Marvelous Highlights Tour of New Zealand’s South Island

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!

"A superb, luxury trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji perfectly arranged!!!" Our travel specialist makes booking a holiday a charm. and stress -free. Destinations/transfers/hotels all completed without a hitch. When a question has arisen -very responsive and even during our trip, he made sure all are OK. Hotels were 5 stars and situated centrally. The hotels were within walking distance to city center, restaurants and local landmarks. Transfers were precise & took the worry out of inward & outward airport/hotels transport. All tours and destinations were top notch. We enjoyed the small group tours and the local guides were knowledgeable, punctual and was considerate of our varied interests. Renting a car in Queenstown to Franz Joseph was an excellent suggestion – the landscapes changes were breathtaking.

We had a fantastic 12 day family trip in New Zealand!  Our agent from this New Zealand travel company put together a great itinerary that allowed our family of five to travel from Auckland to Queenstown with much ease.  The hotel accommodations perfectly fit our need with five adults, especially the Rainforest Retreat in Franz Josef.  The Tree House was wonderfully large for our days in Franz Josef and having a washer and dryer in the house was perfect for our mid-trip clothing needs.  Wanting a physically active trip, we loved the Blackwater Rafting in the Waitomo Caves, the day long Tongariro Alpine Crossing hike, hiking at the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks, Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers, and the Dart River jet boats in Queenstown.  Traveling was a breeze with all the details of our trip put in place from the flights from multiple U.S cities, car rentals, hotel reservations, and the pick ups and drop offs at the hotels for some of tours we chose.  It was a great experience and we would highly recommend this company for your travel needs!

TRIP OF A LIFETIME!

We just returned from the most amazing trip we have ever taken!  This trip was a present to me from my husband for my 70th birthday.  We have always wanted to visit Australia and New Zealand, and decided to spend 2 weeks touring each country.

We chose this travel agency based on their excellent reviews, and the fact that our travel specialist responded so promptly, professionally, and took the time to reach out to us personally to discuss our interests and answer our questions.  She responded promptly to our every communication.  This agent actually lives in Perth, and was able to provide insight and personal knowledge of every aspect of our journey.

We didn't have any specific requirements.  We wanted first-rate accommodations, a variety of activities and small group tours.  Our travel specialist planned the perfect combination of locations and activities, with "rest days" between each.  We traveled by plane, small tour bus, ferry, jetboat, car, train, camel, and some lovely hikes.   We experienced the beautiful metropolitan cities, and the gorgeous countryside.  Each hotel was first-class and perfectly located for easy access to everything.

Every aspect of the trip was perfectly planned and executed.  All airport-hotel-tour transfers were included.  All we had to do was show up.

NOTE:  One more thing I need to mention. We LEFT OUR PASSPORTS AND MONEY at the hotel in Queenstown when we checked out to drive to the lodge in the Franz Joseph Glacier area.  Upon our arrival at the lodge, they notified us that the hotel and our travel specialist had been attempting to contact us all day (our cell phone reception was non-existent that day in the mountains).  The hotel promptly arranged for DELIVERY of our property to our next stop in Christchurch.  Such amazing service and follow through!!!!  

This New Zealand travel company contacted me via emails within 24 hours of my inquiry to Zicasso about planning a 17-day fly-and-drive trip to New Zealand. The company's owner asked a few questions to get at our travel preferences in terms of what we like to see and do and any particular places that were of interest. A few days later we received a suggested itinerary that responded faithfully to our expressed preferences. We made no changes in the itinerary. Our trip was FABULOUS! The selection of B&Bs and hotels was just right, as were the transportation choices (air, car, train) within the country and the two expeditions (Milford Sound and Franz Josef Glacier) that were included in the trip. By going in late autumn we risked running into snow in Queenstown area (we just missed it!) but we also had fewer crowds. New Zealand's beauty is spectacular and we very much appreciated the friendliness of the people. We will definitely go back! We only needed to contact our travel company once during our trip (to secure some vouchers) and heard back immediately. We were very happy with this company and recommend them highly for a fly-drive trip.