Customer Testimonials

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Read what it's like to travel with us

Hear it straight from our customers! Our team of travel experts understand that your experience starts the moment you get in touch. Read what the planning and booking experience is like with Pure Journeys, as well as how spectacular our trips are.

Testimonial list
Chris Chang Weeks and Gary Weeks, Chris and Gary's New Zealand Adventure, Travelled on 2 Feb 2024

Hi Neisha, Gary and I were just thinking about you and the wonderful job you did in putting together our itinerary. Our trip to NZ was probably one of the best that we’ve ever taken. Thank you for your attention to detail, for listening to our interests, and coming up with an itinerary that was well planned. You helped us with the logistics of where to stay, how to transport between islands, and which tours to set up. I only wish that we could have spent more time and explored more of New Zealand. Below are the highlights: Auckland War Memorial Museum: we did this on our free day instead of going to one of the islands for a hike. We learned so much about the Maori culture from the performance and interpretation of the Haka dance. We also took a guided tour of the museum which was well worth it. Coves, caves and coastline cruise from Whitianga was a lot of fun. We were able to see Cathedral Cove which was inaccessible by foot. Te Puia in Rotorua. Both the day tour and even performance were worth while. I was afraid that spending an entire day in one venue would be too much, but that did not prove to be the case. Both the day and evening events were well worth attending. Gary volunteered to be the “chief” for the performance. He enjoyed his elevated stature and we were given the best seats in the house. The hangi dinner was worth it to say we had done it. All the accommodations that were set up were within easy walking distance to the city center, food and restaurants, and the tour companies. Our favorites were the Highview Apartment and the Hermitage. The Highview apartment at Queenstown came with an incredible balcony view, which we had not expected. We watched the sunrise just before a rain storm. The rosy gold colors of the sun with the dark rain clouds were something that I had never seen before. And the Hermitage—thank you for getting us a room on top floor. What a view! Buffet dinner and breakfast were superb. Hiking the Queen Charlotte track, Abel Tasman and Hooker Valley were so beautiful. Milford Sound—taking the small van to the sound and returning via small plane was perfect. The tour guide in the van was very informative. We were given plenty of stops along the way. Cycling Arrowtown to Gibbston Valley had the right amount of challenge for me, and not too easy for Gary. We enjoyed watching the bungy jumpers and having lunch at the Gibbston winery. TSS Earnslaw Cruise and dinner—food was incredibly good, especially since it was a buffet. We enjoyed the sheep dog demo. Helihike at Franz Joseph. Great experience. Well worth it. I only wish the helicopter ride had been a bit longer (5 minutes each way). A few negatives: The chicken sandwich on the Miford Sound cruise was inedible. It was swimming with mayonnaise. Europcar—long wait to pick up car in Auckland because of internet problems; long line to pick up car at Picton, and the car was not what we had reserved. We were charged for the navigator in Auckland. Thank you for resolving that. We did find that having a navigator in the South was very useful, and glad we had it. The travel app was extremely useful. We used it everyday. It was very handy to have the contact information, addresses in one place. I used the expense function as well. I did prefer using Google maps to get around. We would definitely recommend your services.

Anne & Russel Wilson, Australia & New Zealand Bucket List Adventure, Travelled on 1st Oct 2023

We wanted to make one final trip to Australia and New Zealand and to be sure we made the most of it, and what a trip NZFT organized! For this bucket-list trip we could not have asked for more, starting out in Australia and then spending a few weeks in NZ. Travel arrangements, accommodation and suggested activities made for a wonderful time in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide. We were centrally housed in each city which made for great choices in travelling around the cities. Lots to see with short walks and easy access to excellent ground transportation – on/off services and city buses got us to the sites. Our time in NZ took us on many exciting tours and experiences – one beautiful site after another – seeing 2-day olWe wanted to make one final trip to Australia and New Zealand and to be sure we made the most of it, and what a trip NZFT organized! For this bucket-list trip we could not have asked for more, starting out in Australia and then spending a few weeks in NZ. Travel arrangements, accommodation and suggested activities made for a wonderful time in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide. We were centrally housed in each city which made for great choices in travelling around the cities. Lots to see with short walks and easy access to excellent ground transportation – on/off services and city buses got us to the sites. Our time in NZ took us on many exciting tours and experiences – one beautiful site after another – seeing 2-day old kiwis at the National Kiwi Hatchery, a night visit to the Redwoods Nightlights, the ferry from Wellington to Picton, a visit to the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, 4WD outing to Braemar Station, spectacular Lake Pukaki, Mount Cook and more. The recommended tours, trips and transportation (trains, planes, ships, helicopters) suited our interests and abilities perfectly. Throughout the trip we received timely support from New Zealand Fine Touring if weather conditions impacted our activity preferences. The activity guide operators were consistently knowledgeable and professional and made our travels pleasant and informative.d kiwis at the National Kiwi Hatchery, a night visit to the Redwoods Nightlights, the ferry from Wellington to Picton, a visit to the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, 4WD outing to Braemar Station, spectacular Lake Pukaki, Mount Cook and more. The recommended tours, trips and transportation (trains, planes, ships, helicopters) suited our interests and abilities perfectly. Throughout the trip we received timely support from New Zealand Fine Touring if weather conditions impacted our activity preferences. The activity guide operators were consistently knowledgeable and professional and made our travels pleasant and informative.

Romeo, Emmanuelle, Raphael & Sophie Esquivel, A Taste of the South, Travelled on 17 Dec 2023

Because we were so impressed with our trip to the North Island we decided go South this time around. Chelsea from Pure Journey again arranged a wonderful itinerary. The accommodations were all first rate, all close to the city center and all very clean and comfortable for a family of four. All the tours we took were all so incredible. Highly recommended! We made it less hectic than the first trip so we got to enjoy each place more. There was a very small hiccup with an accommodation but this was taken care of very quickly. Thank you Chelsea for arranging our trip.

Rhonda & David Edmonds, The Southern Circle Self Drive Tour, Travelled on 12 March 2023

We had a great time. Thank you so much for organising everything. Every check in was hassle free. All the accommodation was great - roomy, comfortable, convenient. My husband took LOTS of photos. I’ll get him to upload some as requested.

Robert & Karrol Butler, A Australia Scenic Adventure, Travelled on 17 Jan 2023

This was a great trip and worked smoothly all along the way. If you want to post this in your review sections, here’s how I might sum it up: My wife and I are 70 something experienced travelers who used Pure Journeys several years ago for a trip to New Zealand, and had such a great experience that we used it again for this trip to Australia. We traveled for about a month throughout Australia. We decided on where and how long to stay in each place we visited and Pure Journeys arranged car rental, hotels, airport transfers, and day tours. Again everything worked wonderfully well, all the moving parts came together to create a uniquely memorable trip. The hotels were great and perfectly located in the cities and towns that we visited; airport transfers were flawless, reservations worked, and their unique trip app had all the information from day to day about everything relevant to that day and place. Many thanks to Christina who put it all together and was so easy to work with. It was a great trip!

June & Doug Gunden, 14 Day Lord of the Rings Scenic Explorer - Recommended, Travelled on 20 Dec 2022

Louise, I have been intending to write to you ever since we returned. We LOVED our trip! You did such a good job of booking everything. I made a book of our trip and I am going to try to email it to you, because I mention in it what a great travel agent we had. Thank you so much!

Romeo, Emmanuelle, Raphael & Sophie Esquivel, Northern Explorer Family Adventure, Travelled on 20 Dec 2022

This was our first time ever in New Zealand and we were all very excited yet didn’t know what to expect. Looking back, this is probably one of the best family vacations we have had. Kudos to Chelsea who helped make out the schedule which made sure that we had an ample taste of New Zealand. We enjoyed all the activities that were prepared for us. Chelsea was always available for information during the planning process. We especially liked the accommodations that were set up for us. They were all in very nice hotels/apartments. Locations of these lodgings were impeccable in terms of proximity to areas to eat and things to do. Going around in a rented vehicle is the way to go as you will have time to stop when and where you want to. The best oysters we had was on a small restaurant behind a shipping container in Kawakawa! Truly all the activities set up for us were very good and definitely must do’s. I have already told Chelsea that I will contact her for our next trip to New Zealand which hopefully will be in the south island. If you are going to New Zealand, do it with Pure Journeys. Truly a five star!

Suzanne & Peter Harrison, A Return to the South Island, Travelled on 05 December 2022

Thank you for organising our trip between Wellington and Dunedin and then to Queenstown. Everything went extremely well, all the accommodation was very good, they were all different, especially in Wellington and Oamaru which were quite quirky! All arranged transport worked well, especially the poor man who had to come to collect us from Wellington airport in the wee small hours due to the late arrival of our aircraft - he was even quite cheerful!! We took lots of images during our cruise, I am deleting lots of shots of the sea or sky where there should be a seabird, most of them were too fast, but I think I managed to get a couple in the frame!. We were more successful with our land based photos. Once again thank you for your organization of our journey, I am sure we will be returning to New Zealand in the future

Romeo, Emmanuelle, Raphael & Sophie Esquivel, Northern Explorer Family Adventure, Travelled on 20 Dec 2022

This was our first time ever in New Zealand and we were all very excited yet didn’t know what to expect. Looking back, this is probably one of the best family vacations we have had. Kudos to Chelsea who helped make out the schedule which made sure that we had an ample taste of New Zealand. We enjoyed all the activities that were prepared for us. Chelsea was always available for information during the planning process. We especially liked the accommodations that were set up for us. They were all in very nice hotels/apartments. Locations of these lodgings were impeccable in terms of proximity to areas to eat and things to do. Going around in a rented vehicle is the way to go as you will have time to stop when and where you want to. The best oysters we had was on a small restaurant behind a shipping container in Kawakawa! Truly all the activities set up for us were very good and definitely must do’s. I have already told Chelsea that I will contact her for our next trip to New Zealand which hopefully will be in the south island. If you are going to New Zealand, do it with PureJourneys. Truly a five star! Romeo

Andrea & Sam Feist, Auckland to Queenstown Natural Discovery Tou, Travelled on 28 November 2022

Thank you so much for creating a wonderful New Zealand experience for us! We had a fabulous time. The activities you suggested were all excellent. The lodgings you booked us into were all clean, comfortable, and in great locations. The New Zealand Fine Touring app was very handy – we liked having all our information in one place on our phones. And overall we really appreciated your efficiency and promptness. I’m attaching a couple photos. One is Sam fishing in the Tongariro River, and the other is me on the Tama Lakes trail in Tongariro National Park. It was too bad that the weather was not in our favor for the flight to Milford Sound. I saw the refund for that excursion posted to my credit card statement as of Dec. 28 – thank you for handling that. Again, we so much appreciate your knowledgeable and efficient help in making this wonderful trip a reality. We will be very happy to recommend you to any of our friends who may be planning a trip to New Zealand in the future. Thank you!!

Rachel, Jeremy, Harrison & Matilda Leoflath, Fiords, Glaciers and Mountains Family Holiday, 14 September 2022

Once again I'd really like to thank you for putting together such a fabulous itinerary for us. Everything ran so smoothly, the accommodation was excellent, our drivers were lovely, our hire car was almost brand new and all the activities we did were fabulous. The kids absolutely loved skiing, the Glow Worm Caves and the jet boat, and I would highly recommend the Glacier Explorers Tour; the TSS Earnslaw & Walter High Peak Lunch; Milford Sound & the TranzAlpine train to anyone who is planning their adventure. Our New Zealand holiday will hold a special place for us for many years to come and I think it's safe to say we will be back!

Natalie and Terry Brombey, Auckland to Queenstown highlights, Travelled on 2 Sep 2022

My husband Terry and I were very impressed with our first overseas holiday in beautiful New Zealand. Our itinerary prepared by Louise Barrett of Pure Journeys was done to absolute perfection. We found Louise to be very understanding and completely professional, due to the fact that our itinerary had to be changed on at least 3 occasions due to personal reasons and also Covid, Louise made the process for especially me so easy. We highly recommend not only Louise but the whole team at Pure Journey.

Gabrielle, David & Alice Parle, 7 Day Boutique Northland Tour, Travelled on 01 October 2021

Thanks, Chelsea, for your wonderful service. We chose Pure Journeys so that we could get to see as much of Northland as possible, without having to spend time planning and booking. The itinerary you prepared worked really well for us, covering all the key places to see. We had some Covid-related hiccups on the way, but these were all resolved quickly and easily, with the minimum of hassle. All of our accommodation was lovely and the hosts were very helpful and friendly, offering good tips on what to do. I would definitely recommend Pure Journeys for an enjoyable, hassle-free holiday, and Northland as a travel destination.

Gerard de Vera, 9 Day Southern Icons Self Drive, Travelled on 30 July 2021

Sadly my trip has come to an end 🥺 It was amazing. Thanks for arranging everything. All went according to plan except for the heli tour which got cancelled. Fortunately, I was able to do it the following morning. Again, thanks!

Shardool Thapliyal, North Island 7 day highlights, Travelled on 3 May 2021

Absolutely wonderful and flawless experience from start to finish! The app was amazingly useful. Chelsea helped us with ad-hoc changes and questions along the way in a matter of minutes. Every hotel was wonderful, the recommended activities were spot-on. Simply perfect experience. Thanks!

Masturah Abu Bakar, Mohamed Shariff Sarman & Mohamed Shafi, A Taste of the South, Travelled on 13 March 2020

Good and efficient services. Thank you.

Megan & Sarah Ryan, A Natural South Island, Travelled on 7 March 2020

Thank you so much Christina! We both really enjoyed ourselves. Exceeded expectations and everything ran smoothly with no issues at all. I will definitely recommend people to use your services.

James and Debbie Dobbs, New Zealand Explorer Tour, Travelled on 12 February 2020

Jim and I would like you to know that we so enjoyed our trip to New Zealand that you planned. The accommodations were for the most part very nice, we had great weather (including blue skies in Milford Sound) and had some wonderful experiences at great restaurants.

Noel & Pauline Daunt, The Southern Circle self drive tour, Travelled on 10 February 2020

We had a wonderful tour with Pure Journeys. The accommodation was marvellous. Every thing was so well organised. The tour brochures in our folder given on arrival was beautifully laid out...top marks for a great trip...thanks so much!

Chandrasekar Rangabashyam, Kalpana Chandrasekar, Philip Koh & Alison Fernando-Koh, 22 day Discover New Zealand, Travelled on 29 Sep 2022

Thank you Chelsea, for arranging our lovely NZ self-drive tour package. We appreciate it and had a great time in NZ.

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