Kathrin Gerstel

Thank you. I cannot speak highly enough of Kathrin, KimKim, and the whole experience from booking through to completion. All the details were covered, communication was constant and professional. I would recommend KimKim to anyone that wants a customized travel itinerary, with all the details looked after. It was a true pleasure.

Hotel Reviews

Lakestone Lodge

Lake Pukaki

Our time at the Lakestone Lodge was amongst the very best highlights of our time in NZ

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms and common areas are cozy, but very comfortable.

Hulbert House

Queenstown

We'll be back. A great location, with a very helpful staff. So much better than staying in a hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Every detail was tended to flawlessly.

Activity Reviews

Christchurch Tramway Restaurant

Christchurch

What a great way to see the city!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mt Cook half day Heli Hike

New Zealand

This experience was life-changing. An absolute must for anyone wanted to truly experience NZ's South Island.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Without a doubt, this was the best vacation of our lives. It all started with Kathrin interviewing us via email and a video call. She listened to what our interests are and put together an amazing agenda. We spent three weeks exploring the beauty of New Zealand. Kathrin took care of every detail, reservation, tickets, guides, equipment, etc. From our guided hike on the Routeburn Track with Angelo, an amazing bike ride with Marcello in the Redwood forests of Rotorura, a spectacular Alps to Ocean (A2O) bike ride from Lake Tekapo to Oamaru and many other activities, we were both challenged and catered to. Kathrin knew this was a retirement gift to ourselves and we were congratulated at our accommodations and were seated at the best tables in restaurants I think because of her. New Zealand has much to offer the traveler. Not just the beauty of the outdoors... the vendors who take you on outings such as Jake and Unique w/ Rotorua Canopy Tours or Alex with Waimarino, they are professionals as well as very friendly. We also were very thrilled to do the Te Pa Tu Maori Cultural Experience. The food and Maori people were exceptional. There is so much more to mention but suffice it to say that Kathrin at KimKim made this so easy with work she did and the plan she gave us in her TravelBook. We were never in doubt about where to go and what to do. Thank you, Kathrin!

Kathrin was excellent!

Kathrin was very professional, efficient, and prompt throughout our trip planning and execution. The most notable aspect however is how patient and skillful she was dealing with my indecisiveness. I much appreciated her great listening skills and how she was able to intuitively pick up details I hadn't consciously mentioned allowing her to develop a well thought itinerary that matched our travel style and desires very well.

Her skills and service went beyond just the planning stage at the beginning of our trip when she quickly and expertly rearranged some of our first events as a result from a multi day airline delay. And she was very prompy in answering questions throughout the trip. This confidence knowing we were in good hands added allowed us to relax and enjoy the trip much more than otherwise.

The completeness of the trip book made the traveling easy and stress free, knowing everything was taken care of.

I will use Kimkim again and Kathrin the next time we go to New Zealand.

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

Our trip to New Zealand was incredible and memorable. First, the uncontrolled bad. Our trip coincided with a storm of the century. About half of our excursions had to be cancelled due to high winds on the South Island (100 mph). Second, the good. Those things that we were able to do were excellent. Because of the weather difficulty, our specialist Kathrin worked extra hard to rebook and adjust things on the fly. The ability to pivot and do other activities made it such that we were able to have an extraordinary experience.

If you are considering a trip to NZ in the future, give them a call. They will help you put together a great trip and, from our experience, will be there to back you up in case something goes wrong.

Thank you KimKim team for making our trip excellent.