New Zealand, Fiji Luxury Vacation Review: Queenstown, Abel Tasman National Park, Waiheke Island, Milford Sound, Wellington, Picton

Review by traveler

Jim R.

3.16.2024

General Info

Traveler Review

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

New Zealand

Fiji

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

New Zealand is wonderful, welcoming, and full of natural beauty, rich culture, and diverse landscapes. The Zicasso tour company put together a terrific itinerary and we covered the North and South islands, traveling by automobile, plane, train, and ferry boats.

We experienced Māori culture, geothermal baths, vineyards, national parks, fjords, and numerous lakes, rivers, and mountains, in addition to the east and west coastlines.

We stopped in Fiji on the way home and stayed at a beautiful hotel. We visited a cultural village there and learned a great deal about Fijian history, culture, Kava, and life today. We spent the balance of our time relaxing, enjoying the lagoon, pools, spa, and restaurants at the hotel.

The weather wasn’t always cooperative, as March is in the wet season, so we experienced intermittent downpours. However, there was plenty to do rain or shine, or we could just relax, which was often a good option. The people of Fiji are friendly, family-oriented, most welcoming, and extremely happy!

The travel agent put together an excellent itinerary for us and we had a great time, with only a couple of execution challenges that he addressed promptly and professionally.

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

Hiking in Abel Tasman National Park, the Māori and Fiji culture experiences, visiting Waiheke Island, Milford Sound, the ferry ride from Wellington to Picton, the TranzAlpine train ride, and four-wheeling near Queenstown were some of our most memorable experiences.

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

If we were able to do this trip again, the only major thing we would consider changing would be to travel in different months of the year, as the weather in February and March led to the cancellation of some planned activities.

Travel Company Comments:

Jim,

Thank you for taking the time to write your review. I’m delighted to hear you enjoyed your trip with us so much. As you experienced first-hand, New Zealand and Fiji are filled with natural beauty and welcoming people. Unfortunately, during your trip you encountered several day tour cancellations due to inclement weather – two of these were sightseeing flights that could only operate in clear skies, another was a stargazing tour, again requiring a clear night sky, and another was a lake cruise on a small boat which was cancelled due to high winds.

We, of course, refunded you for these cancelled services, in addition to reimbursing you for a hotel room issue that arose on one night when it was necessary to stay in an alternate hotel.

I’m glad you feel that we addressed these challenges to your satisfaction and we look forward to assisting you in planning a future trip to one of our other destinations.

Thank you for your business, it’s been a pleasure working with you.

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