The Original NZ Self Drive Touring Company

We absolutely loved every minute of the trip. We had an upgrade on the car (Mitsubishi Outlander) which was great. The accommodation was fabulous (the views from Mt.Cook and Te Anau especially)...
Read moreWe absolutely loved every minute of the trip. We had an upgrade on the car (Mitsubishi Outlander) which was great. The accommodation was fabulous (the views from Mt.Cook and Te Anau especially) and the March weather was very kind - only a couple of showers of rain. Due to the slope and narrowness of the parking spaces parks in Dunedin (Motel on York), we had some anxious moments. We enjoyed having accommodation close to cafes, shops etc - everything was within walking distance. We could hardly believe the scenery, and although there was a lot of driving, there was never a dull moment! We followed the suggested driving itinerary each time, except for the trip between Dunedin and Te Anau. We did take the detour to Kaka Point, but continued along that road to visit Nugget Point - which was absolutely spectacular. You must add it to your suggested itinerary! The TranzAlpine (Scenic Plus Addon) train trip at the end did not disappoint. The views, the food, the crew, were first class. Tip: Don't eat before getting on the train. We found the New Zealanders to be welcoming and friendly. The drivers who collected us from Christchurch Railway (after the train) and Quest on Cambridge (the following morning) were both pleasant and informative. Tony, who drove us to the airport, was there in plenty of time and amused us with anecdotes and information about Christchurch on our drive. Thank you Kayla for organising everything and making the whole trip run seamlessly!

From the moment we spoke to Lisa, we knew we were going to have a very special holiday, without all the hassle of researching and booking a holiday as we normally do. We loved every aspect of our...
Read moreFrom the moment we spoke to Lisa, we knew we were going to have a very special holiday, without all the hassle of researching and booking a holiday as we normally do. We loved every aspect of our tour. The itinerary allowed us to see many spectacular places in the South Island. A self drive tour suited us, we drove at our own pace and had the very handy, user friendly App to assist us with driving distances and suggestions of where to stop along the way. Collection of the car at the airport was a breeze and so started our adventure. Our stay at the Mayfair Christchurch was very comfortable and we set off well rested. On arrival at the Hermitage Hotel in Mt Cook, we were blown away with the view we had from our room. It was a sunny day and the view was spectacular. We had perfect weather conditions for our helicopter ride and glacier landing and that was absolutely one of the highlights of our trip. Next stop was Camp Estate at Larnach Castle. We had lots of different staff members looking after us and they were all so welcoming and lovely. We had very rainy weather while in Dunedin but it did not put a damper on our wildlife cruise or visit to the Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance. We thoroughly enjoyed our group dinners at Larnach Castle. My favorite part of the trip was our stay at Fiordland Lodge, it has become my new happy place. When we arrived, we felt like we were being welcomed into Hayley’s home, she was such a perfect hostess. We have never stayed at a luxury lodge before and we loved it, it was so relaxing to be there. We were spoilt by the chef with our daily canapes, multi course meals and breakfast each day. The lodge was located an easy distance to Te Anau township and we enjoyed walking around in the sunshine and taking in the beautiful surroundings there. We enjoyed our drive to Milford Sound, stopping many times along the way to take photos and to take in the scenery. The cruise of Milford Sound was very special and I can only imagine what it would be like to go on a rainy day and to see the myriad of waterfalls cascading down. It was with great sadness that we left Fiordland Lodge and headed to busy Queenstown, where parking the car proved to be very difficult. We could not believe the size of our villa at Azur Lodge, it was huge and with such a magnificent view. We really enjoyed our ride on the TSS Earnslaw Steamship, our meal at the stunning Walter Peak Station and watching the herding of the sheep by clever & hard working cattle dog Mia. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Queenstown, a very pretty place with the dramatic backdrop of the Remarkables and definitely the place to go if you like adventure sports. The drive from Queenstown to Franz Josef Glacier was interesting with dramatic changes in the terrain. A pleasant surprise was the 5 course meal we were served each night at Te Waonui Forest Retreat, the food was delicious. Unfortunately for us, a storm was coming and our heli hike was cancelled but not to worry, we had a lovely time enjoying a massage at our hotel and the money paid for the heli hike was refunded into our bank account. Another highlight of our tour came at the conclusion. Without any fuss, we were able to drop our car at the Greymouth train station and board the Tranzalpine Scenic train for our ride back to Christchurch. It was such a special experience to be seated in a very beautiful carriage with great and varied views out the expansive windows and delicious food and drink served along the way. I loved the open carriage for taking photos, even though it was quite rainy the day we travelled. We were collected from the railway station in Christchurch by a very friendly driver who transferred us back to the Mayfair Hotel where we were treated like VIP guests thanks to Lisa. The same driver collected us early on the final day & transferred us to the airport in time to check in for our flight home. Thank you to Lisa & New Zealand Self Drive Tours for such a wonderful holiday, we loved it all.

We loved our time in New Zealand! Chelsea did a great job ensuring we experienced the highlights with the time and budget we had. Everything went off without a hitch from hotel reservations to...
Read moreWe loved our time in New Zealand! Chelsea did a great job ensuring we experienced the highlights with the time and budget we had. Everything went off without a hitch from hotel reservations to airport pickups and excursions. The app is fantastic and was extremely useful in keeping us organized and helping us with driving and sightseeing.

From start to finish our NZ South Island Self Drive tour was unbelievable!! Nichole's knowledge of her unique home, the amazing organisation of our itinerary n luxury accommodation and the...
Read moreFrom start to finish our NZ South Island Self Drive tour was unbelievable!! Nichole's knowledge of her unique home, the amazing organisation of our itinerary n luxury accommodation and the support along the way was sooo professional and friendly. You name it we experienced it, the food and wine were amazing and the people we met along our adventures, both local n travellers were just so friendly. The special memories we have made will last our lifetime. We will definitely be back!

We were very very happy with your service Katie, the accomodation was organised seamlessly and they were all clean and safe. Being able to track the next leg through your App was a great asset...
Read moreWe were very very happy with your service Katie, the accomodation was organised seamlessly and they were all clean and safe. Being able to track the next leg through your App was a great asset and receiving updates via that helped us plan our departure times too. The driving distance between each leg were great and well manageable, this allowed us, plenty of time to stop at little cafes, take photos and take in the beautiful scenery of a beautiful part of the world. We are so grateful that we stumbled on your website and decided to book with you. Thank you very much once again Katie for doing such a wonderful job. We are still talking to our friends about our trip and will definitely come again to visit your beautiful country 😊