Oceania Eco Tours

OMG! I had the absolute best time ever. New Zealand is stunning and choosing Contiki made my life so much easier. I didn’t have to think once, everything was planned out for me. Contiki is such a great way to meet new people, I definitely made life long friendships. My tour guide was Anna and honestly, I don’t think I would’ve had such an amazing time if it wasn’t for her. She made the experience fun, was very knowledgeable and overall made everything easy to understand. My bus driver was Pat, he was an absolute star. Never once did I feel unsafe with him driving. He’s also great to have a drink and chat with! I couldn’t say anything bad about Contiki or New Zealand even if I tried. Highly recommend for first time solo travellers.

I have travelled with Trafalgar once & AATKings twice & I would go with the company again. The last tour was The Top End of Australia. The coach driver and the tour operator were excellent and worked very hard to make our trip enjoyable.

Rooms were very spacious clean and beautifully present. The whole experience with AAT Kings from start to finish was fabulous and nothing was too much. When we met our tour guide and bus driver nothing was too much. Explain everything in detail so mistakes could not happen taking into count human area. So knowledgeable that this made our tour over and beyond expectations.

Dave and Ash were perfect hosts, guides, commentators, drivers, chaperones, in fact,you name it they were it! From start to finish they were consummate professionals, courteous, polite, knowledgeable, amusing and perfect hosts in every way. They are superb ambassadors not just for AAT Kings but also, for the beautiful country of Australia! Every attraction on the tour was greeted with enthusiasm by our hosts and even a couple of trips that were in their 'infancy' on the schedule and didn't quite match the enormity and splendour of the other trips were very enjoyable due to their honesty, participation and support. Accommodation throughout was superb, ranging from luxury City hotels to a couple of much smaller out of the way motels that were still a very good standard and beautifully clean. Everywhere we went we were supplied with wonderful food at excellent venues and always with a smile. Great banter on board our bus was helped and in the main initiated by Dave and Ash and apart from a couple of 'old sticks in the mud' everyone joined in and made the very best of our time together. Would we return with AAT? Of course we would. Would we prefer to go with Dave and Ash? You bet your sweet 'Ash' we would!!! Thank you one and all. We will be back!

I appreciated the inclusion of the indigenous tour guides throughout the tour. It helped me to better understand the many contributions they made to the the history of Australia and New Zealand. I was impressed on how the government has valued the culture of these indigenous people by collaborating their beliefs into the many buildings, parks, and politics of the cities. I also enjoyed the host dinner I attended. Margaret was an awesome hostess. She shared her home grown vegetables as well as used the apples from her tree to make a delicious apple dessert that made me appreciate the time she put into make our visit special. We shared a lively conversation about many things throughout the evening. It's these experiences that I will remember most of all.

Collette does an excellent job at providing land tours. They have active itineraries that provide a great combination of local tours and free time to explore on your own. The guides are extremely knowledgeable about local customs, traditions and points of interest. Their online app is excellent for communicating the daily schedule, local points of interest, local dining and local maps for each area where you spend a night. They have a good combination of provided group meals and meals on your own to explore and enjoy at your own pace.