tour and travel NZ ltd anyone used them

travelbug_3

i found this coach tour company on web (tour and travel new zealand ltd)

they have a good offer for an 11 day north and south island tour including meals and hotels

has anyone used this company?

if you have used a coach tour in new zealand and you were pleased with it

i would like to hear about it

as i am going on holiday to NZ in december 2005

thanks:cool:

chalky_bertie

Have you a link to their website?

But I feel that 11 days will not be long enough to do both islands. It is a beautiful country.

Have you thought about making your own travel arrangements (car / campervan)?

I am not a great fan of tours (my opinion only) as they seem to move people like cattle and heard them from place to place which doesn't give you time to do your own thing when you want.

travelbug_3

hi bertie
sorry i am new to computers and do not know how do a link to web page:o

we had thought about using bus and train to tour NZ

but as its peak time when we go thought it might be better if we booked coach tour

with hotels included

although now i have printed their interary i am thinking we could use that as a guide and

buy a NZ travel pass and book b&b's on route

do you think we should book b&b's /hotels before we go or book them once we get to NZ ?

chalky_bertie

From what i can remember train travel is very limited in NZ but flying could be an option but then you would still have to hire a car to explore the surrounding areas.

Don't know wether you want hotels or a cheaper alternative. You cold use Youth Hostels or camping sites which have chalets or B & B's which you have suggested. It is very easy to confirm your acommodation requiremnts using the internet and doing it independantly will probably save you money and give you time to visit the places you want to go to.

BERTIEclaire

Just a note to say if you do go on a tour, you must make sure they go to Rotorua (mud pools and thermal activity, really nice town), napier and auckland are both well worth a visit. In the south island, you must go to Milford Sound (get there early to avoid the crowds) , Christchurch and the glaciers - fox and franz josef are both stunning. If you are interested in wildlife, you must go to kaikoura, just above christhcurch. you can go swimming with wild dolphins and the whale watching tours are brilliant.
Alternatively, have you thought about hiring a camper van and doing it yourself?

travelbug_3

thankyou chalky-bertie and bertieclaire,

for your help with our trip to nz

we are planning to visit most of the places you have said

my hubby is getting old (poor thing) and does not want to drive so

we will plan route we want to take and book b&b's on route on the internet

planning to start at auckland tour north island and then south ending up at christchurch,

then fly from christchurch back to auckland i have found one way flights for £74

we are looking forward to trip,am sure we will not want to come back

thanks for advice about milford sound we will make sure we get there early

froma-z

travelbug.
I have been planning our trip to Oz (Perth Sydney & Cairns) we go in November 05. The web sight that I have found very useful is trip advisor. Here is a link to the New Zealand forum, if you have decided to do it on your own. It is very helpful & informative with planning your itinary, full of questions & answers and also gives info on hotels, b&b's etc. Just press this link and look on http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g255104-i125-New_Zealand.html.

We booked a package through Flight Centre, flights & hotels for our trip to Oz, we thought for a good price as I did shop round. Next time thought we will just book flights & book hotels separate as you get better deals at some hotels as they may throw in breakfast or airport transfers.

Hope you get sorted, my son went about 4 years ago and loved it, but they won a comp so it was all free!!!. Let us know what you decide on, as I can feel a trip coming on to New Zealand soon!!.

LumpyCustard_2

I did three weeks in NZ in March 2001, mainly consisting of a coach tour with Kirra Tours http://www.kirratours.co.nz/. To me (as a single traveller) it was great value, including breakfast and dinner every night. Almost everyone on the trip was Australian and most were OAPs, so not the one to take if you want young company or families.

travelbug_3

thankyou froma-z and lumpy custard,

we have our flights booked with malaysia airlines to nz

it's the planning of what to do when we are in nz that's giving me a headache

i will look at both your links and then get down to some planning

for some reason i thought it would be mostly american's on the coach trips ,as my hubby is an OAP ,he should fit in well

have a great holiday froma-z in australia ,not long to go now

i will let you know when i have got sorted

mgw99

Hi Travelbug

This site is aimed more at backpackers but it has a lot of information on travelling round, what to see etc, especially in the forums.
http://www.backpackerboard.co.nz/ I found this really useful before I went to NZ but I was there for a year so slightly different plans to you!! It will also tell you which bus tours are aimed more at 18-year-olds!

Also, the lonelyplanet website and its thorntree forums are very useful. This is the one with info for NZ:
http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/categories.cfm?catid=10

As someone else said - the train travel isn't exactly comprehensive but buses are better. I've heard that the train from Christchurch across the Southern Alps to Greymouth is amazing. I found plane travel quick and easy and fairly cheap if you book in advance with either AirNZ or Qantas.

Have fun in NZ - it is an amazing country!!

mgw