Kimkim Trip Reviews for New Zealand

Older hotel needs some updating but nice. There are better choices in the area. The german restaurant in the hotel however is terrible. They need to rethink that space. Both our dinners were disgusting but my husband ate his anyway.

Motel so get your bags to your room yourself. But very nice room. Probably the best in the town.

Nice hotel but we had the back side view of a side of a mountain and a construction site. So ask for the view.

Super nice. Took the ride on a real Americas Cup Racing boat. Helped the crew raise and lower the sails. It was a great way to end our trip.

The guides are great. The morning was a city tour and the afternoon volcanos, rain forest and the black sand beach (hot sand but beautiful). We've done a lot of this already so it was a repeat. But nice if your first time.

Fun day at Hobbiton. Fan or not will enjoy the day.

Fun cultural event to learn about the people, have dinner and to see Geysers

We are not usually bird watchers but this place is amazing. Theyre trying to restore this habitat back to pre settlers and succeeding. We saw 3 Kiwi which are extremely endangered and a bunch of other endangered birds and a few reptiles. Way better then expected.

Nice ride. But be quick to get your spot. We bought an upgrade to an area and didnt end up sitting there because we thought we were in the right spot. It was fine we had nice seats in the front of the ship.

Nice and comfy ride. Theres food on board. Great scenery including a huge pod of Dolphins feeding in the water.

We loved this day. The ride wasnt terrible and the boat was nice. Our driver was great. The guy that owned and drove the boat was also the builder of thr boat which is amazing. We didnt see many Dolphins, we also saw tiny penguins and seals. Nice day. Great little town. Lunch was delicious too.

Innercity bus. Crowded and we were last on so we couldnt sit together. 4 hours of crowded uncomfortable bus. 2 thumbs down from us.

I was scared my husband thought it was great. We had a very windy day and they needed to use a different plane for the flight. But at 3000 feet it was much better. Amazing views! I couldnt wait to be on the ground.

Amazing star gazing. Our guide was a super enthusiastic astronomer. We are not but it was interesting.

Fun!

The tour was great and our first for our trip. Our guide was amazing he knows so much about the area and vegetation. Very nice too. The bus ride however was too long. With the bus and the boat it was 12 hours. Long day!!

Fun day drinking wine and talking to people from all around the world. Iy was a lovely day.

One of, if not the, most fabulous hotels I've ever stayed in! Absolutely beautiful. The bath & body products in the room are soooo nice I bought some to take home. I took pix of the shower so I can remodel mine like theirs- I loved the rough hewn herringbone tile, the shelf instead of a niche, and the horizontal drain, just in case you're curious what I found so special in a hotel shower! I hated to leave. I'll def stay here the next time I'm in Auckland.

Darling beachy hotel.

Historic hotel. My room had a breathtaking view of Mt. Cook. Staff is great- the chef was circulating the buffet & showed me how to eat a green-lipped mussel & explained the bigger mussels are female & sweeter, smaller ones are male & not as sweet (I couldn't tell a difference in taste).

Not my favorite, old & dated. There is a Novotel next door that looked much nicer. Great location though, 5 minute walk to bars & restaurants.

Loved it! Not as scary as bungee jumping with a rope.

Pretty amazing! One of the few places in the world where a glacier feeds into a lake - and the lake is accessible!

Fabulous museum! Don't miss the preserved giant squid. The Gallipoli exhibit (think of it as New Zealand's Dunkirk) is absolutely incredible.

It was tons of fun walking across narrow suspension bridges high in the treetops in the dark by the glow of beautiful lanterns.

I'm not into birds at all but the hatchery was very interesting, it was thrilling to see newly hatched kiwi chicks and learn how this unique bird is being brought back from near extinction.

Unfortunately we had to drive back instead of fly back because of weather. Our flight was promptly refunded. I'm sure it's spectacular from the air...

Interesting coal-fired tramp steamer ride. Best buffet of the trip! Sheep shearing with Quinn and his dog Mist was fun.

Don't miss this! It would NEVER be allowed in the USA. A very hairaising ride- at times I thought we'd for sure crash into the canyon walls or flip on rocks in the river but the boat driver was very good.

Where else can you swim with hundreds of dolphins in the OPEN OCEAN??

Don't miss a dip in the mud baths. The mud is luxuriously silky smooth. Listen to their instructions- they said don't wear jewelry for 48 hrs afterward, it will tarnish. I scoffed. I was wrong- see photo of the sterling silver earrings I put on that evening! They polished up nicely once I got home, however.

The Māori are a proud people, eager to share their heritage with outsiders. I was afraid the show would be touristy and cheesy, but it definitely was not!

It was by sailboat not motorboat, which was extra special. The commentary was really interesting- we sailed right by the entire New Zealand navy, 8 boats, one with a gun! The crew was great. Meal was a bit strange, served in bowls, but the guys were so enthusiastic it was a fun excursion.

Rooms were very dark and carpet seemed dirty. I would not stay here again. Staff was nice tough

Probably one of my favorite hotels I have stayed in. very clean and quaint.

Cute, quite and clean!

Comfortable, good location. Pretty generic hotel.

Comfortable room, good amenities on site, though it's a bit out of town.

A fairly generic hotel with a medium quality breakfast

Great view, good location, very comfortable. The breakfast is subpar, so we recommend just going to town.

The room had a great view, but was small. The buffet for dinner and breakfast was mediocre for the price. The staff were very helpful when we were trying to reschedule our start gazing tour. Overall, we would have preferred to stay in the motel for less money.

Great location, clean and comfortable.

The room was a bit old and let a lot of light in. The breakfast was only ok. The staff was a little bit difficult when we tried to verify the boxed breakfast that our travel agent had arranged for an early morning departure. We did enjoy the thermal baths on site.

Clean and comfortable. Location is great. Staff was helpful - lending us an umbrella for the day when it was pouring rain. We didn't eat there, so can't comment on the restaurant/bar.

This was definitely one of our favorite activities. The scenery during the cruise was truly incredible. Then the underwater observatory was also really cool. We even got to see an octopus, which is pretty rare. Finally the kayaking was a perfect way to move around while spending more time in the Sound, paddling around surrounded by these massive cliffs.

It's a great way to get across the country while soaking in the views. The audio guide was a nice touch.

This was a lovely and pleasant kayak trip on a rainy morning. Luckily it rained much less on the lake than at Franz Josef. It was nice to hear a lot from our guide about the local wildlife.

This was pure luxury for us. A private hot tub overlooking a beautiful river valley with drinks and snacks included - it's an ideal way to end a day. Of course it's not an actual onsen, but we knew that going in.

The luge track is really fun!

The steam ship was very cool. We couldn't believe it's been operating the same way since 1912! The buffet dinner was out of this world good, especially the meats and desserts. And the farm show was thoroughly entertains, especially the sheep dog.

Unfortunately the tour was cancelled both days we were at Mt Cook. They did offer a planetarium show instead, which was a nice consolation.

The buffet dinner was great and overlooked the geyser, which put on an impressive display. The cultural show was a lot of fun as well. Ending up with hot chocolate and a close up view of the geyser was really nice.

The guides were very nice and paddling around at night into little caves with the glowworms was pretty cool. Ultimately, we were hoping for a bit more in terms of size of caves or length of the trip.

A great experience all around. The guides were super fun and engaging throughout. We really appreciated the conservation efforts that the tour was supporting.

It's a pretty good value and very easy logistically. One downside is that the bus can get full, in which case you have to wait for the next one, and the timing of the buses is pretty unpredictable. There was also a range of experiences at the wineries, from personable and attentive at Batch to corporate and efficient at Stonyridge.

It's not worth the cost and queueing. But once you do get up there the view is nice.

All looks great on paper but the room layout is not great. Pro: spacious living space, well appointed kitchen, OK bathrooms Cons: lack of decent closet space in the rooms, very small rooms, lack of privacy for the primary room, balcony view by the building closer to the lake, location away from the city center. Upon arrival we asked to have a higher floor room as we were looking up on roofs rather than the lake. One similar room was available one floor up (better view but not perfect) subject to a supplement. We paid out of pocket for the supplement. Unfortunately they did not have a larger unit and thus our luggage had to be stored in the living space.

Great rooms with wonderful view over Mount Cook. It is however pretty much the only game in town. Makes food and beverage a bit pricier. Better book this one with breakfast included. Also, don't book the upgraded rooms, while these are nicer, the lack the balconies of the older wing.

Great new hotel with very helpful staf and top restaurant

Great city center, authentic hotel but with small rooms. Also ask for rooms with unobstructed view. Our window looked onto a wall. Great food in the restaurant

Nice rooms with great balconies overlooking the lake.

Well located hotel (or should a say motel) with excellent service. However we prefer smaller boutique hotels. Too many tour buses drop of their guests at this hotel. Also the pool facility is underwhelming.

Reception decor looks quite fancy, but the rooms don't match that, but we were comfortable and it was clean and tidy. You do have beautiful views of the snow topped mountains and the fog rolling in is quite surreal.

Great location, we had rooms next to each other as we have 3 kids. Walking distance to the town.

We enjoyed our stay in these apartments. We just really need at least a fan in the bedrooms as it was too hot in January and the a/c was only in the living area. Great location and walking distance to the ferry and shops.

Due to bad weather we just did the jetboat part of this tour. Was a lot of fun, and the scenery was stunning.

This is a lovely day on the lake, if you are lucky enoguh to get a still day, the reflections are just beautiful. The kayaks are very comfortable and easy to manouver, the walk up into the forrest is really peaceful and beautiful.

It's a lovely experience, maybe not for kids that don't like the dark or the water. As its hard to come back if they don't like it. For couples its a lovely time together, its really peaceful on the lake.

great family experience for all ages. we thoroughly enjoyed this tour.

Great experience, beautiful views, great time for reflection and relaxation. The scenic cart was an added bonus.

The colours were wild, very modern, only problem they do not have enough parking for visitors that have a car. Other than that ok.

The people were great ,food was wonderful, the animals were cute especially the goats and Lama

Did not get to finish the trip had a small accident on the way up but although we only got to do 12 k it was worth it.

The day was perfect no rain and very interesting information

It was fun

Loved it very scary and exciting all at the same time

We loved the character and colours of the decor

great location, comfortable beds

good location, room was good breakfast was good - although there was an issue with it 'apparently' not being booked on their system

fab location in the area - ease of access to a lot of things where we were room was fab breakfast was disaapointing

great room, location a little off the main drag but for us a walkable distance appreciate it was a motel but breakfast was disappointing.

great location from the airport and also good location - just outside of the main centre but not too far to walk. room was fantastic, breakfast was good we had a turn down service each day we had an issue with breakfast nit being on our booking and had to remind them each day as they never made a note.

great location for everything staff were lovely during check in we had a turn down service breakfast was disappointing

Great location for access to the main area For the main activities (canopy tour & thermal wonderland) we still had to drive. but in general it is a great location for accessing the town itself. booking all good breakfast was absolutely fine

The hotel was in a good location of the city with plenty of things available in walking distance. The breakfast selection was excellent. We did have a bit of trouble checking in when we arrived late at night - that was sorted by the morning. We were there for 3 nights (well technically 2 and a half) but did not have a turn down service at all whilst we were there.

suzuki swift - north island took a long time to get the car but all was fine with it once we had it. GPS system worked fine and the car did what we needed it to do south island we were supposed to get a mitsibushi but ended up with another suzuki (similar size as planned) car drove fine and got us where we needed the GPS / sound system was an issue throughout our time and we were fortunate that Matt's was able to use his mobile phone. the system kept on disconnecting and restarting which meant that the GPS system was not working for most of the time we needed it. we informed the depot when we returned the keys and they will check it out

save the best til last this experience was amazing - i was not quite expecting what happened. i thought maybe 3 or 4 dolphins. but to enter the water and see that many - so close up to me... UNREAL to be able to swim with these amazing animals in their own habitat was just so precious and i am so glad that i did this. i wasn't that confident in snorkeling but the staff were supportive and gave some great guidance for both that and how to interact with the dolphins

magical to see something like that was just out of this world. as well as the main glacier there were some icebergs on the lake as well that we were able to get close to and touch. the staff were very good at making sure that both sides of the boat got the experience and they spoke very well about the history of the glacier as well as provided some great information about whats happening and what will continue to happen

it was disappointing that no where in Oamaru was open prior to this activity. however, the experience was so much fun it was great to see these animals in their natural habitat. the staff were very knowledgeable and also answered any questions that you had. it was great to see some fur seals as well

absolutely awesome easy to find - a nice drive out to Glenorchy the staff were great and spoke really well about the area and the adventure. made the experience so much fun, got involved with the guests in terms of conversing and provided opportunities for photos etc

the whole experience was great the steamer was great fun and the information provided whilst on board was fab the farm was just out of this world. the best food we had all holiday - unbelievable. the fun parts after food with the farmer were an added bonus - sheep shearing and herding everything about this night was fab

absolutely amazing experience from start to finish the communication from the team in prep for waivers and also updates on weather was good safety briefings were very good and the quality of transport to the drop zone was decent the staff were very helpful and made sure that everything was ok. the tandem master was great fun and made you fee at ease throughout the whole experience

the driver was fab - very knowledgeable and good humour, keeping us entertained throughout the journey the weather was not on our side so we did not get the full effect of the size of the gorge. however, we saw some amazing waterfalls instead the boat trip was wet and windy but good fun and the lunch provided was suitable. the let down (because of the weather) was that we did not get to take our plane ride back to queenstown. we were going to try for the helicopter option instead - but that was also unavailable when we returned from the boat.

the whole experience was amazing the information and history provided by the bus driver both on the way there and back was extensive and really interesting. the experience and knowledge gained from the people in the village was great and it was such an amazing thing to watch when they were performing. really enjoyed getting involved in all of the activities the only let down was the food - whilst it was amazing and delicious, the quantity was limited and i expected more of a buffet style as there were only small portions available (1 each) because i only eat chicken, i ate very little that night

absolutely amazing experience the guides were fab and they made the whole experience even better along with the zip lines, we learnt a lot about the forest and also the wildlife and support systems in place which was an added bonus. in future - when booking for people, ask them which option they want as i would have loved to have done the 'ultimate' canopy tour but we were only booked on the original one

it was very warm. able to view everything at your own pace the scenery was great and the information on the boards provided for you to read was great there was an issue when we went to get our tickets as they had no knowledge of our booking on their list we still got in but we had to write down the information provided to us from you and i presume they made further checks

caves were absolutely amazing, the staff were great and their knowledge was fantastic

the weather was a bit of a let down which meant most of the time was spent below deck. the boat wasn't what i expected and equally the way we were eating our food was not as expected after seeing other boats in the harbour that looked more suited. staff were helpful in providing water coats to help keep us dry.

We liked it a lot - good location and nice atmosphere. Our room was small though.

The food is overrated. Two of the dishes were bad, a few were okay - only one was actually very good. It's located at the end of a cheap food court in a mall, which is odd.

This is a great experience if you are not afraid of heights and like adventure. Tour agents should be clear with clients about what this is before booking it.

This is a beautiful hotel with English architecture. The room was very comfortable and clean, the bed was ver comfortable. Only issue was that it has a very small pool and it was not functional when we were there. But as an alternative they allowed us to use the pool from a neighboring hotel.

This tour was amazing with great landscape. Our tour guide was very nice.

This trip was amazing. So beautiful landscape!

Rooms were a bit run down and the water pressure was awful. The staff just like any Shagri-La were fantastic. The hotel location with the views were amazing and overall lobby etc. was fantastic. Speedy room service. Quantity of food is huge. Quality of the food was great.

This is not a hotel. It's literally an apartment building but with amazing suites. No room service and check in was at the bakery/store front. The cashier sold us coffee, muffins and checked us in :) If you want a long stay and suites with multiple rooms almost like an Air B&B then this is your spot. There were many other real hotels to choose from which is more of our preference.

It's an old motel converted to a modernish boutique hotel. Staff was great. Clean large rooms. Nice location. walking distance to all of the restaurants and activity meeting locations.

Not the best from a location point of view was the only negative but a 5-7 minute Uber away from the action. This was a fantastic top notch hotel. Staff was exceptional, great breakfast and on the water with amazing views!

Fantastic location right where all of the action is. Walking distance to multiple restaurant choices.

Great hotel, big room, very clean, kitchen with all you need.