New Zealand bucket list trip
New Zealand | May 21 - May 31, 2026

Colleen
Colleen i.
Ashburn, VA | Reviewed on Jun 02, 2026

Best excursions were the glow worm kayak at night and the funyak trip on the Dart River. Rotorua was a pleasant surprise how much I liked the area. What a relief to have a trip all planned out and well timed! Thanks Liz!

Hotel Reviews
Travelodge Hotel Auckland Wynyard Quarter
Auckland

Great location!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Regent of Rotorua
Rotorua

The room was huge and well located in town

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
The Hermitage Hotel
Mount Cook Village

Wow! The view out the window! Ski lodge vibes.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Amazing breakfast buffet
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
The Rees Hotel
Queenstown

Beautiful hotel. We stayed here for the view but from our room it was obstructed by another building unfortunately. Great restaurant! Amazing staff who literally do it all - bar tend, shuttle driver, receptionist. Only complaint was too far to walk every time. About 40 min to town center.

Authenticity & Character
Location
View great but not convenient
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Half Day Routeburn Trail
Half Day Routeburn Trail
Queenstown

Glad we made the waterfall overlook. Not sure it would have been worth it if we didn’t. Same drive as Glenorchy tour and funyak tour.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
90 Minute Weta Workshop Unleashed
90 Minute Weta Workshop Unleashed
Auckland

Great way to start our NZ adventure

Quality of Experience
Auckland to Rotorua visiting Hobbiton with lunch
Auckland to Rotorua visiting Hobbiton with lunch
Auckland

Amazing!!! Just blown away by detail and the ability to go inside a hobbit hole!

Quality of Experience
Food
Great buffet
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Skyline Gondola Ride
Skyline Gondola Ride
Queenstown

Fun way to get to the top. Great view and nice restaurant

Quality of Experience
Mitai Cultural Experience & Dinner
Mitai Cultural Experience & Dinner
Rotorua

My adult kids loved the cultural show. They were worried it would be in some way disrespectful to the Māori people and were really impressed with the care and authenticity of the production. Plenty of food!

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
TE Puia:  Te Ra (Day Pass) Guided tour (90 minutes)
TE Puia: Te Ra (Day Pass) Guided tour (90 minutes)
Rotorua

This was very informational and we enjoyed the stroll around the geothermal area after our tour was done.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Twilight Glow Worm Kayak Experience - 3 hour guided
Twilight Glow Worm Kayak Experience - 3 hour guided
Rotorua

One of my favorite experiences of the whole trip.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
They went above and beyond
Transport
Half Day Glenorchy and Paradise Explorer
Half Day Glenorchy and Paradise Explorer
Queenstown

We could have skipped this. Nice guide but basically got to see all of the same area on funyak trip

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Enjoyed learning about conservation efforts in NZ
Transport
Appreciated a hotel pick up
Big Sky Stargazing Adventure
Big Sky Stargazing Adventure
New Zealand

We had a partially cloudy night )4 stars because of that) but had an amazing guide to make up for it. What a great set up they have!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Mt Cook & The Glaciers
Mt Cook & The Glaciers
New Zealand

Well organized experience

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
It was a helicopter! 😅
Glacier Boat Trip -
Glacier Boat Trip -
Aoraki / Mount Cook Village

Liked it much more than I expected from the pics! Definitely worth doing.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
4 Line Zip Line
4 Line Zip Line
Queenstown

Beautiful area to zip line through.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Full-Day Jet-Boat Adventure & Funyak River Safari
Full-Day Jet-Boat Adventure & Funyak River Safari
Queenstown

So beautiful! So much fun!

Quality of Experience
Food
The picnic was great!
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Love the three different boat experiences
Historic Steamship Cruise to Walter Peak Farm + BBQ Dinner
Historic Steamship Cruise to Walter Peak Farm + BBQ Dinner
Queenstown

Beautiful cruise out to station. Enjoyed the sheep show.

Quality of Experience
Food
Eat the sticky pudding!
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
beautiful boat ride even in autumn. Lots of blankets to snuggle up with
Local specialist: Liz Neal
Liz
Liz Neal
Local specialist in Sydney-Auckland-Los Angeles | Replied on Jun 02, 2026

Hello Colleen and Jeff,
Thank you for the thorough review. I'm super happy you enjoyed New Zealand.
It was really a pleasure to work with you and hope I am lucky enough to organize another trip in the future for your lovely family.

Liz