New Zealand Travel Agents & Reviews

Our Zicasso tour operator and her team were top-notch, from our first conversation through the end of our Australia/New Zealand journey. We could not have asked for a better team. They listened intently to our desires for a "bucket-list" trip that favored meeting locals and off-the-beaten-path locations and experiences, rather than typical tourist locations. Mission accomplished.

Based on our early conversations, she delicately guided us away from a few locations that were on our original destination list in favor of deeper experiences (and more time) in other locations. I think others may have simply put together an itinerary with all the destinations the customer listed without regard to weather, the amount of time on planes, and other factors. What we got with this company was more time in key locations where we could immerse ourselves in the local communities and meet the many friendly and special people we encountered.

Lastly, this travel company knows this region deeply. They know the best tour companies and the best people at those companies, creating a truly exceptional experience.

Our March 2024 trip (three weeks) was spectacular, with time in Melbourne, Sydney, and Port Lincoln, as well as Queenstown and Nelson in New Zealand. One of the things the travel company did that made the trip spectacular was this: at each stop, we had a day or two of structured activities and a day or two on our own. That allowed us to get an understanding of the location before we ventured out on our own. I would repeat that on any future trip.

It was our first journey to the region and, over a month later, we are still telling our friends about our special adventures and referring them to this company should they want a truly special experience in Australia and/or New Zealand.

Our Zicasso travel specialist provided us with an itinerary that exceeded all of our expectations. Her knowledge, recommendations, professional attitude, and succinct communications created an adventure that enabled us to enjoy a trip of a lifetime free from worry, stress, or disappointment. Every accommodation, excursion, travel transfer, and gracious attendant was absolutely faultless and beyond compare.

Additionally, our travel company, according to the research we did prior to contracting with them, saved us money! We are grateful to our travel specialist for her keen attention and kindness. We highly recommend this company.

The trip was wonderful overall! Everything was very well planned out and ready to go. There were never any issues with any of the scheduled activities; they all went according to plan!

When the north side of Australia flooded and part of our trip had to be rerouted, Zicasso’s travel agents were very proactive and accomplished everything behind the scenes, so we were able to fully enjoy our trip and not have to think about it! Our contact was also very responsive and easy to get hold of if we needed anything.

Having the pre-planned travel documents ready to go and being told where to be and at what time each day was super-helpful and made planning our days extremely easy. We had a great time exploring the country and are so glad we got to see so much of it in the time we were there!

I had a fabulous trip through New Zealand's North and South Islands. It was exactly what I had hoped for and more. The Zicasso travel agent created a fabulous itinerary, with the right mix of group tours, self-driving, and small excursions. The guides were all locals who knew the areas and were knowledgeable and entertaining. I was completely spoiled by all the excellent drivers who shuttled me to and from airports, bus and train stations. It was lovely not to have to figure any of that out and so relaxing not to rush around in a strange city trying to figure out transportation and timing. Their app was great and I always knew what was next up and who to contact if I had any issues.

The trip was wonderful and our Zicasso tour operator was attentive, friendly, and responsive, providing great customer service.

New Zealand and its people were spectacular, as was our trip. We felt well taken care of by Zicasso’s travel agent. He was very responsive to inquiries before and during the trip. Kudos to him for his counsel prior to the trip, advising us to spend time exploring areas like The Catlins. Overall, our expectations were exceeded.

Here is my feedback so you can use it to improve your trips.

Pros:

The New Zealand nocturnal glowworm trip was the best of the trip, followed by the Te Puia experience.

Our Zicasso tour agent was awesome in helping us when we were stuck in Australia and NZ.

The limousine and related services were good.

Cons:

The local provider did not have a WhatsApp number, so it was very difficult to contact them with an international phone as you cannot make phone calls.

The hotel in Port Douglas did not have a phone we could use to make local calls to the provider.

The provider listed their email address on flight and hotel reservations, so when my flight to Queenstown from Rotorua was canceled, I did not get an alert.

The transit from Sydney international to domestic took more than two hours, so I would have missed my connection had I not changed it to a later flight.

The trips in Port Douglas, especially Daintree and the Great Barrier Reef, were not up to expectations regarding what we thought we were going to see.

The overall costs of the trip for land and flights after getting all the hotel receipts in Australian dollars were too much. I understand you have to get paid for your service, but your margins are too high considering you charged us in US dollars and there is a difference between US and Australian dollars. I could have done the whole trip, with my rides to and from airports, all meals, etc, for less than 8K USD.

Our Zicasso travel agent and his company mapped out a great trip to New Zealand and Australia for us. Frankly, it exceeded our high expectations. We told our agent when we wanted to go, what we wanted to see and do, and how much we had budgeted. He got it all done – flights, hotels, ground transportation, and activities – and for less than our budget.

We had only one hiccup on the trip itself, involving a flight mix-up, and that was resolved quickly. Everything else, and it was a four-week trip, went off without a hitch. The accommodations were an eclectic mix of boutique hotels, resort stays, and downtown hotels, but all were four- or five-star. The activities ranged from train rides to cruises to wine-tasting tours to visits to world heritage sites. In short, the trip of a lifetime.