Ultimate Highlights Reviews

Excellent trip, well looked after by Global Journeys then could not fault Grand Pacific Tours for our tour. All that was mapped out for us happened without any issues. Would recommend to any persons wishing to holiday, especially to New Zealand.

Grand Pacific ultimate coach tour of New Zealand (North and South islands) was excellent. Coach and driver/guide were outstanding and coach was very comfortable. Itinerary was fantastic and the accommodation and meals overall were of a very good standard. All stops and included tours were very good and we had great companionship from our fellow travellers. ...read more Some friendships that will be maintained on returning home were established and we had great fun.The absence of laundry facilities, particularly in the North Island accommodation was frustrating and the departure from Auckland airport a nightmare but overall would highly recommend this 16 day itinerary.

A wonderful trip, worth every cent! The hotels were first class, the 20 seater full size bus was amazing and the tour guide/driver was excellent. I was lucky to have a diverse group of people from different parts of the world as my travel companions and the sightseeing covered everything you could hope for. I was directed to Hannah Campbell at Global ...read more Journeys for my booking and as I’ve experienced before, she was very helpful and efficient in sorting my holiday. I would highly recommend Global Journeys and my tour operator Grand Pacific Tours. A holiday to remember!

I booked my tour with Hannah from Global Journeys. This is my third tour that I have booked with them and Hannah. Hannah is brilliant. Always professional and nothing is too much trouble. Hannah communicated with me throughout the entire booking process and ensured that I had everything in order to ensure smooth travelling. Everything was so well organised ...read more and I cannot recommend Hannah and Global Journeys enough.

The tour started in Christchurch and I was met by a host from Grand Pacific at the airport to transfer me to the hotel. That was probably the last time that I handled my bag for any great length of time because throughout the tour bags were picked up from outside your room on day of departure and delivered to your rooms on arrival at your next destination. Being a small group tour was so nice as you actually got to know individuals well throughout the tour. The group was amazing and everyone really got along well. I was the only solo traveller on this tour but was made to feel very much part of the group. Everyone was so welcoming - wouldn't hesitate to go on another tour with this amazing group again.

Our coach driver and tour captain Linda was brilliant. Always felt very safe with Linda at the helm. Driving and commentating didn't appear to phase Linda and her stories were always informative and set the scene for the next stop on the tour. All this with a warm and engaging personality. Linda is a real treasure. The coach is state of the art! Everyone had their own seat with a private side table to plug in your electronic devices etc and with full view windows which made for very comfortable touring.

The tour itself was pretty fast paced particularly when you consider that in 16 days we did the South and North islands. The South Island is so scenic - the landscape is breathtaking and awe inspiring. You would be hard pressed to find anywhere else in the world like the South Island of New Zealand. The North Island appears to have a more cultural feel with most of the Maori population residing there. What beautiful stories they have about how New Zealand evolved - so rich in history. Some more two night stays on the South Island would have been great!

The hotels we stayed in were mostly of a very very high standard with only two hotels if I am honest not in keeping with the standard that the others provided or would be expected from a tour such as this, but with little time spent in the room this was manageable. Food on the tour was plentiful - oh how plentiful. No one went hungry and with buffet breakfasts and several selections to choose from when dining at the hotels in the evening everyone was catered for. The meals were always very nice. The special dinners included which were not provided by the hotels were fantastic.

The optional extras on the tour was a little lacking in some ways. There was little in the way of physical exercise - for eg: hiking, bicycle riding! There were many optional extras whereby scenic flights/helicopter rides were offered. Speed boat trips also. The other optional extras were less inspiring and could be reviewed. Overall this tour was the entree to a main meal! We just got a taste of New Zealand and I'm sure many of us will be back.

Loved it! 10 days on the South Island and 6 days on the North Island, all done with Grand Pacific Tours. Our coach driver, Chris, was a gem - an experienced driver with a conversational style of narrative that made the journey fun. A couple of days were on the longish side but overall, it was a well-paced coach tour. Meals were great, accommodation ...read more was great, and the included excursions were good too. The Gallipoli Exhibit at the museum, in particular, was an eye-opener. We missed out on optional helicopter flight at Fox Glacier due to weather but did one over the Bay Of Islands later on to make up for it. Everywhere you look is beautiful in terms of scenery. Try the Thunder Trike ride (350 Chev V8 motor in it) at Bay of Islands; it's a real hoot!

Accommodation was very good, especially The George in Christchurch. Te Anau is a long way out of the way, but was a peaceful spot and I had a wonderful, much needed massage there. Fantastic landscape in the South Island. Rotorua was fantastic... great local guides and the luge ride is a must. The cultural evening was terrific. Bay of Islands - a long ...read more awaited treat. Time in Auckland was limited. Very early starts every day; long days on the coach mostly. Pace was a bit fast. 4,000 kms over 14 days. Itinerary - it would be very helpful if the hotels with laundry facilities were outlined. Driver had to be tour director as well, which was a lot of work for him to cover.

The Ultimate tour had lots of advantages, when comparing with the large tours. However we found that of the 17 of us, there weren't many like minded travelling companions. It was quite clear that several people wanted to keep to themselves, so there wasn't a lot of interaction within the group, whereas our friends who did the same tour & recommended ...read more it, had a wonderful time & a lot of fun times. John & I have travelled many places & we loved everything about New Zealand, we just think we were unlucky with some of the group. The tour driver/guide was good & a gentleman. He sometimes talked too much about irrelevant things, like cost of insurances, fuel, weigh bridges etc. etc. but overall he did well. Would we do another small group tour ? Maybe, maybe not. The tour however was great.