Monika Vinsova

We appreciated the process with Monika and kimkim in planning our 3 week self-driving trip of New Zealand. We'd researched the route we wanted to take and what we wanted to see, plus what we wanted to budget. Monika made suggestions and we made further refinements. She arranged our accommodations, car rental, ferry, plane from Queenstown to Auckland, and some of the experiences we desired. She also advised us on what we'd need in order to enter the country (NZeta), driving rules, and other important items. Once all finalized and paid, we received extensive instructions and vouchers for the items Monika had reserved for us, along with recommendations of other things to see and do in each location. Once in country, she kept in contact and was available for questions, or if not (on her days of) who we could contact. As for the trip, the accommodations (we requested cost in the middle range) were all very good overall and those in cities or larger towns were centrally located for ease in walking to attractions and restaurants. We enjoyed the experiences she'd helped to arrange (Hobbiton, Te Pa Tu Maori dinner, Wai O Tapu, Milford Sound) plus others we we'd planned on our own and some that we were told about by locals or other tourists along the way. Those would be the Art Deco tour with volunteer Judy in Napier, Tongariro and Taranaki National Parks, Zealandia and the Cable Car in Wellington, birds and seals at Kaikoura, the lighthouse and Giants House in Akaroa (east of Christchurch), Arthur's Pass National Park, the amazing night sky in Lake Tekapo, the Clay Cliffs near Omarama, and the drive to Glenorchy and Paradise out of Queenstown. Danny, our coach driver to and from Milford Sound (actually a fjord!), was excellent and shared interesting information on the way out. It was nice to relax and not drive that day after all of the driving we'd already done. On accommodations of special note we really enjoyed the Ruapehu Country Lodge in Ohakune. Our host Bernie was quite the character and happy to share information on restaurants and tracks (hikes) we'd planned to do, things to see, and roads & road conditions. We enjoyed his wife's homemade jams and other yummy things at breakfast. One thing of note is that not all of the accommodations were as accessible as they could have been (stairs/no elevators); we didn't specify with Monika that we required that but if you do, let your planner know. We're in our early 70s and in fairly good shape so didn't have too much of a problem and some of the hotels offered to help with our luggage. We "survived" a hot 6 km hike in Tongariro NP (lots of stairs!) so managing stairs in hotels wasn't a challenge. We came home more fit than when we left. ;-) Overall, we had a wonderful experience and the planning Monika did for us made for a smooth trip, especially as it was our first time in New Zealand.

Activity Reviews

Te Pā Tū - Maori Cultural Experience

Rotorua

Quality of Experience

Food

Transport

Hobbiton Movie Set Tour

New Zealand

Great fun for we fans of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fans. Our guide, Sam (not kidding) was full of fun and facts.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Sam.

Transport

Coach and Cruise to Milford Sound / Piopiotahi

Queenstown (NZ)

Very long bus ride, but scenic. The weather at the sound (fjord!) was a bit dreary but the boat ride was fun, though a bit crowded. Wonderful waterfalls, the mountains were hiding in low clouds but still very pretty. We enjoyed the day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver Danny was excellent and had interesting information to share. He also knew a lot about birds and answered my questions about those we heard & saw.

Transport

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

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 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

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

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

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

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 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

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.

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

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

The whole trip was amazing. It was so great having our cars, rooms and activities all booked in advance . Everyone we had contact with was exceptionally curtious, helpful and prompt.
We particularly enjoyed the Doubtful Sound excursion but all were very memorable.

Monica was great to work with. Initially some of her proposals did not match what we were looking for but once she understood the type of trip and activities we enjoy she was able to target everything we wanted. She was more than willing to make any changes we wanted and search for offerings that met what we wanted. We started the planning process quite early but by the time we finally got everything chosen some of the accommodations we wanted were already booked. So, most of our accommodations were great but a few were not quite as nice.
She was always available for a phone call and when we were in country she kept in contact and kept us informed of changes due to weather.
Overall I can’t imagine a better person to work with and wish she could plan all of our future trips to other countries. Hope we can find more agents like Monica!

Hotel Reviews

Accommodation arranged as part of your Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruise - Southern Secret

Loved everything about the cruise ship. Crew bent over backwards to meet everyone’s needs but were not intrusive in any way. Food was so much more than expected!

Location

Staff

Olivers Lodge

Clyde

Absolutely loved the ambience. One of the outstanding parts of our trip!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lake Tekapo Holiday Homes

Lake Tekapo

Authenticity & Character

Plain room with no characters and the barest amenities. TV only worked with apps and being from the US our apps do not work on NZ

Location

Overlooked the parking lot

Staff

Only 1 staff at the front desk in a different location

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was clean but the furniture was lower than IKEA for comfort

Timber Trail Lodge

Ongarue

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Bike the Wine Tour - Marlbourough

New Zealand

Fun day with a great guide, Innis. He was the perfect mix of knowledge and humble guide. Never hurried us and let us set the pace. It was really nice to have a private tour with scheduled tastings as the wineries were quite busy, especially after lunch and when to tour busses arrived, but we never had to wait and got individual attention from the servers. Bikes are a great way to do this.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bikes weren’t of the best quality but did okay

Funyak Safari

Queenstown (NZ)

The views were outstanding and we had a very peaceful and enjoyable experience with a calm and fun guide.

Monika was so helpful in planning our NZ honeymoon! She really paid attention to what activities would be more/less important to us while keeping our budget in mind. Everything we did was absolutely wonderful - we couldn't have planned a better trip. We're so grateful for such an amazing trip!

Monika worked with us to tailor our trip exactly how we wanted! She was very patient and went through several iterations with us. We especially appreciated her help finding lodging - all the places we stayed were really cute and we never would have found them ourselves.