Zicasso Traveler Stories

We absolutely loved so much of our trip! My kids’ (ages 11 and eight) favorite activities were luging in Rotorua, NZ, and the sunset camel ride in Uluru, AU, while my husband and I were enchanted by Hobbiton and enjoyed exploring a glowworm cave with the owner's father! We all loved Tasmania.

There were a few hiccups. However, we were very happy with all the support the Zicasso travel company's team provided in real time to help us get back on track. 

The overall trip was fantastic. My husband and I appreciated having the team support our adventures, both the highs and the lows. The team members were detailed-oriented. This trip exceeded our expectations and we’re incredibly grateful for their expertise in curating such memorable experiences.

Zicasso’s trip planner did an excellent job. Communication and the quality of the experiences were everything we'd expected and more, especially in New Zealand. The accommodations were first rate; the highlight was the lodge in Queenstown. The guides and drivers were professional and knowledgeable, especially those in Queenstown and Auckland. We loved the dedicated website for reference, as well as the detailed booklet and maps for both countries. 

For future itineraries, I would add another day in Queenstown and a full day in Christchurch. If days were limited, I would recommend one less day in Auckland and/or skipping the drive/train from Franz Josef. 

The only complication was the day we spent 10 hours going to and coming from Milford Sound.  I recommend doing Milford Sound by plane/helicopter from Queenstown, which would also permit seeing the glaciers/southern alps from the air. The only things we missed were the zoo in Auckland and the Blue Mountain day tour in Sydney. Next trip!

It was great working with Zicasso's travel specialist, and the traveling was great, getting around to all the places. Below are the events that were cancelled on us due to the weather:

Tranz Alpine train ride - Scenic Plus to Greymouth, staying in the Rainforest Retreat, Franz Josef Twin Glacier, Kayak, and walk tour, Milford Sound/Fjordland. That's not the travel specialist's fault, but I would never go to New Zealand in October, ever again. All the roads were closed, and we ended up taking a taxi cab from Christchurch to Queenstown, and that was a rough trip due to the high winds. We should have started in Australia instead of starting in Aukland, New Zealand. That's from my experience.

Our trip to Australia was incredible! Zicasso's tour operator put together a very thoughtful, well-paced itinerary. Our transportation always met us on time and with a good attitude. We enjoyed the diversity of experiences curated for our stay.

They took our bucket-list items and created an itinerary that allowed us to see almost every one! We were grateful to have a tour of the Historic Rocks in Sydney, a boat cruise harbor tour, watch "Carmen" at the Sydney Opera House, take a sunset camelback ride in the desert to see Ayers Rock, snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, and get a private tour of a wildlife habitat (this was so special because we got to interact with some of the animals and learn from their keepers directly).

The only occasion on which I wish we'd had more time to spend was at Kuranda Village! There was so much to do and see, but we had an Army Duck tour and Aboriginal experience booked, which I really enjoyed because we got to ride through the jungle and enjoy performances from the Pamagirri community. Taking the Skyrail up and the train down was also a sight to see.

We enjoyed the intimate nature of tours, allowing us to ask questions about history, architecture, and daily life, and engage with our tour guides in a meaningful way. Highly prefer this style of private/small tours to the bigger bus tours. Our accommodations were impressive--from the luxurious hotel on George Street in Sydney to the desert resort in Uluru to the lodge on Captain Cook Highway in Port Douglas! We got to experience a range of climates. There was never a dull moment.

Even though the itinerary seemed jam-packed, we had just the right amount of time to rest and reset between activities and travel. Having such a detailed and professionally done itinerary gave us real peace of mind. The coordination of hospitality was also impeccable. Our hotels always communicated seamlessly with our pre-arranged transportation and tours. The trip was fun and totally stress-free! We were constantly delighted and charmed by this country and its people.

We just got back from a most enjoyable trip to New Zealand, planned by Zicasso's travel agent and her company. She understood what we were trying to cover during this trip and planned the excursions/activities, hotels, and transportation very well.

We started in Queensland and, after Milford Sound, worked our way north through Mount Cook, Christchurch, Rotorua, and Auckland. The company planned each day, with the travel times and activities woven well with appropriate meal times and rest breaks. The guides and pick-ups at each location were prompt and well-informed, and we always knew what to expect at each step of our trip.

We had a couple of issues, one with a day trip for wine tasting and another with the quality of one of the hotels, but our agent responded quickly with a solution.

It was a memorable trip; a fun, enjoyable, and educational introduction to New Zealand, and we would heartily recommend them to anyone planning a trip to New Zealand.

Thanks to the amazing, perfectly planned Australia and New Zealand vacation itinerary provided by Zicasso's travel agency, and specifically the travel agent and her wonderful colleagues, this was the perfect vacation. We were well taken care of and flights were planned within the countries, with someone always greeting us at the next stop to move us through to our next adventure.  

We were always busy and saw the most wonderful things... a sunset dinner cruise on Sydney harbor, the march of the penguins at Phillip Island (she arranged for us to have a front-row seat!), snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, and touring the rainforest with an Aboriginal guide was very interesting! She arranged for many tours and activities, like a jet boat ride up the Dart River, a helicopter ride onto a glacier, and a TranzAlpine train ride in New Zealand. We also had a first-time-ever encounter with a pod of orca while on a boat tour in New Zealand. The whole trip was an unforgettable experience!

We wished we had taken the travel agent's advice and stayed longer. There was so much to see. We packed a lot into our four short weeks thanks to them. We highly recommend using them to plan your Australia and New Zealand itinerary.