Fine Tours New Zealand

Fine Tours New Zealand and our tour advisor there (Chelsea Lodge) exceed all of our expectations for professionalism, flexibility, and working with our wishes and financial constraints to customize a wonderful self-drive experience to the South Island. From the very first inquiry, it was clear that Ms. Lodge was eager to work with us, knowledgeable, and provided us with multiple alternatives to find an itinerary that fit our interests and our budget. Once we had settled on an itinerary and had traveled to New Zealand, everything was smooth - the airport and hotel pickups, the scheduled activities, etc. No bad surprises. Every hotel or activity provider expected us, and only once did we have to provide a reservation number. The only surprise were the amazing natural beauty of the country, which surpassed all photos and brochures we had seen prior to arrival. Some other nice touches were a couple of the accommodations. Our budget allowed us for medium-range hotels/lodgings, but our agent was able to book us, in a couple of occasions, in some extremely nice properties without breaking the bank. Of note, Fine Tours New Zealand seems to work with reliable local contractors (e.g., RealNZ) for some of the tours, and we in turn found those activities also to be "as advertised." On one occasion (an overnight boat cruise to Doubtful Sound), my wife and I inadvertently left an item of value behind in the boat. Before I had even had time to explore whether it was possible to have the item located, RealNZ and Fine Tours had been in touch, coordinated efforts in terms of where we were located, and RealNZ made truly extraordinary efforts to return my item - which made a big difference on the rest of the trip. The documentation (PDF and web app) provided for the self-drive tour were accurate and useful in terms of directions, drive times and suggested places to make detours. Overall, we had a great experience being guided by Fine Tours and Ms. Lodge; I recommend them without reservation.
Nov 1st, 2022

We travelled on the 9 Day Southern Explorer Self Drive Tour departing 22 March. We booked with Liz Wilson who through-out all our dealings, provided us with exceptional service. Nothing was too much trouble & all our communications were answered promptly and professionally. The tour was excellent and the daily distance required to travel between towns was carefully managed and not at all onerous. Hotels were first rate and the cars provided were more than adequate. I cannot speak more highly of Liz and her team and would have absolutely no hesistation at all in recommending them and their company.
Apr 27th, 2023

Shelley and the team at Fine Tours NZ made our trip to the North Island a wonderful and unforgettable experience! NZ has more than its fair share of luxury lodges, and Shelley chose some excellent ones for us to stay in. We will definitely go back for more. Thank you!
Feb 1st, 2023

Jan 16th, 2023

We spent most of our honeymoon in New Zealand and were completely blown away. Everything exceeded all expectations and was extremely well organized. Huge thank you to the Fine Tours team for facilitating the itinerary of a lifetime. I couldn't recommend their services enough!
Nov 5th, 2022