Monika Vinsova

Trusting Monika with my trip was the best decision I could have made, she was so helpful throughout the planning process and during the trip. She picked excellent excursions that we throughly enjoyed and made all the arrangements necessary for the trip to go so smoothly. The was wise enough to pick hotels that were in walking distance to great restaurants and activities and was very helpful in accommodating my travel partner, who had a lot of allergies. I would absolutely recommend her for planning a trip to New Zealand.

Activity Reviews

Glowworm Tour Nocturnal Adventure

Rotorua

Stephen was incredible. His knowledge of the landscape and local flare and fauna was top notch. We had an absolutely incredible time and he takes beautiful pictures if you at a waterfall that he promptly emailed to us the next morning, do not miss this!!

Quality of Experience

you are in a small group and it does not feel touristy or commercial, its intimate and fun

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Stephen is an incredible tour guide, he's is so knowledgable and respects the environment and his patrons

Transport

he took us to see the sunset, looking over the lake before we went to see the glowworms

Te Pā Tū - Maori Cultural Experience

Rotorua

Do not skip the experience, it's so educational, entertaining and the food was the best we had the entire trip!! The love, care and welcoming attitude that the performers have for visitors is unparalleled. The knowledge they provide leaves you deeply interested in Maori culture and the performances and food were excellent. The staff is so talented!! I would absolutely go back and do this again.

Quality of Experience

Food

best meal we had the whole trip

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Rotorua

It was raining but that didn’t detract from the experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Skydive Taupo Tandem 12000 feet

New Zealand

Staff was friendly and knowledgeable

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Swim with dolphins

New Zealand

I didn’t end up swimming and they arranged for us to take a boat ride instead where we still got to see dolphins

Christchurch Tramway Restaurant

Christchurch

Excellent food and amazing service

Quality of Experience

The quality and food portions were excellent

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The staff was so friendly and professional

Coach and Cruise to Milford Sound / Piopiotahi

Queenstown (NZ)

I wish I caught the name of our bus driver, he was so friendly and entertaining and took some great photos of me and my friend!

Quality of Experience

The views and the driver

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He was so friendly, funny and informative

Transport

The bus had some problems on the way back but that’s not anyone’s fault

I broke my foot the second day of our trip. Monika was able to get me an appointment in less than an hour at a location within a couple of blocks of where we were and make last minute adjustments to our itinerary for accessibility and one cancellation with an alternative option. We still had an amazing trip. We are already discussing another to catch what we missed! She was always friendly, available, personable, and full of good tips and advice on making the most of our time while not over doing it.

Hotel Reviews

Rendezvous Heritage Hotel Auckland

Auckland

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very centrally located.

Staff

Front desk staff was great.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Regent of Rotorua

Rotorua

The restaurant menu seemed a bit overpriced. The portion sizes were small, somewhat bland, and not very filling. The restaurant experience was a bit awkward due to staff behavior. Housekeeping staff was very pleasant and accommodating.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Front desk staff and housekeeping were wonderful. We felt as if we had committed a social or cultural faux pa when dining in the restaurant, though we were unsure of what we may have done.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Naumi Hotel Wellington

6141

The decor was very odd and not to our taste. We were provided an accessible room, but had to move a heavy couch to make a viable pathway to the bathroom for me on my crutches. The hotel restaurant menu was very limited and not to our palette preferences.

Authenticity & Character

Lots of character- but not our vibe. Some of the color and pattern choices in the lobby, hallways, elevator, and our room were disorienting and frankly painful to the eyes.

Location

The parking garage was too small for their clientele- there were not enough spaces to accommodate us the first night.

Staff

Depending on who was working the counter, sometimes they were helpful and other times seemed bothered by being asked questions.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tongariro Suites

Horopito

The hosts were very attentive and friendly. The food was fantastic and the opportunity to mingle with other guests was lovely. The view was spectacular!

Authenticity & Character

Location

A little out of the way, but worth it.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Walton

Richmond Downs

Sue was amazing and coincidentally the other couple who was staying there at the same time also went to Hobbiton and we had wonderful conversation at a fantastic breakfast with fruits from Sue’s orchard. Picturesque grounds and comfortable accommodations. Also, Ted was a highlight. Would be happy to return.

Authenticity & Character

The grounds - beautiful landscaping and fragrant wisteria at the front door.

Location

Proximity to Hobbiton and local cuisine.

Staff

Sue (and her dog Ted)

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Wellington - Full day Lord of the Rings location tour

Wellington

We were pleasantly surprised to find out this was a private tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dean was absolutely amazing. He was friendly, personable and was completely dedicated to making sure we experienced what we came for. He had the ability to guide the tour while also letting us weigh in on what was important to us to see.

Transport

Te Pā Tū - Maori Cultural Experience

Rotorua

As near an experience of full cultural immersion as can be accomplished by a tourist.

Quality of Experience

Food

All of it! The singing at the end was a phenomenal moment of connection for all.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Glowworm Kayak Tour

Rotorua

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jason was an awesome guide! He was passionate about every part of the tour and was very accepting of those who may be less accustomed to being on the water or in caves at night, as well as those needing additional accommodation for physical limitations.

Transport

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

Rotorua

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All Blacks Experience

Auckland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We used KimKim to plan a trip to New Zealand and definitely would recommend using their services. While we had some ideas for things we wanted to do during the trip, Monika did a great job setting up the detailed itinerary and maximizing our time. Since this was the first time to the country, I was having a hard time figuring out how long driving distances were and when we should drive vs. fly and which tour operator to use. Monika booked several tours for us that ended up to be very good- our Milford Sound tour had to be re scheduled due to weather but the operator was very flexible for us and instead of flying we were able to take a van and still got to see Milford Sound. I felt like we got to do everything we wanted and the trip was within the budget range we had set out to meet. Other reviewers complained that you don't see a line item for how much the KimKim service costs but I didn't mind. The total cost we paid for our trip seemed reasonable to me and I thought it was definitely worthwhile to use a travel agent for a trip to a country where we had never been before and that required a lot of driving/traveling time to get from site to site.

Hi Monika!
Thankyou for organizing such a wonderful trip for us!!! We loved
1. All the cities you guided us towards
2. All the hotels; all lovely
3.all the activities!!! Special shoutout to doubtful sound cruise; train ride and hike to Arthur’s pass ; food tour in ? Napier; Māori cultural event and more!!!
4. It truly was( as my 14 year old grand niece said after she went to a Taylor swift concert) “ a life altering event”
Thankyou for your guidance and your hard work!!
Kelly ( aka Elisabeth) and Bruce Sutter

Had a fantastic time. Loved where Sir Edmund Hillary practiced for his famous assent to Mt. Everest. Loved New Zealand’s meat pies in Queenstown.

Just returned from the trip of a lifetime to New Zealand—and I have to give a huge shoutout to our tour specialist, Monika. From start to finish, she absolutely nailed it. Every stop on the itinerary felt like a highlight: from the glowworm caves to the TranzAlpine train ride, from progressive food tastings in Christchurch to stargazing in Tekapo and a visit to Hobbiton. I would have to say, however, that our absolute favorite do-not-miss activity was our overnight cruise on Doubtful Sound!!! From eating freshly caught lobster and fishing/kayaking on board, to the delicious meals and peaceful waters of the Sound, it's truly not to miss.

Monika clearly knows the country inside and out—she chose the perfect mix of iconic sights and off-the-beaten-path gems, and her hotel picks were consistently top-notch (comfortable, well-located, and boutique style). While all of the hotels were great, we especially loved The Hermitage (Mt. Cook) and On the Point (Rotorua), where we had a 4 bedroom villa for our group that was absolutely perfect.

She struck the perfect balance between adventure and relaxation, cultural insight and natural wonder. We also thought the order in which we toured (started on South Island, finished on North Island) was perfect. While the driving was intimidating at first, our two drivers got used to it fairly quickly. BTW, one activity we did on our own in Rotorua was a visit to Wai Ariki Spa, which I HIGHLY recommend.

If you're thinking of visiting New Zealand, I can't recommend Monika enough. She crafted a thoughtful, personalized, and truly unforgettable experience for our group of eight friends.

Monika was extremely helpful in ensuring we had a wide-ranging, fantastic experience on both the North and South Islands of New Zealand. Whether it was horseback riding, hiking, and overnight cruises through the Fiordland; movie studio tours, and winery excursions, and whale watching; and everything in between, we were always paired with tour providers and accommodations that were clearly high quality and dedicated to providing meaningful and memorable experiences. In the infrequent times where there were any logistical hiccups, Monika was immediately responsive to get us back on track. All told, our three weeks were absolutely memorable and magical.

We enjoyed a fabulous three weeks in New Zealand thanks to Monika's guidance and efforts to develop an itinerary that met all of our requests.

It began in Queensland and a memorable flight and cruise to Milford Sound., definitely a "not-to-be-missed"! It continued through small towns - Clyde, Lake Tekapo, Kaikoura, Taupo, Raglan, Coromandel - and cities - Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland - and included a variety of activities - cycling, a cultural food tour, surfing, hiking, sailing. Unfortunately, due to weather, our kayaking and stargazing were cancelled.

For us, the highlights were the Milford Sound flight and cruise, bike ride in Clyde, Hulbert House B&B in Queensland, Hapuku Lodge accomodations and dinners, surfing with Green Wave Raglan Surf School, and the Koru Lodge in Raglan.

Thank you Monika.

John & Wendy

Hotel Reviews

Bolton Hotel

Wellington

In the center of the City within easy walks of key spots. Very comfortable and clean.

Authenticity & Character

We were not surprised with the authenticity and character when we learned that The George is a related property to Hulbert House.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The George

Christchurch

Great location and a very comfortable and clean hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

An easy walk to town center and across the street from a wonderful park

Staff

Very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ranginui B&B

Lake Tekapo

The B&B host is warm and welcoming, and a great advisor for activities.

Authenticity & Character

Location

A nice quiet neighborhood not too far to walk to town

Staff

The host is very friendly and welcoming

Cleanliness & Comfort

Belle Vue Boutique Lodge

Taupo

Comfortable, great views of the lake, beautiful home.

Authenticity & Character

The owners have done a wonderful job restoring the lodge, and they take great pride in it.

Location

While outside the center city, the lodge is located in a attractive neighborhood with nearby amenities.

Staff

Friendly and very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Great Ponsonby ArtHotel

Auckland

Located in a wonderful neighborhood with good access (walking or bus) to the center city, great staff, and wonderful breakfasts.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hapuku Lodge & Tree Houses

Kaikoura

Luxurious, comfortable, lots of amenities and activities.

Authenticity & Character

The tree houses are very authentic

Location

Nice hiking, biking and beach opportunities nearby

Staff

Couldn't be more helpful and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Lord Clyde

Very helpful and friendly staff, and a great location.

Authenticity & Character

An original building from the town's gold rush days

Location

Right in the center of Clyde within easy walk of restaurants, sites and activities.

Staff

Very helpful in guiding how to best enjoy Clyde.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hulbert House

Queenstown

Wonderful staff, very comfortable accommodations, great location. And delicious breakfasts!

Authenticity & Character

Location

An easy 5-minute walk to the center of town, though not as easy a walk back (uphill).

Staff

Very friendly and accomodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore Raglan

Raglan

The highlight was the Green Wave Raglan Surf School which caters to all ages and ability levels. They had us surfing (for a bit) and made it very fun and enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bing Lyons, our instructor, continued to encourage and instruct. He was so positive I thought I was an expert surfer.

Cultural Food Tour - Kai Bites

Christchurch

Very informative of the Maori history and culture with a delicious lunch of local foods.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fly Cruise Fly – Queenstown to Milford Sound by scenic flight

Queenstown (NZ)

Flying over snow-capped mountains and glaciers with mountain peaks as far as you can see, landing on the sound, dolphin-escorted boat cruise, sailing up to waterfalls

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Andy is a tremendous pilot

Transport

The flight gave us a great view of mountains, glaciers, the sound, and it was smooth. And the cruise was wonderful as well