Luxury New Zealand Travel Review:Auckland Harbor, Milford Sound, Napier, Nokomai Station, Franz Joseph, Winery, Horseback Riding

Review by traveler

Susan K.

5.2.2013

General Info

Traveler Review

Which Country (Countries) did you visit on this trip?

Australia

Fiji

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

Karen was quick and responsive to our request which was made with a only a short window to get it all planned. She called us to get a personal picture of our preferences, comfort needs, and energy and fitness levels before setting out a general itinerary. She had very good ideas for our more personalized wishes such as a farm experience involving sheep, dogs, and horses. Also, we wanted to do some sailing, and she knew of the great America's cup experience in Auckland Harbor. Where she was unable to book she made suggestions for alternatives. All in all, we managed to have a superior experience.

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

We got marooned an extra night on the Milford Mariner due to torrential rainfall closing the only road in (and out). Due to this "inconvenience" we got to experience the Milford Sound waterfalls at their most spectacular. Allowing some "discovery" time in Napier we were able to take advantage of a wonderful local farmer's market, then watched practice runs for the international Mounted Games teams at the Horse of the Year exposition grounds, and then watched a Grand Prix jumping competition between Australia and New Zealand at a beautiful winery. At Nokomai station where we stayed for a farm experience we were able to watch working sheep dogs, and on another day book a half day of fly fishing. Many of our favorite things were those not actually scheduled or booked for us, but Karen allowed time to choose whatever interested us and made some suggestions. We had very little down time where we found ourselves at a loss for something to do.

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

Maybe add a couple of days to do the things we didn't get to because of distances and logistics. We did not spend any time north of Auckland, or any time in the Rotorua area. The only day we felt was wasted was the one spent in Franz Joseph because we were not interested in the glaciers (have seen other ones in US), and we arrived seasonally a little late for the nesting bird spectacle at the big lagoon. We would have kayaked the lagoon, but mistimed the tides, so we left a day early for Queenstown. The one big mistake was our own fault. We asked for a good horse trek for experienced riders and she booked two. The first was just OK, but the second one was very long and the horses were disappointing. I should actually know better than to assume a horse trek will be suitable for experienced riders unless it is specifically designed for horse vacations.

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Luxury New Zealand Travel Review:Auckland Harbor, Milford Sound, Napier, Nokomai Station, Franz Joseph, Winery, Horseback Riding

General Info

Which Country (Countries) did you visit on this trip?

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

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