New Zealand - 5 Stars. Wayne (our tour leader) - 5 stars. Intrepid - 2 stars. Coming on this tour you know you are going to be impressed with the scenery, the friendliness of the people and the focus on environmental conservation. You will not be disappointed. The itinerary is good - if a little breathless at times - and if you have the same guide we did you will be guaranteed a wonderful time. The only shadow cast over our trip was due to the lack of care provided by Intrepid. Watch out for “feature stays” being replaced by much lower class accommodation with no notice or compensation. And don’t expect a response if you need to contact them.

Make sure you read the itinerary very, very carefully and compare it to other companies to be sure it covers everything you want to see.

What a fun trip! The itinerary and included activities gave us a very good introduction to the natural beauty, culture, history, flora, and fauna of New Zealand. We had a wonderful group of fellow travelers and our local guide Robbie John was absolutely outstanding.

LOVED our Intrepid Premium New Zealand Encompassed trip! Out small group bonded well on this adventure across both islands. There was just the right amount of activities & free time. Each day was a delightful adventure!

This trip far exceeded my expectations. Summer’s knowledge of the culture and land coupled with her hysterical personality made the trip feel like we were traveling with special friends that just met. There really aren’t any words to relay the Spark felt on this 17 day adventure so you just have to experience it for yourself! Intrepid’s mission brought together similar yet different personalities of all ages from around the globe forming a special bond!

As expected, NZ is a beautiful country with breathtaking sceneries and waterfalls. You see unique birds like the mountain parrot ( they are a treat) and of course the kiwi ( seen in enclosures). The trip feels rushed in some areas where it was really scenic and you just have to pass without even taking a photo. Milford Sound is a highlight. Hotels are a mixed bag, best was in Franz Josef. Overall, an unforgettable trip, but it could be a lot better.

I can't say enough positive things about the New Zealand Encompassed trip and our fearless leader Summer. Our group bonded and had amazing times. I laughed until I cried daily. The itinerary offered diverse enjoyable experiences like the Te Puia cultural center in Rotorua, hiking in Tongariro and an overnight cruise in stunning Milford Sound. Summer was a joy to be around. She was extremely well organized and kept our group on-the-go in a seamless and stress-free manner.

Our group got lucky and had a good variety of lovely people on the tour. Our guide was friendly, efficient & enthusiastic. NZ is an incredible place to visit & this tour was definitely an effective way to see the main things in a relatively short space of time, particularly if you're travelling alone and/or want someone to take care of everything for you! The hotels are good quality and you eat some amazing food in the included meals. Driving times are long but that's to be expected - the scenery is so stunning that it's easy to wile away the time looking out of the window. With the changeable weather there can be some disappointments with activities not being able to take place so you should definitely be prepared for that. And take good waterproofs! Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the tour & the NZ experience, my highlights being Waiheke Island wine tasting, Wanaka & the Milford Sound overnight cruise. You don't get to spend much time in the cities so definitely come early & stay after if this interests you - Queenstown warrants a weekend for sure.

The trip had great coverage of North and South Island of New Zealand in only 17 days, with a good mix of culture, nature and adventure. Highlights for us were going to Hobbiton and Milford Sound! Some activities were very weather dependent and there were some adjustments to the published itinerary/activities.

New Zealand was shown in all it's beautiful and amazing glory. The itinerary was great although I would have liked a little more time in Wellington and Christchurch. It is a great trip for us older back packers who now need a little more comfort when travelling. The accommodation was fabulous as were our two tour leaders George and Michelle. The inclusions were great especially Waiheke Island. The overnight boat on Milford Sound was also a highlight. A few long days travelling were made magnificent by the scenery.

Crap happens. During our trip we contracted COVID. When faced with an illness far from home in a foreign land it is easy to become overwhelmed. Intrepid stepped forward, held our hand and walked us through all the issues we faced. I look forward to our future travels with Intrepid.

Our tour leader was exceptional, she had great local knowledge and was enthusiastic about sharing this. Some days were very long driving days, this can become tiring and there needed to be more free time. But overall this was a wonderful experience.

If you're thinking about booking onto this trip, stop thinking about it and book! :) This trip is full of daily highlights, from the beautiful island of Waiheke, visiting the magical Hobbiton set, and sailing through the spectacular views of the Milford Sound and many, many more. You also eat VERY well on this trip from delicious home cooked food on a deer farm to visiting the best delicious local bakeries - this is also quite the culinary journey! You will definitely fall in love with New Zealand on this trip!

Intrepid is an excellent tour company. Very organized and beautifully set up.

An excellent tour made all the better by our excellent tour leader, Grant. A very packed schedule with lots of included & optional activities. Accommodation was generally very good, however, we were in very basic rooms for 2 nights at one hotel, which was very disappointing & not what we were expecting. Would definitely recommend this tour.

This was a really special trip and surpassed expectations. The itinerary was pacy and allowed us get a snap shot of both islands without feeling rushed. Annie, our guide, was exceptional - friendly, extremely organised, incredibly knowledgeable and lots of fun. There were so many wow moments and it was a privilege to spend time in this beautiful country.

We really enjoyed our trip through New Zealand. The group we travelled with was great. Our guide worked hard to insure our comfort, safety, and enjoyment.

Annie provided a well organized overview of many aspects of her country enhanced by excellent accommodations, great meals and interesting New Zealand experiences.

The trip lived up to my expectations and actually exceeded them. I needed customer service help at one point and the ladies i dealt with were fantastic, and able to fix my problem immediately. Also the phone was answered by a human, so important in this day and age. Our guide Lexi was excellent, exceptionally organized!

My husband and I took a 17 day guided tour through both the North and South islands of New Zealand with Intrepid. We were very pleased with every aspect of the trip. We highly recommend both Intrepid and our wonderful guide, Summer.