feel like we were constantly rushing from one place to another. We started in Auckland and made our way through some incredible places. Waiheke Island was a beautiful start to the trip, and from there we headed to Coromandel, where we did the Cathedral Cove kayaking. The coastline and water were absolutely beautiful. We did the Waitomo caves and black-water rafting, and I have to admit, floating through the darkness with the glowworms above us was both slightly strange and absolutely amazing. It's not something you get to experience every day. The TranzAlpine train journey to Greymouth was spectacular. The scenery kept changing from mountains to valleys and rivers, and we probably took far too many photos. Mt Cook, where we stayed overnight. The stargazing there was unforgettable. Coming from a place where you don't often get to see a truly dark sky, looking up and seeing so many stars was one of the quiet moments of the trip that really stayed with us. We finished with some time in the hot pools in Queenstown, which turned out to be the perfect way to wind down after 11 very full days. The vehicle was also extremely comfortable, which matters more than you realize when you're spending several hours on the road. There was plenty of legroom, so even on the longer drives we never felt cramped. We could relax, enjoy the scenery, and have a conversation without feeling like we were packed into a tour bus. It never felt like we were simply being taken from one attraction to the next. Our guide was fantastic, he seemed to understand what we were looking for and had an answer for pretty much every question we asked. If you're considering visiting New Zealand, we would absolutely recommend doing a private custom tour. Having the flexibility, comfort, and personal attention made our 11 days so much more enjoyable.
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alexiesj2026
August 13, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Amazing Tour in Beautiful Country
We started our 14 days tour from Auckland making our way through both North and South Islands with fantastic itinerary which gave us really good mix of adventure, nature, Maori Culture, relaxation and some unique experiences. Te Puia was excellent to experience real Maori Culture, Glowworm Caves, Waitomo Caves and Black Water Rafting was such a magical and unique experience. The overnight Doubtful Sound was one of the best experience, peaceful, beautiful, and completely different from the other experiences and places. Milford Sound and Stewart Island were just untouched beauty and well worth the time and money you spend. We liked this tour as we could see a lot without worry about arranging every transfer, tickets, and activity ourselves. If you don't want to miss anything then try to book your tour well in advance as few activities do sellout faster. If you have time don't miss doubtful sound experience. Highly recommend this tour and our guide who made this happen.
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arianav513
August 10, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Beautiful Memories made in New Zealand
Perfectly planned 14 days gave us opportunity to experience so many different sides of New Zealand. We started from Auckland and went to Waihake Island, Rotorua, Te Puia, Taupo, Hobbiton movie set and we had delicious lunch at the movie set. We experienced authentic Maori Culture in Te Puia village, river rafting at Rotorua was one of the thrilling experience. Norther explorer train was amazing experience and their service was top notch. We took ferry from Wellington to Picton and we read its one of the best scenic rout of the world and indeed it was. We also went Abel Tasman, West Coast. Akaroa was beautiful cute little town where we experienced beautiful nature cruise and met cute alpacas. Helicopter ride at Mt. Cook was wonderful, specially the glacier landing. I would suggest don't miss it if you are visiting NZ. Our guide RV was the great company to travel with, he always knew where to take us and showed many beautiful hidden spots along the way. Also he was amazing photographer, we left from New Zealand with some fantastic photos and memories. We have travelled to quite a few countries, but this trip stands out as one of the most beautiful and enjoyable trips we have ever taken. New Zealand id incredible it having the right guide made all the difference. I would happily recommend Waimate Journeys to my friends and families.
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camilliec2026
June 24, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
14 Days in A Beautiful Country
We spent amazing two weeks in New Zealand one week North Island and one week South Island, started from Auckland sightseeing then went to Poor Knights Islands, Waitomo Glowworm Caves, Hobbiton then enjoyed beautiful sunset at Hot Water Beach. In Rotorua, we did Kaituna River Rafting, that is home to world's highest commercially rafted waterfall, and later relaxed in the geothermal pools at Polynesia Spa. We flew to Christchurch and enjoyed dinner on the Tramway Restaurant. The next day we visited Akaroa, a beautiful little town. We took an Akaroa Nature Cruise and spent time with alpacas. TranzAlpine train journey was breathtaking, and Arthur's pass surprised us with its incredible mountain scenery.
Lake Tekapo stargazing experience was unforgettable, while Mt. Cook left us speechless with its beauty. Seafood Lover should definitely try the fresh salmon at High Country near Mt. Cook. Wanaka was stunning and Queenstown truly lived up to its reputation as the adventure capital. We loved the jet boating and ziplining there. Milford Sound was a true highlight, its worth saying it is eighth wonder of the world. Our guide was incredible and he knew all the best scenic spots and took so many wonderful photos for us. New Zealand is incredibly beautiful and peaceful something you truly need to experience for yourself. This custom tour made us to travel at our own pace. Highly recommend to anyone who want the best.
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jasonmW3396SS
June 21, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Well Planned Trip with Flexibility
We spent 9 days in this tour first 3 days in the North Island and the rest 6 days in the South Island. Starting in Auckland, we visited Hobbiton and Rotorua, where we enjoyed the geothermal attractions and enjoy Maori Village and their culture. From there we flew to Christchurch and continued our South Island adventure through Greymouth, Lake Tekapo, Mt. Cook, Queenstown, Doubtful Sound and the Glowworm Caves. So many memorable moments we had throughout the trip. The TranzAlpine train journey, the stunning views around Mt. Cook and the overnight cruise in Doubtful Sound were just amazing experience. Imagine waking up surrounded by the peaceful fiords was an experience we will never forget. We really appreciated was the flexibility of the tour. We originally planned to visit the Kiwi Park in Queenstown, but towards the end of the trip we felt a relaxing soak in the hot pools would be a better way to finish our holiday. We mentioned it to our guide, and he quickly arranged everything for us. It turned out to be one of the best decisions we made and was the perfect way to unwind before heading home. I would happily recommend this tour to anyone wanting to see a lot of New Zealand without the stress of organizing it all themselves.
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josiecE365TE
June 12, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Best 13 Days Spent in New Zealand
We spent our best 13 days exploring New Zealand on a private tour and it turned out one of the best trip we have had since a while. After knowing we want to travel new Zealand we were sure we wanted mixed of adventure and nature tour and they created itinerary to deliver exactly that. From river rafting on 7m height waterfall to Hobbiton, Waitomo Glowworm Caves, Swimming with dolphins, Northern Explorer Train, Stargazing at Lake Tekapo, West Coast, Helicopter Ride, Jet Boating, Doubtful Sound Cruise and Scenic Ferry and Flight for Stewart Island everything was such an incredible. We spent almost similar time in both North and South Island and both are very unique and very different from each other. Our guide was very reliable, easy to go along with and always willing to go extra mile. It's kind of trip we will be talking about for years and share our experience with friends and family. Thank you Waimate Journeys for amazing memories.
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martinsS476FC
June 9, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
The Best Decision We Made for New Zealand
I have travelled quite a bit, and this New Zealand trip ranks among my favorite. New Zealand is way more beautiful then we thought. We loved having adventure activities mixed with quieter scenic days. We really enjoyed river rafting at Rotorua and Muriwai beach in Auckland is beautiful. Abel Tasman was wonderful with crystal clear water and peaceful coastal scenery. Stargazing at Lake Tekapo was unreal, it was just unbelievable to see Milky Way and sky full of stars just above you. It was quite windy and cold though but the experience you will never forget. Mt. Cook was amazing specially helicopter ride and glacier landing just unreal. Not to forget, if you are seafood lover, then don't miss the fresh salmon near Mt. Cook and the oysters in Bluff. Both were delicious and well worth trying.
Our guide was fantastic, friendly, informative and always one step ahead. Waimate Journeys made the entire process simple and transparent, and we always felt well looked after. This was the kind of service which lets you focus entirely on enjoying your holiday. Highly Recommended.
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S520DKterryg
June 8, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Flexible, Easy and Worth Every Money
We loved how flexible the planning process was. We weren't pushed toward a fixed itinerary. Instead, we were given different options based on our interests and helped us to build the trip that suited us best. We covered incredible amount of New Zealand without feeling rushed. The Marlborough Sounds was amazing and Abel Tasman's beaches looked like something from tropical island, while the Mt. Cook impressed with it's glaciers specially the Glacier Lake at the end of Hooker Valley Track. Queenstown is the truly beautiful specially the Jet Boating was one of the wonderful experience and Hobbiton is the another world, the scenery and how maintained movie set was just mesmerizing. Also Buddhist Temple was one of the peaceful and calm place while Te Puia gives truly New Zealand Cultural vibes. This tour has everything you expect from holidays. Our amazing guide just made sure we are comfortable and enjoying our time. He went above and beyond to give us the best experience. Highly recommend this tour to anyone who just want to seat back and relax and enjoy their holidays without any worry.
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sylviajG3737PN
June 7, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Personal Way to Experience New Zealand with Professional Planning
The level of service exceeded our expectations. Communication was excellent from the beginning, and every question was answered quickly. The car was very comfortable with ample legroom which we prefer most for the long journey. We felt very well looked after throughout the journey. We chose to travel 5 days in North Island and 8 days in South Island and somehow it felt we saw almost all of New Zealand. The itinerary was put together really well and made the most of our time.
The Northern Explorer train was one of the best train journeys we have ever had, with excellent service and constantly changing scenery. We also chose the ferry from Wellington to Picton, and after experiencing ourselves, I can see why it's considered one of the world's most scenic ferry crossings. Abel Tasman was stunning with its golden beaches and crystal-clear water, while the West Coast felt wild and untouched. Also, Mt. cook was unreal when we did glacier landing from the helicopter ride and Glowworm Caves were unreal. This tour is the best if you don't want to invest time in planning and research, also don't want to drive and just want to enjoy your holidays with organized way then don't hesitate to book this tour. All you need is the number of days you want to travel and the activates if you have any in mind that you want to experience.
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joytI6227XD
June 5, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Wonderful Experience from Start to Finish
We usually travel independently but New Zealand involves lot of driving, so we decided to try a custom tour. It turned out to be a great decision. We still felt like travelling on our own term but without the stress of navigation, bookings and planning. From the first inquiry to final day everything was easy an well organized. We just shared number of days we wanted to travel and our interest based on that we were given different options. The scenery was stunning everywhere we went but Lake Tekapo, Mt. Cook, Queenstown, Milford Sound and Stewart Island stood out. For adventure Rotorua and Queenstown were fantastic. For cultural experience Te Puia was excellent. For nature Milford Sound ad Stewart Island were unforgettable. For scenery both the scenic train journeys and every drive were cinematic. Every place has something unique to offer.
A big thank you to our guide, who made everything so easy. The vehicle was extremely clean everyday and stocked with bottled water and snacks. Book this custom tour if you want to experience the real beauty of New Zealand without any stress.