New Zealand Travel Agents

Absolutely 5 star experience, starting with Noemie. She was so great to work with, carefully taking into account various details to plan a wonderful trip across North and South islands of New Zealand- not only what we wanted to see and do, but also logistical needs noting we were traveling with our 2 year old, wanted accommodations that offered laundry, did not want to rent a car/bring our car seat, etc. She also noted it was my wife's birthday and added a few special surprises for it. Noemie was so patient, revising different details during the planning process to accommodate budget and even taking the time to jump on a Zoom call with us to say hello and make sure we did not have any questions before our trip. All arrangements worked out perfectly- transports, accommodations, experiences. Even when weather forced a couple of changes, Noemie and her team, as well as the provider, quickly communicated and processed refunds. A few of our favorites: (1l Queenstown gondola for spectacular views, (2) steamboat cruise to a working sheep farm and fantastic lunch, (3) dolphin cruise from Akaroa where we saw dolphins, penguins and seals, (4) geothermal park in Rotorua, (5) Lord of the Rings movie set in Hobbiton. Overall incredible scenery throughout the trip, especially considering it was the start of summer. The colors- greens and turquoise blues were amazing. We definitely want to go back and will plan in working with Noemie and team again. Highly recommend!!

Hotel Reviews

Adina City Life Auckland

Auckland

Great location, spacious apartment with laundry. Good gym and pool. Exactly what we needed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ramada Suites Queenstown

Queenstown

Walkable to town and child friendly park. Great little cafe for breakfast and other meals. Very family friendly and wondeful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Woolshed Suites Tekapo

Tekapo

Spacious with alot of natural light. Walkable to shops/restaurants within small village. Nice view of church and Lake.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sudima

Christchurch

Walkable to various areas. Wonderful staff that gave our daughter a stuffed animal at check in!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sudima Lake Rotorua

Rotorua

Comfortable hotel. Good lakefront location walkable to town. We were prepared for a bit of the sulfur smell from the proximity to the lake, but it wasn't bad at all and we couldn't really smell it from town anyway.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Akaroa Dolphins Cruise

New Zealand

We enjoyed the bus ride to Akaroa and stopping in a village on the way. As for Akaroa, what a beautiful, quaint harbortown. The cruise was great- we saw dolphins, seals, and penguins. Fun staff too. Highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wai-O-Tapu

New Zealand

Also a must see if you are in the area! The geyser experience is underwhelming because the eruption is manufactured, but the geothermal park afterward exceeded our expectations. A very pleasant walk around the park at your own pace. Amazing colors and fascinating formations. We were there for about 90 minutes and were able to do the walk with our 2 year old in a stroller.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our transport company from our hotel to the park and back was ReadytoRoll Shuttles- the owner was our driver and he was awesome- funny, friendly, knowledgeable.

Historic Steamship Cruise to Walter Peak Farm + Lunch BBQ

Queenstown (NZ)

We loved this experience as did our 2 year old! Riding a coal powered steamboat was a unique experience! Beautiful scenery- the water, mountains, but most of all the farm. We really enjoyed getting to see the demonstration of a sheepdog rounding up sheep. Wonderful buffet lunch too. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was the second trip I used KimKim for and I was thrilled again! Monika was super responsive and even called to check in when we arrived. She planned an amazing trip, bringing us to places we probably would have missed if we planned on our own but loved. I will definitely be using KimKim again!!

Hotel Reviews

M Social

Auckland

A great big city hotel with good amenities

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

QT Wellington

Wellington

This hotel is awesome. Eccentric and quirky art, amazing service and food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tongariro Lodge

Turangi

This classic fishing lodge is awesome! The staff was super nice and responsive and the food and drinks were amazing. You can’t beat the location for fly fishing or golf.

Authenticity & Character

The fireplaces and decor made for a lovely homey feel

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hana Lodge

Rotorua

This renovated mansion is beautiful! The grounds are awesome with some amazing art and even a bamboo forest.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Ahi Restaurant - 4 snacks and 4 courses

Auckland

I don’t think I’ve ever had a better meal. It was a culinary trip through New Zealand. We did the blind tasting and tried so many new things.

Quality of Experience

Our waiter was amazing

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Electric Bays guided E-bike tour of Wellington (includes cycle hire and guide)

Wellington

So much fun! Lots of great info and incredible views. Our guide (Tara?) was super! I was nervous about being able to do the ride as I’m not in the greatest shape but the e-bike solved that problem.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Te Pā Tū - Maori Cultural Experience

Rotorua

What an amazing was to authentically learn about Māori culture.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Super knowledgeable and friendly

Transport

Wai Ariki Spa "Chiefly Waters" restorative experience

New Zealand

I wasn’t sure what to expect but this experience was incredible. Relaxing and self paced.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Monika was excellent in helping us to plan our trip! She had great suggestions and was very responsive and proactive in the few cases where things had to change last minute.

What a great trip! All of the logistics were seamless and made our travel simpler. Kathrin is fantastic. We didn’t have to focus on the little details (like how will I get from the airport to the hotel or from the hotel to town), that was especially great in the moments when we were the most tired and disoriented. Poof! You’re settled in your hotel room and you have time to get your bearings, figure out what you’d like to see and do, maybe even take a moment to relax and enjoy the view. I’ve never had a vacation like that before. All of our activities were curated based on our interests, with tweaks in the planning phase to be sure we made the most of our time in this new place.

Things weren’t perfect, I don’t think that’s possible. Some locations or activities didn’t match our expectations and some events were cancelled due to weather. In retrospect, it’s easy to see where some details were lost in communication—on both ends—but this was a brand-new experience for everyone. We’ve never been to New Zealand and we’ve never travelled like this, meaning we’ve always managed all of our plans and arrangements. There’s a lot of information and preferences in my head that I didn’t think to communicate. And, even though you do this for a living, you’ve never done it for us before. You don’t know us or what we like, but you sure tried really hard to figure us out and accommodate our requests. We’re very grateful for that.

Even when things went wrong or were mildly disappointing, it was still an amazing adventure. How could it be otherwise? We were exploring a new place that is absolutely stunning and is home to really kind and friendly people. Rainy day? Cancelled hike? Time to go for a drive and enjoy the scenery, maybe get a cup of coffee and people watch.

We really appreciate everything you did for us. You were so thorough and thoughtful. Thank you!

Some highlights:

Doubtful Sound. The sound is gorgeous but we also enjoyed the bus ride there. There were so many rainbows!

TranzAlpine Train. Every bit of that day was outstanding. We were booked at the Scenic Plus fare which meant our own table with lots of delicious local food and drinks. The attendants were delightful. After a couple of hours of luxury travel we got off the train and hiked around Arthur’s Pass, then more food and drink on the ride back to Christchurch.

Waiheke Island. The hop-on/hop-off bus was good. We chose to go to a winery that was off the main route so we had to use a local bus and walk for a bit. It was totally worth it. We were the only people there. We sat on a deck with a beautiful view (including highland cows!) and enjoyed yummy wine and cheese.

Glowworm cave and kayak trip. Tom was our guide. He was really personable and patient, he had to deal with three inexperienced kayakers and it was pretty windy. He cooked for us, told us stories and kept the conversation going. We were treated to an enormous, orange moonrise. Spectacular! And the stars. Then we got to see the glowworms, so cool. We were soaked to the bone and really tired, but we loved it.

Lupines. They’re beautiful. It’s a shame they’re an introduced species.

Driving. There are views everywhere! It was nice taking it all in.

Hotel Reviews

Heritage Queenstown

Queenstown

Decor and some of the amenities (no USB outlets) are dated, but everything is spotlessly clean and the staff are really helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Regal Palms Resort

Rotorua

Decor and some of the amenities (no USB outlets) are dated, but everything is spotlessly clean and the staff are really helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Peppers Bluewater Resort

Lake Tekapo

Decor and some of the amenities (no USB outlets) are dated, but everything is spotlessly clean.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Adina Heritage Christchurch

Christchurch

Decor and some of the amenities (no USB outlets) are dated, but everything is spotlessly clean and the staff are really helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

M Social

Auckland

Super modern and clean. Very attentive staff. But everyone was very helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staff was too attentive for our tastes. We realize they were doing their jobs the way they've been told to, but we don't like being asked by everyone we pass--every meter or so--if we're okay.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Doubtful Sound Day Cruise from Queenstown

New Zealand

Staff and guides were super communicative. We knew exactly what to expect and where to go and they provided a lot of information about NZ history and culture

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dart River Funyak Safari

New Zealand

Fun, but a little too long. The boats were fun and so was the rafting, but taking an extended lunch break wasn't necessary. Maybe it would have been more enjoyable if the weather was nicer, but it was raining and I think most people would have preferred to end the trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hell's Gate Experience (Geothermal site and Mud Bath and Sulphur Spa)

Rotorua

The mud baths were soothing

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We didn't really interact with staff, it was mostly self-guided

Transport

I drove myself

Tekapo Springs - StarGazing

Lake Tekapo

Hard to rate the experience because it was cloudy, which is obviously not their fault. They provided a VR experience instead of stargazing, it wasn't very interesting to me.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I drove myself

Christchurch - Scenic train to Arthur's Pass return (TranzAlpine) in Scenic Plus class cabin

Christchurch

Great! Luxurious. Really lovely attendants and absolutely delicious food.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Te Pā Tū - Maori Cultural Experience

Rotorua

We had a nice time and we enjoyed learning about the Maori culture. The entire experience felt a little exploitative to us. We were glad to support the Maori.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Starlight Gourmet Kayak Tour - Glowworm Caves

Rotorua

Really beautiful nighttime adventure. The glowworms were cool, but just a small part of it.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Zipline Canopy Tour (Ultimate)

Rotorua

Terrifying and fun all at once.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Waiheke Explorer Hop-On Hop-Off Tour

New Zealand

The ferry to Waiheke was relaxing with pretty views. The hop-on hop-off tour was cute and allowed many opportunities to explore the island.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Blenheim / Christchurch / Lake Tekapo / Queenstown Trip

We had an unforgettable trip from start to finish - we kicked things off in Picton, where we did a combo tour of the Marlborough wine region and seafood cruise in the Marlborough Sounds. Both expereinces saw a great balance of stunning views, calm waters (on the cruise), and nonstop photo opportunities.

Christchurch surprised us with its charm, walkability, and mix of historic and modern vibes. We did a self-guided walk of the town, including a stop at The Church Pub for food and drinks.. It made a great transition point before driving deeper into the South Islands natural beauty.

Lake Tekapo featured unreal turquoise water, open skies, and peaceful atmosphere. It may have been one of the most photogeneic places we visited on this leg of the trip.

Wanaka was a wonderful lake town, where it featured one of the most photographed trees in the world. I wish we could have spent another day here to experience the town more.

we wrapped up our trip in Queenstown, where you could easily spend a week there and not do everything. While there though we did get a chance to do a number of excursions, including a plane ride, horse-back ride, jet-boat ride, and river funyak excurions, where we were able to see the snow-capped mountain ranges known famously in many Hollywood blockbusters, including Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and Misson Impossible!

Between the scenery, activities, and unforgettable moments captured, our NZ trip exceeded expectations, it is purely a magical country, and the itinerary provided by KimKim was the perfect way to experience it.