Essence of New Zealand Christchurch → Auckland (2027)

Customer Reviews

• John

  · February 6th, 2023
  The tour started on a wrong note because we were not met at the airport in Auckland. After some time and effort another gentleman unrelated to the tour drove us to our hotel and wouldn't dream of taking any money. This was the first of many interfaces with NZ people, who seem to be universally friendly and helpful. Once we met with tour director Fernando and the rest of our tour group the trip was terrific. Although this was billed as "rail tour" we spent much more time on the tour bus then on the rails. However, the two bus drivers - John and then Rob - were excellent and provided local insight into all of the areas we visited, in a knowledgeable and humorous manner. We managed to leave our passports in a hotel safe, and Fernando went all out to recover them for us. The tour group were all seniors, and we made some good friends that we hope to see again. The NZ weather was perfect for the whole tour, and we were in warm dry Christchurch when Auckland had their floods Clearly we would have needed a much longer time to see all that NZ has to offer, but what we did see was impressive - incredible greenery, roads and rail lines installed thru impossible terrain, huge cattle and sheep herds, entrepreneurship displayed every where. Terrific tour, nice folks!
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• David

  · March 23rd, 2020
  Our tour director, Daniel, did a really good job and made our 6 days very enjoyable. The bus driver was also very good and they were both a joy to be around. Their hard work and effort for our benefit was much appreciated.
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• Anonymous

  · January 28th, 2012
  We went on the Southern Sensation premier plus tour. It was absolutely amazing!! We live in the North Island and i can honestly say i fell in love with my country all over again. We had never been to the south island before and wanted to go and explore before we take the kids. Our bus driver and tour guide were both fantastic. Our tour guide made sure everything was perfect and any thing else we needed was not a problem. Our bus driver was just as good and helpful. They worked so well together and they both knew stories about the history of places. I highly recommend using APT, even if it is around your own country and trust me you will still be amazed. - Michelle K, New Zealand
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