Travellers Testimonials and Reviews: First Light Travel

My wife and I used Jo at First Light Travel to plan our honeymoon tour of New Zealand. First Light took care of everything, which was fantastic since we were too busy planning our wedding at the time. They asked us for our likes and interests and planned out an itinerary that suited us quite well. Our tour hit some Lord of the Rings highlights, saw majestic nature in Queenstown and Milford Sound, indulged us with wonderful wine tours, and had some fun river adventures too. We got a bit of luxury, a bit of relaxation, and some adventure. We fell in-love with New Zealand and can't wait to go back. The trip was well organized and gave us plenty of time for travel from place to place. It was such a pleasure to have everything planned; we just showed up and enjoyed.

Philippe Ajoux & Jackie Holland - USA

Flawless trip! First light was recommended by our friends. From the moment we connected with Jo, she was on top of making sure our trip was planned and that we were able to accomplish all of our travel goals. She took careful note of the activities we wanted to do, and gave us great recommendations on activities that she thought we should do. Every day was perfectly planned out, from what time to leave, an accurate description of the activity, and other recommendations to do in our (very little)downline. My Husband and I were only able to visit NZ for 2 weeks and somehow Jo managed to get us to all of our destinations with a couple extra stops along the way. Jo had great communication with us, and did everything she could to stay within our budget (which we thought would be impossible during the Holiday travel!) We have already recommended Jo and First Light to a few family and friends! Thank you for an unforgettable 2 week journey through your beautiful country!!

Mona & Adam  Banes - USA

Michelle was able to put together a self-guided itinerary which gave us exactly what we wanted. Her service was impeccable - personal, prompt, attentive, flexible and professional.

The Yun Family - Singapore

Deb was FANTASTIC! From the start she asked me all the right questions about our family and what types of activities we wanted to do. She planned the trip absolutely perfectly! From the types of accommodations, to the car rentals, to the activities we did, to the special dietary restrictions (nut allergies and vegetarian) everything was exactly what we wanted for a very memorable family vacation. We loved having the detailed itinerary created by Deb and the voucher booklet. Each day she had meticulously planned out the drive times, the activities with descriptions, reminders to call places to confirm bookings, accommodation specifics. I honestly cannot recommend Deb and First Light Travel highly enough! You will be in GREAT hands with this travel agency! Thank you Deb for helping us create the most magical family trip, these memories will last a lifetime!

Jeffrey, Siena & Harrison Goldfarb and Lisa Rayman  - Hongkong

This was the easiest vacation I have ever planned. I left the planning details to the NZ experts and was not disappointed! Fantastic trip, with a detailed itinerary that took out all the stress! Jo made excellent, informed recommendations that let us see as much as we could in the 12 days allotted. The trip went like clockwork!

We felt we got the most of the time we had and, of course, want to return when we have more time - Must come back!

Holly Nelson & Ben Dossett – Texas USA

Hi Shelley,

Just wanted to let you know that we had a fantastic time in New Zealand! On behalf of the crew, I would like to express a heartfelt thank-you to you and your team!

We very much enjoyed the tours you selected. My wife had concerns about the hotel room in Mt Cook as she thought it was a “motel”. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that you booked a Chalet! The room was nice and clean, and also close to Hermitage where our booked activities took place. How thoughtful! When our fight to Christchurch was cancelled due to a nail in one landing tire (no kidding!), you and your team quickly responded with rearranging hotel and transfer. While we were stressed by the disruption, we were comforted by the fact that there was always a member from your team answering our after-hour calls and helping. You were diligently monitoring weather and adjusting our itinerary in order to maximize our chance to make the Milford Sound flight. We did! The aerial view of mountains and lakes on Milford flight was breathtaking! It was the best part of our trip! We were much impressed by both the beauty of New Zealand and your service! We now feel like we have a friend there. 

Thank you again!

Warm regards,

Yc and Jingyuan Luo - USA

From start to finish, we had first-rate guidance from our First Light Travel agent, Shelley Kirk. She chose wonderful high spots on both Islands, picked varied accommodations which added to the trip and which always put us in great locations, scenic in the countryside, central in the cities. There was never a glitch in either lodging or transport--a real feat for a nineteen day trip that covered the country. Our B&B hosts, our yacht captain, our tour guides, were rich in lore, history and information, and above all infectious in their enthusiasm for the country and eager to answer all questions about New Zealand. The Maori part of the trip--the villages, the evening dinner and performance, the museums, added richly to our experience.

Syd Nathans & Judith White - USA

Chrissy played an important role in ensuring the smooth liaison and planning of our customised trip itinerary, answering the several questions I always had and providing prompt details or alternative suggestions whenever necessary. Thank you for the brilliant accommodation recommendations as well; they definitely exceeded our expectations. Dmitry, our driver and guide, was nothing short of wonderful, always offering interesting information about this beautiful country and ensuring we were well taken care of. We knew we were in great hands! Thank you so much for making our trip an enjoyably memorable one.

Yi Fang & Eileen Lim - Singapore

Hi Christine,

Thanks for all your help!  We had a blast and were so impressed with the organization, the selection of hotels, experiences, etc.  I'm cc'ing Jon as he has our best photos. We will certainly recommend you to others!!

Thanks again,

Tania, Jon, Colby & Sierra Binder - USA

Wonderful service, wonderful itinerary.... my tour was smooth and efficient. The routes chosen were wonderful with the right amount of time between traveling and staying.

John Dodson - United States of America