Spectacular New Zealand Family Itinerary in 14 Days

Our trip was spectacular and magical! My adult son (who was comfortable driving there) and I traveled to New Zealand from November 8 through November 23, 2025. When planning, I purchased the Lonely Planet book to help me decide locations. Since we were mainly interested in nature, we focused on the bountiful nature of South New Zealand. I then looked for a local company that could work with me and sent them the many places mentioned as the most beautiful places inaccessible on large tours. They worked with us every step of the way to find out-of-the-way, beautiful places and learning experiences.

Their itinerary even gave a lot of information about favorite things to do on our own in each area, in between our excursions. Each excursion was extraordinary—beautiful, fun, informative, and very well managed by the local guides. Since we went in their late spring, the flowers everywhere were in full bloom and most spectacular. We would rate the tour operator with a 10 out of 5!

Zicasso's travel agent and his team helped us craft a wonderful family trip of a lifetime! The lodging, myriad activities, variety of locations, cultural education, road-trip planning, and extra suggestions were all very much appreciated and enjoyed. The landscape of New Zealand is gorgeous and the people are so warm, easygoing, and welcoming. We left with a heartfelt plan to return someday in the not-too-distant future. Thank you!!

The itinerary was awesome! We had a few snafus with hotel reservations, but they were quickly resolved. The tours were perfect and all private, with excellent guides. The pace made good use of the time we had and maximized seeing the most locations in our time frame. The hotels were beautiful (especially the one in Queenstown, WOW!) and the rooms were perfect for our needs (kitchens and laundry). It was so great having everything pre-booked and guided, as it allowed us to relax and enjoy the trip and not worry about logistics. It was a trip of a lifetime.

I would highly recommend this Zicasso travel agency! When traveling so far away, it made such a difference to have everything coordinated by a professional. I have had many people ask how we managed to do so much with the time we had. Now, I don't think I can travel any other way.

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!

Overall, my recent trip to New Zealand, organized by this travel agency, had some truly unforgettable highlights. The agent's hotel picks were consistently great, perfectly suiting my preferences.

Most Enjoyable/Memorable Parts: The most memorable parts of the journey included an incredible experience seeing the Akaroa dolphins, delightful vineyard stays, and a breathtaking helicopter tour that showcased the stunning landscapes. Touring the incredibly beautiful country was a constant joy. Even though we had to reschedule, Milford Sound was absolutely spectacular. Paroa Bay and Lindis were lovely places to stay, and their staff were incredibly attentive. The hotel and our stay in Christchurch were wonderful surprises; we wished we had spent another night there and one less night in Queenstown. All of our drivers were great, and we had the best time with them, especially our drivers in Christchurch – I would highly recommend keeping that company for future bookings.

Areas for Improvement / Things I Noticed: Compared to other agents I've used with Zicasso, there was a noticeable lack of personalized touches. Usually, there would be a welcome letter or a fun gesture upon arrival, and little notes at different locations highlighting the travel agent's favorite spots or things not to miss.

A significant point of friction was the communication, or rather, the lack thereof. There was no WhatsApp group for the group to communicate once we arrived in the country. There was a complete lack of proactive communication from the ground team; I only heard from them if I reached out with a problem. Typically, there's a "welcome to the country, here's our WhatsApp chat in case you need anything" message, with the team constantly monitoring it.

I also found myself having to check in for flights and activities myself. This has always been confirmed and taken care of by the agent in my previous experiences, with updates provided via WhatsApp or email.

The mandatory app download was also problematic. The app itself wasn't great as it didn't allow for back-and-forth messaging and lacked quick-link calling, forcing me to copy and paste numbers when I needed to contact the tour operator. It was also frustrating that I couldn't add my own bookings or places I wanted to check out, meaning I constantly had to switch between apps.

Finally, there was a booking discrepancy in Christchurch. After I specifically asked to confirm the correct number of people, and the team assured me the correct number was confirmed, the penguin tour operator stated only three people were booked. I had to instruct them to contact the booking agent directly to sort it out.

Things We Would Have Avoided: Staying in Queenstown was a bit of a disappointment as it felt overly touristy. Even though the hotel had a shuttle, its location was quite far from everything, making it inconvenient.

Despite these points, the trip provided many fantastic experiences and showcased the agent's ability to select excellent accommodations and plan exciting activities.

Our trip was incredible. Zicasso’s tour operator was fantastic in planning and executing this special trip. We were in New Zealand for almost nine weeks.

Twice during our travel, we were able to get instant help to adjust our travel schedule, once because we wanted more time in one place and later to accommodate for being sick for a week.

Our trip involved 20 different hotels, inns, and guest houses, while experiencing boats, trains, and car driving to navigate both islands. The tour operator helped to arrange about 50 different events for us and then we added in many more ourselves before we left.

It has been almost a year since we traveled (Feb-Apr 2025). We have praised the tour operator (and Zicasso) to all our friends for its incredible attention to details and help anticipating all contingencies. The app for the trip was incredible in supporting the travel and collecting all the details of the arrangements comfortably in one place on our cell phones. We drove more than 2,000 miles during our trip and used Google Maps continually to navigate everywhere.

All our accommodations were comfortable. We carefully planned our packing to match the temperatures predicted for each location. We each traveled with a carry-on suitcase and a small backpack, and had everything we needed.

What helped with our planning was that we actually rehearsed the trip for several nights two months before we left and pre-planned special dinner reservations.