Trip of a lifetime
New Zealand
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Jan 13 - Jan 30, 2026
Uma did an incredible job building our dream trip to New Zealand. She worked with us to build in Lord of the Rings and nature excursions that were important to us (Highlights included Weta Workshop tour, half day lord of the rings tour in Glenorchy, Mt Tarawera Crater Walk in Rotorua, Kai Bites tour in Christchurch, and Zealandia by Night tour in Wellington). We greatly appreciated her partnership on telling us when we were trying to fit in too much during planning, leaving us with an itinerary that was the perfect balance of action-packed activities and free time to explore or relax at our leisure for every location. Before departure, she provided a thorough day-by-day itinerary and many resources to prepare us for New Zealand. On the trip itself, she was crucial to our trip remaining on track as we were there at a very rainy time. She took point on rearranging our itinerary when some of our events were cancelled for inclement weather. The restaurant recommendation list was also phenomenal - some of our best meals were at the restaurants they recommended.
Activity Reviews
The experience of this rewarding hike was phenomenal. The guides were kind and so fun, helping take photos and explain everything you could see from the top of the crater. The skree down into the crater was the highlight, with the best part being able to go quickly at the bottom.
This was the best part of the trip as someone looking forward to the diverse bird wildlife of New Zealand. The guides were so informed and clearly passionate about their work, so the audio tour component was very informative. We were able to see little spotted kiwis in the wild, a Ruru, and multiple tuatara. And it felt more intimate as a small group walking through Zealandia after dark with provided red flashlights to be able to search the brush for wildlife.
Ash was an amazing tour guide for the Kai Bites tour. She took us around to her favorite spots, taking care to point out important history, art, and buildings around Christchurch, including spots that we would not have thought to check out or would have noticed on our own. Ash made sure to point out shops that features local artisans so we could bookmark them for our own time, and when we mentioned our dinner reservation plans, she helped pick out a menu of must haves (which were, to no surprise, amazing recommendations). She clearly has a love for her work and sharing great food with others, and it was such a delight to spend the time with her, which made this a top excursion on our trip.
We got to see so many filming locations as part of this tour. The guides made sure to calibrate their tour based on who was in attendance, so the super LOTR fan and the casual enjoyer (i.e., my husband and myself) could both appreciate and enjoy their time. They brought a flip book to show the scenes and how they were staged for the film, and Pure Glenorchy was also able to get us onto a privately owned location for the Hobbit and to get a better view of Isengaard. And of course the photo opportunity at the end was an awesome touch. It even included a break for afternoon tea in the park in Glenorchy!
Hello Andrew & Emma,
Thank you so much for your kind words and the elaborate review. I absolutely loved working with you both for your New Zealand Holiday.
Please keep in touch. I would be delighted to see you again in our beautiful country.
Best,
Uma