Grand Traverse (from Auckland) - 16 Days

Customer Reviews

• SB

  Steve

  · February 12th, 2023
  The description at https://www.tourradar.com/t/2397 has many errors. For starters, the pickup is not at the Grand Millennium Hotel. No visit to Hobbiton. Many things were closed because of the weather (understandable) but quite a few were because a business had folded (not at all understandable as the tour company should have contacted all the businesses before the tour started). We all get that this was the first tour after Covid and that there are labor shortages in NZ, but the company was woefully unprepared. The guide and driver were great and did their best to make up for all the cancelations.
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  Flying Kiwi commented on this review

  Hi Steve, Thank you for your comment, we are very sorry that there were errors on the listed itinerary and have spoken with our Operations and Marketing teams to ensure that all information is correct and up to date for future travellers. We do hope... Show more
  Trip date: January 2023
• 

  Aija

  · February 9th, 2023
  The guides did their best, but the organisation by the office was poor. Many people had asked beforehand about pre-booking activities, but were told this could be done during the tour. However, many activities were fully booked or didn't even exist any more! This tour was not what one would expect based on customer ratings from before (4,8/5), but we figured out this was due to changes of the ownership. The places we got to see and experience were great though and camping was nice. The bus air con was effective but the audio system poor so it was difficult to understand what the guide said being a non-native speaker. Also loud music was played during the bus rides which we didn't like. As a whole the trip was definitely worth it, just don't get your expectations too high. Also the office needs to improve a lot, if they
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  Trip date: January 2023
• NA

  Nancy

  · March 20th, 2020
  New Zealand is beautiful and energizing and the people we met were just great on the tour. There were many highlights to applaud but I want to point out that some of the accomodations, even with upgrades, were below my expectations. More than one were unclean, no hot showers and I received bed bugs bites on one occasion. (several people reported bites that night) You should scratch that funky farm house off your housing list! I think the cooked meals together were very good and Janelle went beyond many times to take care of people. I think Sam could of used some more help with a third person for bag transfer, driving, etc., ALOT for 2 of your staff to contend with . I think the excursions were really expensive and some should of been included. With upgrades in accomodations and extra excursion costs, this was no bargain tour. Blessings to all in your company for doing your best and stay safe out there in this beautiful world . Back to USA via 5 airports and feel pretty good. Nancy Adrian
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  Flying Kiwi commented on this review

  Thank you for your review Nancy. The farm stay is a highlight for many as they love it's rustic and remote charm. Sam and Janelle indeed do a wonderful job as do all of the team. We do include many things on our trips but items just as skydiving etc... Show more
  Trip date: March 2020
• AM

  Aleksandra

  · February 29th, 2020
  Excellent. I am very happy about every aspect of this trip. The only suggestion for change is about the long hours and lack of days off for the bus driver and our guide. This is a hard work and many hours involved. 51 days of driving without day off may be dangerous and it is not fair to the customers and to the driver. Even though they were working hard they provided an excellent service and care. I am very thankful and satisfied with their work.
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  Flying Kiwi commented on this review

  Hi Aleksandra, thank you for your review it's great to hear you enjoyed your trip. Drivers and guides at times choose to work additional days during the busy season but don't worry we always ensure their work hours fall within the legal logbook... Show more
  Trip date: February 2020
• SK

  Scott

  · February 24th, 2020
  The Flying Kiwi tour of New Zealand was an excellent vacation. The trip covered so much of the country in a small amount of time. Each day we were in a different location, and we had the opportunity to sign up for multiple activities. The pace of this trip was very fast, but was exactly what I expected. I especially enjoyed meeting other travelers from all over the world. We got along like one big happy family, and our Flying Kiwi tour leaders made the trip an awesome experience.
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  Flying Kiwi commented on this review

  Thanks for the review and welcome to the Flying Kiwi family :)
  Trip date: February 2020
• TV

  Theresa

  · February 10th, 2020
  Overall, the trip was an awesome experience. The leaders Sam and Janelle worked so hard each day to make the trip run smoothly and to solve any passenger concerns quickly. As mentioned on other feedback forms, I really appreciated the daily hiking opportunities, felt like having bikes on the bus was a little bit of hassle (when maybe the whole group could just rent bikes a couple of times during the trip) and that the trip could have included more cultural activities like visits to a farm to learn about sheep and cattle ranching, dairy, cheese, produce, wine, cooking. It wasn't clear to me on booking that passengers would be coming and going from the group but that makes it easier for people to customize trip length. Food was good, maybe a little more variety on the provided breakfasts and lunches would have been well received. Sleeping pads were comfortable and the tents were durable and easy to put up. Bus was clean and comfortable and driving very safe. Booking process went well.
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  Flying Kiwi commented on this review

  Great and thanks for the 5-star review, Theresa. We really appreciate your feedback and will make sure to pass that all back to our ops team as part of our constant improvement. :)
  Trip date: January 2020
• VH

  Viktória

  · January 24th, 2020
  I had an awesome time and have seen many awesome things during the trip.
  

  Flying Kiwi commented on this review

  Fantastic! Thank you Viktoria, great to hear you enjoyed your trip.
  Trip date: January 2020
• M

  MarkusFrank

  · December 13th, 2019
  Highly recommend, delicious self made food, excellent Guide /driver Very good hire equipment specially (bikes and tents) I liked all those remote campsites which you never find alone. Thanks
  

  Flying Kiwi commented on this review

  Fantastic, thanks Markus that's great to hear. Cheers, Brenda
  Trip date: September 2019
• TN

  thuy

  · December 9th, 2019
  Better than expected: - Flying Kiwi team is great which is led by Bobbi John who has a vast of knowledges of all visited places, history of NZ,, sports, activities. He’s funny, caring & passionate with his team. - Our tourists team has a great dynamic, everyone is taking care of each other like a big happy family even we had some obstacles on the way due to weather & transportation. All stepped up to help Flying Kiwi team which made great memories! - Highly recommend it!
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  Flying Kiwi commented on this review

  Great to hear you enjoyed your trip = we will pass your comments on to the team :)
  Trip date: November 2019
• CS

  Chad

  · December 2nd, 2019
  A nice tour with a good group of fellow travelers. We traveled a lot, but saw many beautiful places. Our guide and both drivers, the first was replaced, were very nice and helpful. The first team was very inexperienced and it showed. They were both lovely people, and I very much liked our guide. He will be great by the end of this season. There was just too much for him to look after without experienced help. My only real disappointment was with the bicycling program. It seemed in the itinerary to be an integral part of the tour, but turned out to mostly be an after thought. The rental fee was a big expense for me, and I didn't have easy access to the bike. We missed a couple of rides due to weather (nobody's fault), a couple we started late, the ride on Day 1 was just overlooked, resulting in a sincere apology, when I asked about it, and a promise to pay more attention to those who were expecting to ride every chance we could. There didn't seem to be a policy in place to refund part of the bike hire fee if we were unable to ride due to reasons out of our control. I was told to contact the office when I asked. Those bikes made a lot of money for the company, and mostly stayed on the bus.
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  Flying Kiwi commented on this review

  Thank you for taking the time to review your trip Chad, we value all feedback. Although we’re disappointed to hear of your cycling experience, I’m pleased overall you had a great time on board the Flying Kiwi bus. Our aim is for everyone to leave New... Show more
  Trip date: November 2019