New Zealand Private Tours - Queenstown Hill

I would give Kathy Hansen more stars if it were possible! It was October 2019 when I contacted Kathy from New Zealand Private Tours to help organize our 2 weeks in New Zealand over Christmas and New Years 2019. She was one of four agencies I reached out to online. The other three gave me a quick and an unconditional "it's too late, everything is already booked over the holidays" answer, but not Kathy. Not only was she willing to help me, she was eager and extremely responsive! I felt so lucky! She and I communicated very efficiently by email. I told her exactly what I was looking for, and she was able to tell me how much time things would take, what we could and couldn't combine, what was doable without a guide, made suggestions for places and things I hadn't considered, and in the end prepared an itinerary for us that was unbelievably great. My family couldn't believe that it all went off like clockwork. On the South Island, she organized a very competent driver/guide who was ours for our whole time there. It was great being able to create a relationship with someone over the few days, and this fellow was even willing to stay two nights Te Anau while we explored that area, with him providing transportation as needed. She had great contacts on the North Island and was able to arrange for the same thing to occur with the driver/guide. Her services included everything from obtaining entrance fees (some with specific entrance times), to meal reservations, to coordinating the driving times to make sure everything was doable in the time allotted. I'm sure she did a lot more behind the scenes that I can't even imagine. She also made sure we knew of NZ's entry visa requirement and the NZeTA. A week before our departure, she contacted me to make sure all was in order and that I had everything I needed; she called my cell the afternoon we arrived in Queenstown to make sure we arrived safely and answer any questions we might have, and she met us on the afternoon of our last full day on the South Island to greet us face to face and thank me for doing business with her. I have used other companies to organize private tours in Iceland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, and France, and Kathy stands at the top of this list for her personalized service, can-do approach, friendliness, and professionalism. It was clear that her top priority was ensuring that we had the best vacation possible in her beautiful country. I would highly recommend Kathy Hansen of NZ Private Tours!

Kathy is very capable, efficient and extremely patient looking after our needs. We were quite a large group with of varying ages (from 16 people ranging from senior citizens to children under 10) and she was able to provide us with so many suggestions and helped us secure bookings during one of the busiest times of the year in Queenstown. She really took the hassle and stress off booking the activities individually. The after sales customer service was well appreciated, Kathy would inquire after each activity to see how it all went. Will definitely use her services again.

Kathy helped my daughter and I have an extraordinary experience during our 2 week holiday in NZ. I approached Kathy with a bucket list of ideas and a month to plan. She asked important questions and helped us be realistic about what would and wouldn’t fit logistically. She offered excellent suggestions, including an overnight boat trip in Milford Sound (my highlight), and offered options for experiences. With her guidance, we traveled from south to north, experiencing mountains, glaciers, LOTR tours, indigenous culture, art, caves, and nature. We traveled by bus, train, and plane and each transition was easy as transfers were prearranged and hotels had easy access to/from transportation points. Communicating with Kathy was easy, and it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to meet her in person and go through our itinerary as we started in Queenstown. Five stars (or higher!!) for organizing a fantastic trip.

I can't say enough about Kathy, her husband Wayne and New Zealand Private Tours. They both have incredible knowledge of the country, present great ideas for an itinerary given your time, show incredible commitment and are able to work changes on the fly, all with fantastic attitude and desire to help. They clearly have contacts within the travel service industry second to none as they pulled off miracle after miracle as our schedule was jostled due to weather and related logistical challenges. Kathy and Wayne managed our schedule(4 adults) from start to finish, starting several months before arrival, managed all in country travel and transfers, all events, all lodging and some of the meals. This included bed and breakfasts, areas best hotels, helicopter transfers and excursions, boat excursions, hikes, golf and resort visits, adventure sports and 5 star meals. No way we could have come up with this schedule ourselves and or managed it when weather forced changes. They managed every needed change and left us to enjoy our days. We have and will continue to recommend Kathy and Wayne to anyone thinking of visiting New Zealand.

My adult daughter and I were planning a 12 day trip to New Zealand, We wanted to make the most of our time while we were there and see both islands. After doing some initial research on my own, it quickly became clear to me that I was going to need help to make our trip a reality. After an on line search, I found New Zealand Private Tours and Kathy. I was so lucky to have found her! Kathy asked a lot of questions regarding our interests and the types of activities that were most appealing to us, was honest and realistic about what was possible within our time frame and was so patient as we refined and finalized our itinerary. We had an amazing trip and everything was executed flawlessly. We never had to worry if timing would work, if pick ups were properly scheduled or if a hotel reservation was confirmed. Our travel included all forms of transportation, so there were plenty of opportunities for confusion, but never once was there an issue. Kathy even went so far as to personally meet us when we arrived in country to review our itinerary, review any last minute details and to ensure we had everything we needed. I would highly recommend New Zealand Private tours and Kathy for anyone that is planning a trip to New Zealand. What a beautiful country and memorable trip!

We found Kathy on Google and tasked her with setting up a tour for us with only a few days notice after the travel bubble was opened with Australia. She did an amazing job securing fantastic accommodation and making the journey from the south to the north of the country as seemless as possible. We will definitely be back, and would be happy to use Kathy again. If you want a luxury tour with a touch of class, then New Zealand Private Tours is a great option!

Kathy from New Zealand Private Tours planned a two week tour of both islands for us (three adults and one baby). She made all the reservations, booked a great driver, was always available to answer questions or to cancel/reschedule bookings, even last-minute ones. We had the trip of a lifetime!! We had our worries about doing a road trip with a toddler, but, thanks to Kathy, everything worked out so great! Other companies we contacted refused to plan trips with a young toddler, but Kathy was up for the challenge and able to plan a great trip for us! We can't thank Kathy enough for the wonderful experience. We met up with Kathy in Queenstown and she gave us a tour of the area, which was great fun! She is very knowledgeable and so sweet! We highly recommend New Zealand Private Tours!

Wayne and Kathy clearly love what they do. They are passionate about their country and all of its incredible experiences. They are genuine Kiwis who will go the extra mile to ensure your time in New Zealand is truly special.