Kimkim Trip Reviews for New Zealand

Trip was fabulous. We so enjoyed the natural and cultural beauty of the country, both the North and South Island. The drivers, guides and activities made the trip so enriching and comprehensive.
All hotels were excellent. We slept so well with comfortable and top rate beds and accommodations, and we had great views in all the important places, with spectacular views of Mt. Cook and also Auckland and Queenstown. We enjoyed all activities, particularly the range of activities. Special mention regarding Chuki, the Maori guide to the Tarawera crater, Craig, the guide to Milford, and Stu, the driver guide to Kaikoura. Top-rated activities were being in, hiking and spending Christmas at Mt. Cook National park, Tarawera crater walk, despite terrible weather (the only bad weather day), swim with the dolphins (too cold for Jennifer but John enjoyed being in the water while Jennifer enjoyed from the boat), jet ski safari, Earnslaw SSS steamboat and sheep demonstration outing and renting/riding e-bikes in Gibbston Valley to ride along the Arrow river gorge and the wineries. Work staff in many locations was notably affected - restaurants opened short hours and sometimes only on certain days - we discussed with the locals who explain the confluence of factors emerging from Covid that resulted in the labor shortage. Aukland airport hotel was the only downer of a hotel really - it was New Year's Even and the place was mediocre and the eating/drinking options were not open. The trip was aggressive at the beginning and a little unsure about a few details initially because we had to be on target for making the schedule early in the trip, but everything worked out well and we communicated with both Liz and the in country support agent Sharon to ask a few questions and sort out a few minor details. Many thanks to Liz for all her hard work on the trip to provide a very customized and comprehensive itinerary. New Zealand is a naturally beautiful country with hospitable people and good food and coffee. We look forward to a future trip to Australia as well. Cheers, Jennifer Archer

Hotel Reviews

M Social

Auckland

Staff were extremely helpful in Jennifer obtaining her backpack from the uber and in preparing the special take away breakfast in the morning. Room configuration and room design was a little strange with the shower open to view from the other parts of the room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pullman Rotorua

Rotorua

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rutherford Hotel Nelson

Nelson

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

It felt a little weird because we felt like one of only less than a handful of guests there and the restaurants and other parts of the hotel were not fully functional (probably due to the staffing shortage and the season). But is was a lovely top older hotel and had a washer and dryer which was much appreciated

Crowne Plaza Christchurch

Christchurch Central

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was small and only a single chair.

Hermitage Hotel

Mount Cook Village

Authenticity & Character

Location

Stellar view - one of the best in our lives

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gibbston Valley Lodge & Spa

Gibbston

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The staff who were there were helpful and professional; there was clearly a staff shortgage as many of the operations were not opened or fully functional (e.g., dining capacity and other shop/restaurant venues) again due to staff shortages. Villas were top rate!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sudima Auckland Airport

Auckland

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Auckland to Rotorua visiting Hobbiton with lunch

Auckland

Driver to Hobbiton was extremely knowledgeable and dexterous driving and imparting so much history and Maori tradition/history of the area to us passengers.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tu Te Ra - Maori Cultural Dining Experience

Rotorua

An important experience to have to learn about Maori culture.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Did not care for the cheesy humor of the bus driver to the site

Transport

Half Day Mt Tarawera Crater Walk Experience

Rotorua

Tested my comfort zones but a really cool experience. Weather was cold, windy and cloudy/foggy but still a really cool experience. A little scary but having 2 guides was so important. We felt accomplished at the end.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Twilight Glow Worm Kayak Experience - 3 hour guided

Rotorua

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Beaches, Bays & Seals Guided Kayaking Trip

New Zealand

Quality of Experience

We enjoyed the kayaking but perhaps could have seen more wildlife or gone further.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Punting on the Avon

Christchurch

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

N A

Full Day Kaikoura & Swim With Dolphins

Christchurch

Beautiful weather on whole trip except the day in Rotorua and spectacular for day in Kaikoura. The volume and acrobatics of the dusky dolphins was so interesting to watch! We saw them jump and 360s in unison of the whole pod which was really unique and cool. Saw an albatross or 2 as well. John really enjoyed the in water activity. Water too cold for Jennifer, but enjoyed watching the dolphins from the boat. as much from the boat. Also driver stopped to see some more fur seals. Learned about the sperm whales from the movie and demonstration boards at the whaling outfit.

Quality of Experience

Food

It was Christmas Eve which made it hard I think - we did not recieve the afternoon tea or the wine tasting. We did have the lunch with tea or coffee at Kaikoura cafe.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Big Sky Stargazing Adventure

New Zealand

Was canceled due to the southern sky being obscured - although we noted that a good portion of the sky was clear. We should receive a refund for this activity.

Half Day Wilderness Safari - Jetboat

Queenstown (NZ)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Really unique experience and love seeing Mt. Aspiring National Park.

Walter Peak Farm and Gourmet Barbecue Lunch

New Zealand

A must do activity in Queenstown.

Quality of Experience

Loved the sheep dog and sheep shearing experience particularly and the piano playing on the boatride back. Wish the sheep demonstration was longer.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Milford Mariner Overnight Cruise from Queenstown (2 days, 1 night)

Queenstown (NZ)

The bus driver tour guide Craig gave us a special drive to Milford informing us about the history, geology, flora and fauna the whole way and stopping at a few special places, including the historic locomotive in Kingston. We had a special bonding with the 2 other couples that shared the bus ride as well. stopped at wildlife sanctuaries to see the extremely endangered Takahe birds along with the Kea, Antipides parrot, and Kaka. Another beautiful day, it was special to see the bottlenose dolphin pod and all the beec-tree covered fiords and water cascades and glaciers along with Tutoko and Mr. Meiner and other famous peaks. From the plan ride home were were able to see the vastness of the entire Fiordland National Park.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lydia and her team at New Zealand Self Drive Tours were fantastic! They were quick to respond when there was a minor issue at one of the wine cellars and the issue was resolved immediately. And this was on Christmas eve!! The app was extremely helpful throughout our drive. Just one suggestion for the folks at the New Zealand Fine Touring-- The Milford Fly Cruise Fly website is inaccurate about the pick up times from the hotels in Queensland for the 10 am trip. Please let them know that people will be picked up at 8:45 am and not 10 am as stated in the app and on the website.
Thanks again, Lydia & team for a memorable NZ vacation.

Hotel Review

QT Wellington

Wellington

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Auckland City & Waitakere Ranges

Auckland

Murray and Erin are excellent guides!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cloudy Bay - Bookable Experience

Blenheim

A beautiful winery and a great tasting experience. The lunch at Jack's Raw bar was just great.

Our travel agent, Liz Neal, helped us plan an amazing family vacation to New Zealand. We traveled to three different cities on both islands. Every accommodation, driver, and tour she booked for us were excellent, on time, and exactly as described. We had originally planned to visit the North Island only, but Liz convinced us to go to Queenstown also, and was her advice ever spot on. We had some tours in mind before we went, but Liz suggested a few others that were fantastic. We can't wait to go back someday!

Hotel Reviews

Heritage Queenstown

Queenstown

Stunning view, spacious accommodation, but a little far from town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

a little inconvenient getting to and from city center

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

QT Auckland

Auckland

Great location, very clean, but has a very specific boutique hotel vibe that was more geared towards adults than families.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Auckland to Rotorua visiting Hobbiton with lunch

Auckland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mitai Cultural Experience & Dinner

Rotorua

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Waimangu Valley Nature Walk & Lake Rotomahana Boat Cruise

Rotorua

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Glenorchy and Paradise Explorer

Queenstown (NZ)

Quality of Experience

Was expecting it to be more Lord of the Rings-based.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tour guide was very friendly.

Transport

Very windy roads that easily cause motion sickness

Walter Peak Farm and Gourmet Barbecue Lunch

New Zealand

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private City Tour - 4 hours

Auckland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Whale & Dolphin Eco-Safari

Auckland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

90 Minute Weta Workshop Unleashed

Auckland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We enjoyed our trip of a lifetime thanks to the help of Christina. She listened and planned a trip that was perfect for our preferences and also the pace of travel. Our bike trips were fabulous...although now we are hooked on pedal assisted e-bikes! The Dunston Bike Trail is amazing. The helicopter landing on Franz Josef as well was over the top! We couldn't have asked for a better trip.

Activity Reviews

The Big Day Out

Hokitika

It's a hard ride...not for the faint of heart. Be sure to bring your own food and water...there's nothing on the trail. But a beautiful way to see the landscape!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Good stories

Transport

It's a van

Glacier Explorers - Mount Cook

Aoraki / Mount Cook Village

Amazing experience...don't miss it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tekapo to Twizel with Cycle Journeys

New Zealand

Loved their bikes.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Milford Sound Full-Day Adventure

Queenstown (NZ)

Weather did not cooperate so we had to shuttle back rather than fly. Made for an extra long day that we would have preferred to not have.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wanaka Bike Tours - Lake Dunstan Cycle Trail

New Zealand

Amazing path. Use an ebike for this one...worth it!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Twin Glacier 30-Minute Helicopter Flight with Snow Landing

New Zealand

We stayed to attempt the landing after a bad weather day...totally worth it. Hang out til the weather changes if you can!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The entire trip was amazing. It was such a wonderful experience to have everything all planned out in what in my opinion is the most beautiful country in the world. The only advice I would give is to remind the guide to make sure they're getting the best deals when they purchase tickets to various experiences. We were a family of 2 adults and 2 kids and one booking was made for 4 adults and another one could have been purchased as a family package instead of 4 separate tickets, which would have been a few dollars less. Other than those minor details, everything was extremely well planned out so that we did not have to rush anywhere, and we moved seamlessly from city to city. I would definitely use kimkim again.

Hotel Reviews

M Social

Auckland

Great food and central location with beautiful views.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mantra

Lake Tekapo

It was a cute and comfortable little house with all the amenities of an air bnb. It was located walking distance to the lake. My only recommendations to the staff is to update the pots and pans - they were very used and the Teflon was peeling. Also, there were no condiments, oils, or seasonings that one would normally find in a comparable an air bnb. Because we were only there for a few days, it didn't make sense to buy an entire bottle of oil or butter to cook with for example, so our use of the kitchen was limited. It was nice that it had a washer/dryer, heaters on both floors and a connected garage to keep the car warm.

Authenticity & Character

Super cute and user friendly

Location

Walking distance to the lake

Staff

There was nobody there when we checked in or out. A key was left in a locker.

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was very clean. Newer pots/pans were due in our unit.

Rydges Rotorua

Rotorua

It was a clean and comfortable stay. The restaurant downstairs had a buffet but the food was not the greatest. The gift shop is only open 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours at night. It was difficult to catch it open because we had daytime activities but once we did, we were pleasantly surprised at the variety and prices of the items sold. They had 2 EV parking spaces, which was nice because parking was sometimes full and we happened to have a hybrid. I would stay again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It's a 5 min drive to all the restaurants next to the lake

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Distinction Christchurch Hotel

Christchurch

It's very elegant and clean. The restaurant downstairs was great and everyone was welcoming and nice. There is a charge for parking but it's worth it because there is no other parking nearby. I wish we would have stayed here longer.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance to great food and the theater

Staff

The front desk gave us wonderful ideas for things we could do on a rainy day.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rydges Lakeland Queenstown

Beautiful views from all the rooms. The room was clean but it had an awkward layout (I would imagine it's to ensure the beautiful views from both the bedroom and the sitting area. The walls are super thin as we could hear our neighbors having a regular conversation. There was no designated area for a coffee machine so the water pot was placed behind the TV in the sitting area but there were no cups. We went down to the lobby where they have a coffee machine, but the front desk attendant does not make coffee so we had to wait for the restaurant upstairs to open at 7am. There was a small refrigerator in the room but it would make a loud noise that wouldn't let us sleep so we had to unplug it and couldn't use it. Parking is limited and there is a fee if you are able to get a spot. However, you don't need a car as it's located walking distance from lots of great restaurants, stores and activities.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Fullers Ferry Auckland to Rangitoto Island return trip

Auckland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Milford Sound Full-Day Adventure

Queenstown (NZ)

Our guide Andy was amazing. It was a rainy day and yet everything about the drive was great despite the time and distance. Highly recommended.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Steve our guide for blue mountains was great very knowledgeable and friendly
John who guided us to 12 apostles was funny, native of area with a wealth of info.
Milford Sound was a must see experience
Glow worms cave was my favorite, our guide was great grandson to one of the first guides. Excellent!
Maori experience was top notch.
Skipper Chris was also great guide on Whale & dolphin safari.
Christine at KimKim is excellent, experience and did a great job matching are desires and accommodations.

We 100% recommend this service and Christine.

Jeanette Ramsey

Chelsea put together a fantastic itinerary for the North Island; the lodgings were fantastic, and the agenda was a nice blend of activities and downtime to explore. Unfortunately, one of the activities was canceled because of weather, but Chelsea was on top of it, letting me know right away, and helping me find alternatives. When I got in country she was indispensable, especially as unfortunately I got a little sick at the outside of the trip, but she helped me take care of the schedule.

Really loved the highlights in Aukland, Rotorua, Napier and Wellington! Can't wait to come back and explore more!

Nichole was incredibly informative, gracious, and flexible. We had some last minute challenges during our visit (unrelated to the planning) and Nichole had to do some super quick adjustments and really took care of us. We are very appreciative of her and would highly recommend!

Very good itinerary and very enjoyable activities. Just very expensive.

I wrote to Kim Kim re cycling in NZ having some ideas of what we wanted (and what we did not want). Valentin responded immediately and through some correspondence we planned 2 weeks cycling in Sth Island of New Zealand. He understood our needs and catered to our preferences. The choice of trails, accommodation and attention to detail was fantastic (the trip itself was amazing, so varied in scenery and types of trails. We loved the small towns, the unique accommodations and people, having our luggage transported and the organizations of shuttles to and from airport, train and buses and the bicycle company to provide bicycles, support and guidance for the cycling and even suggestions for hikes to do at Mt Cook. Certainly a most memorable experience and a patch of blue while the storm clouds of Covid-19 gathered. We finished the trip on a real high with many lovely memories to carry us through our isolation/quarantine on returning home.

Thanks to Eloise for planning our wonderful trip thru New Zealand. The highlight of our trip was staying at the Matuka Lodge in Twizel(Mount Cook). The flight over the glaciers were beyond memorable. The whole itinerary was very well planned and everything went smoothly. Thanks for all the recommendations. Till the next time.

Valentine created an awesome itinerary for us! If I were to pick out the best highlight (which is hard because everything was awesome!) I'd say it was the Waimarino glow worm evening kyak tour which was absolutely fabulous. However, everything was great from the moment we arrived in Auckland, to the whale and dolphin watching, to the wine tasting on Waiheke island, to the Hobbiton movie set, hiking around Wai O Tapu, and hanging out next to the stunning ocean in Tauranga. We had an amazing time in our 7 days in NZ!

Had a great experience with KimKim and Eloise who booked our travel for our honeymoon in New Zealand. As a seasoned traveler, I usually book my own travel, however the ease and quality of our trip reserved with kimkim has forever changed how I will book future trips! We gave Eloise the places and activities we were interested in and she put together a stellar itinerary where we had flexibility but structure to our trip. It felt like we were on a private self-guided tour. We wanted to hike and bike and she put us in the best spots to adventure - we loved the bike trip from the town of Clyde and hiking around Mt. Cook and Wanaka. When our 3 day trek on the Routeburn was cancelled due to weather, she re-booked us at another location, and I was so relieved to have someone else worry about the details especially when there were changes outside of our control. Will book a future trip with kimkim, and many thanks to Eloise for guiding us right!

South Island, New Zealand 16 days 19 January through 03 February, 2020. Kimkim organized our self drive 16 day trip of South Island. It was perfect from start to finish. All the BnBs were fabulous. Having a local NZ phone was a great addition for contacting hosts of our arrivals and to check on excursions. Promt refund issued for a cancelled excursion. Would highly recommend and would use again to put a trip together.

Great trip. I especially enjoyed City Lights and Kamana Lake Hotel.

Valentin was excellent in helping plan my trip

Emeline did a phenomenal job carefully exploring and matching our desired sites, interests, activities, budget and timeframe with an action-packed itinerary and travel arrangements that were perfect for our family’s first trip to New Zealand. Having limited knowledge of the country nor time to plan ourselves, we really relied on Emeline’s expertise and guidance. She did not let us down! Highlights included mountain biking in the Redwoods Forest of Rotorua, hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, wine tasting in Martinborough, whitewater rafting in Queenstown, a cruise on the Milford Sound, exploring the Te Anau Glowworm caves, jet boating and hiking along the Matukituki River by Wanaka and hiking the Hooker Valley in the shadow of Aoraki Mount Cook. She really helped us to optimize our 15 days, steering us away from locations that were not feasible if we wanted to contain time we’d spend in the car each day, while suggesting local highlights to take in as we travelled. We especially enjoyed our boutique, B&B accommodations in Rotorua, Wanaka and Twizel. Emeline and the Once Upon a Trip team were very responsive to our last minute booking requests and any questions we had. Trip was a success... our adult daughters want to travel again with us! Looking forward to our next trip to New Zealand and engaging Emeline in the planning!

New Zealand is beautiful and definitely worth every minute there! So much to see and hard to choose! Kimkim helped to set a great itinerary after me having to narrow down the list! The best hotel we stayed in was the Park Queenstown Hotel, great location, staff and food!! Spend some time in Auckland! Downtown was a bit of a mess due to the construction of an expanded light rail, but by far my favorite city I’ve visited, relaxing, interesting, diverse and lovely people. Standout was the Hotel DeBrett, great location near sights and lovely walking and shopping streets, Mount Cook so beautiful and worth the trip as well. Thanks again Kimkim

I have had very good experience . All people I interacted with (Valentin, Eveline and Ben) were very professional and skill. I am sure that will be happy to advice this local specialists to my friends/

what was planned by Eloise our guide, was brilliantly put together. I had an idea of the places where to go and with a little tinkering between ourselves Eloise came up with, for us, a perfect tour. Everything was smooth from the moment we were picked up at the airport, to the moment we were dropped off for our return. Knowing that everything was booked and paid for when we arrived at each accommodation, and tour meant there was never a concern with any payments. The only thing we had to concern ourselves with and put our hand in our pocket for was where to get something to eat and drink on each day. The only blip was that our trip to Milford Sound was cancelled due to bad weather, but the weather is beyond anyone's control.
Highlights for us was Lake Tarawera and the thermal beach, Akaroa for penguin watching, which turned out to be a quaint little town also, and whale watching in Kaikoura to which the company concerned upgraded us to a helicopter flight so we had an added bonus to boot.
All in all the tour Eloise put together for us was just what we wanted and if I am ever to go back to New Zealand, I know who I will contact; Eloise, watch out for my next call !