New Zealand Bus & Coach Tour Reviews

I first want to thank you and you at your company for an extraordinary trip to New Zealand. We in Norway say when we are very satisfied that we got currency for money (valuta for pengene) and I will say it now: I got more than expected! The organization was excellent, the bus was comfortable, the hotels were very good, the food, too, but most of all for us passengers, the guide and driver did it, with extraordinary knowledge and fantastic humor! I thought for a long time before deciding to take this arrangement, whether to go around New Zealand by plane or maybe by car. I must admit, I had a mistrust of the bus. But it turned out that I chose the right way: I certainly could not have gotten to know your beautiful country better and more comfortably! Therefore, I will be happy to recommend this fantastic bus adventure to everyone who wants to read what I am writing!

It was an amazing experience! Our point of contact, Tia Chesser, provided exceptional assistance from inception to departure. She answered every question thoroughly and timely, we couldn't have asked for a better tour specialist. Marty, Eric, and Darryl were the best local team that made sure we were having a good time; and sharing their knowledge of New Zealand and the Maori culture. I would definitely recommend Contrasts to others.

It was everything we hoped for and more, very intensive itinerary, great Travel Guide and Driver, lovely hotels and great extra activities. Harriet was very helpfull and knowledgeable and I felt she was like a friend, it was a pity I would have liked to say hello when we passed through Wanaka but it was a Sunday. Many thanks Harriet for your great service we will reccomend you to all our friends. Cheers Jo and Warren.

This holiday was very well organised. The only hitch was someone else's, such as the ferry to the South Island. We felt we had seen a good cross section of New Zealand and what it has to offer. Hope was our guide and her organisational skills, experience, knowledge, sense of humour and unfailing patience were exactly what was needed. She showcased New Zealand and its history and culture very well and with great enthusiasm. All the hotels with one exception were fine. Being older, we found it tiring when we were spending only one night in a place but having been on similar holidays, we knew what we were getting into. Also the organisation made it easy for us to be where we were supposed to be at the right time. The heavy lifting, literally, was taken from us. We saw some amazing places and wildlife. We enjoyed the experiences that were arranged as part of the holiday. There were optional excursions but there was no pressure to be involved if we chose not to. The rotation of seats on the bus worked very well and we all had views of the stunning scenery. We spent three years thinking about this trip during covid and we were not disappointed. Our driver throughout was Mark who was safe and experienced. Always on time and helpful and with a sense of humour. We had total faith in his driving. The price was very reasonable for what we were offered and we would not hesitate in advising anyone who is hesitating, to go and have the experiences we did. The trip was made much easier because of Hope and Mark and we will always remember our lovely holiday.

Brilliant, well worth, thank you and great service from Harriet.

Firstly, the tour was great and I was very happy with all aspects of the transport, accommodation and the personal service from the Tour Director and Driver. They were both very professional and friendly and did an excellent job over the 14 days. The accommodation was very good, probably better than I was expecting - and always good hotels in a great location. Made it easy to get around and find my way home later. Tour coach was always clean and quiet. I felt very safe with capable and competent driver. Cheers to Dave. Tour Director Nathan was very good keeping us all informed and looking after everyone. Great Customer Service, he’s very friendly and certainly experienced in Travel and Groups. I would also like to thank you for all the work behind the scenes you have done for me over the last couple of years. It was way back in March 2020 that I was booked to go on my original 14 Day NZ Tour, - a week after Covid Restrictions were put in place. Over the years since then you have kept in contact and extended my booking credit, keeping me up to date with what’s happening both with NZ, and my trip. Sometimes, I felt like I had my own PA in New Zealand. 😊 Thanks for your Excellent Customer Service over these last few years.

I had the best time! Had a wonderful tour guide named Isabel, and a great bus driver named Stu. Between the two of them I felt safe, comfortable, the cities/towns were amazing! The Kiwi's know how to spoil tourists..Food was wonderful, and so were the hotels. Isabel had so much info to give us, and gave personal attention to all of us. We had free days to do what we wanted too, and I saw sights I did not see on my first trip to NZ. Shopping was amazing. NZ is so beautiful, you can't take a bad photo. My travel agent, Christina was so helpful and was always ready to answer any question. I can't wait to go back again, you never see everything in NZ!

Hello. We would like to say, what a great tour and what a great tour-guide. Special thanks to KELLY BOULTON. Kelly is pleasant, polite, caring and passionate about his job. Hard working, he couldn’t do more for you. Well organised and entertaining with a great knowledge of NZ. He made all the difference to out tour. A huge asset to AATKings. Thank you Kelly.

Excellent trip, when we looked back we realised just how much we had seen in our fortnight. Chelsea was really helpful when we booked the trip ensuring that we had a couple of extra days in our last hotel so we didn’t have the worry of changing hotels at the end.

We had a wonderful holiday. Everything was perfect. The hotels and the dinners, the breakfasts, and the entertainment were very good, Also, the tour guide "Hope" was an excellent organiser and entertainer. Our driver Di was a perfect chauffeur and a good storyteller. All in all, the trip was very enjoyable and highly recommended.

We had a great time thanks! We would have liked more information on costs of the extra activities prior to the tour - this would enable tourists to plan and budget ahead. We didn't realise that the coach would be taking some people to the different activities while the others stayed on the coach. We have never been on a tour like that before other than when we went to Israel. The Israel tour - all the people went to the same activities except for when we had a morning or afternoon off and then each person/couple organised their own activity.

Nichole is amazing! She prepared everything for our trip and we did not experience a single hitch during our journey through New Zealand. aat kings is a top-notch tour company and Dexter and Yvonne made the trip fun and informative! I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.

We had a lovely time touring New Zealand for 14 days. All the arrangements made by NZ Coach Tours and aat kings worked perfectly well. Enjoyed the comments and wits of our tour guide, Gina. However we missed the Milford Sound, the beauty of which we have heard so much about. Thank you Chelsea for booking us for a great tour.

aat kings is a very professional tour company. I enjoyed the trip in New Zealand very much, I won't forget the very good experience for a long long time. The director Katie and Driver Mike did a great job. The lady, Victoria Parrack, also did her job beautifully on help me and arrangement of my South Island and North Island trips. I would like to this opportunity to say thank you so much, and I will be with your company again if I visit NZ again or another part of the world. Once again Thank you very much.

Kia Ora. We have just returned from New Zealand after a truly wonderful holiday. We had a few days in Auckland prior to joining the 8 day tour of the North Island. We found these extra days very beneficial both to get over the long journey from the UK but also to give us time to explore Auckland. Auckland was home from home - we have lived in Bristol for 6 years and throughout that time there have been extensive roadworks and reconstruction! We joined the coach tour and met the tour director, Hope Horsley. Hope was exceptional - it was lovely to hear some of the Maori stories and legends and to be given the Maori perspective on life in New Zealand. This enriched the experience enormously. We found the travel was comfortable - a new coach - in spite of a few long days. The hotels were also very comfortable - all the rooms were spacious and provided all we needed. The food could not be bettered. Hope explained the optional excursions clearly so it was easy to choose between them. I think that the range of excursions was wide and catered for most. The coach travelled on from Wellington to the South Island while we stayed on at the James Cook hotel. Again this gave us the opportunity to see much more of Wellington and to appreciate some of the history of New Zealand. We returned to Auckland by the Northern Explorer train which was quite an experience and then flew down to Tauranga to stay with a niece. Thank you Nicole so mush for organizing the extra nights at the hotels in Auckland and Wellington. We really appreciate all your help and attention to detail.

We had a wonderful time, the tour guide was excellent as was the driver. There we no hiccups and everything was as per the itinerary. Still trying to remember what we did and where we went, but that is normal! Would highly recommend your company. Thank you

We just completed our 15 Day New Zealand Splendour tour and it was excellent. We have nothing but great things to say about our tour with aat kings nor with our travel agent Chelsea Lodge. Chelsea was very, very attentive and was very quick to respond to our questions. My wife and I were former tour directors and have directed 90-100 tours all over North America. We know when a tour is a good tour. The New Zealand Splendour tour EXCEEDED our expectations. Tour Director Isobel Needham and Ricky the driver were EXCEPTIONAL.

Right from enquiry to booking to completion of our pleasant 9 days aat kings tour of South Island of New Zealand, Chelsea Lodge has been swift, understanding, knowledgeable and assisted us. I would like to recommend her to our friends planning for such visits. Thank you, Chelsea, and keep it up.

Thanks for your assistance Kasmira. You assisted us promptly and expertly when we contacted you re the booking and we found your online itinerary invaluable. Your recommendation of aat kings was also spot on and we found them an excellent company to travel with. Special mention should be made of their travel director and driver who helped make the holiday so successful. The tour itself was everything we expected, the only disappointment was the cancellation of the Milford Sound visit following the closure of the access road due to storm conditions. As this was due to a natural weather event clearly we were all disappointed but at the same time, we realised that this was not a situation where blame could be apportioned. aat kings reacted positively to the situation and their operations director sent us all a letter advising that we would be compensated as a result of missing the Milford Sound visit. We were advised that they would be dealing with the compensation through the visitor's travel agents so I look forward to hearing from you on this point once Kings have been in touch with you. Thanks again for your assistance. We really enjoyed the holiday and would like to think that we will return over the next 2 to 3 years.

Our experience was outstanding. The tour director, Katie, had a good mix of information. Liked the music and the movie as well. The hotels were first rate. All of the stops were good. Would advise people to take the early flight from Rotorua to Christchurch.