Auckland Cultural, religious and historic sites Trips

This is a lovely, varied trip for someone who wants to see as much of this wonderful country as possible in a short time - with someone else doing the many hours of driving required, and with someone who has invaluable local knowledge.

A fabulous introduction to New Zealand. A very varied trip including trekking, sightseeing and cruising. Fairly full on, but it had to be to cover the ground and see everything. Runty Jackson, our tour leader, was brilliant going the extra mile to ensure we had a fab time. He was also very caring when I took a tumble. Thanks Runty. Accommodation was generally fine but nothing fancy, except for the Bealey Quarter in Christchurch which was very cramped. The minibus was OK, but leg room was an issue. All the logistics worked perfectly. We were expected wherever we went. Overall, we had an amazing holiday, loved New Zealand and will use Explore again.

I highly recommend this trip. It is worth the long journey. Our leader Runty Jackson was exceptional. He is a proud New Zealander with Māori children and gave us an enormous amount of information about the country including adding a few interesting places to our itinerary.. We were able to do this because we were all willing to get up early and were always on time. We were taken to Nugget Point - the most Easterly point of NZ and the nearest place to Antartica. We saw sea lions and exceptional views. We were also able to walk the beginning of the track up Mount Cook. Runty was exceptional at helping organising things, and making suggestions. He managed the group dynamics well. New Zealand is a wonderful place to visit but I do feel the whole experience was made exceptional by Runty. He is by far and away the best Explore guide I have had on my many trips. Thank you.

I am very pleased with the trip. The program was very interesting and carried out calmly without rushing. Many thanks to the guide/driver (Pelle), who can be an example for others. He even washed the bus windows every day so that the photos would be successful. He was helpful in all situations. Many thanks.

Excellent trip. New Zealand was a wonderful country to visit. It has a casual laid back vibe which was ideal for an intense touring holiday. There is plenty to see and do. We were a small group so it gave us the time and opportunity to see more sites than featured in the itinerary. Cities, towns, places of interest and geographic sites were all covered. There was plenty of walking involved to counteract some of the longer journeys. Our guide/driver, Thiago was exceptional with an excellent local knowledge that added interest and variety to the trip’s itinerary. Changes were made to adapt to the everchanging weather conditions to ensure we had the best experiences. He was always patient and professional. All the hotels were of a good standard with comfortable beds and working bathrooms! Most of the hotel rooms in New Zealand had some level of catering facility in each room, as well as the usual tea and coffee making facilities. If I had to pick favourite places it would be the stay at Lake Wanaka and the walk and views around Mount Cook. I would thoroughly recommend this trip.

Trails of New Zealand is an excellent memorable trip. Wonderful scenery, great walks, very comfortable accommodation. Well-thought itinerary, good mix of driving interspersed with walks and other activities.