The "Sir Edmund Hillary Explorer" Tour Avaliações 73

I can highly recommend the Sir Edmund Hillary Explorer Tour. It was, without a doubt, the most well-organized tour I have ever been on. From Kirsty in the office to our wonderful tour guides, every detail was flawlessly executed.
The journey itself was breathtaking, featuring stunning train and bus rides through New Zealand’s beautiful alpine landscapes. For those seeking adventure, there were plenty of thrill-seeking activities on offer. The hotels were excellent, with no delays when it came to luggage or room keys. It was a seamless, well-oiled operation from start to finish.
Our guides were not only informative and professional but also fun, respectful, and considerate to every guest. I was truly moved by the warmth and kindness of the New Zealand people as we crisscrossed the spectacular South Island. The scenery was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
I honestly can’t believe it took me so long to visit! If it’s not already on your bucket list, add it now. This tour is simply the best.

Seeing the South Island by train and coach was spectacular. The commentary was informative. The accomodation very good especially at Mt Cook which was breath taking. Food was very good and there was a well balanced amount of free time in the cities we visited. And next toilet stops were well advertised!! When bad weather intervened and alternative accomodation had to be found for 2 bus loads of people, the service and communication was exceptionally well done.

The trip I am writing about was in 2021, but I'm sure the comments are valid to this day. The organisation of the entire 13 day trip was faultless and the guides knowledgeable and friendly. Highlights included the Trans-Alpine train trip, the glow worm caves at Te Anau, the barbeque meal and sheep-herding demonstration at Walter Peak, the Milford Sound cruise, the Victorian precinct in Oamaru, the whale watching in Kaikoura, riding in the engine of the steam train to Blenheim, and last but not least the Omaka Air Museum - simply stunning overall . To top it off I met my current partner on the trip, an unexpected and most welcome bonus!

I was on The Great Southern Steam Train Tour in April/May 2021.
I have very fond memories of this trip. I travelled as a "single" and had no problem getting together with fellow travelers who were in a similar position.
I could not fault the administration communications received before the trip and recall the work done by the tour leaders (Dale and Ted in particular) and bus drivers who made the Tour a great success.
I recommend this tour to anyone who is interested in trains and seeing the great South Island landscape.

My husband loves trains, and this trip did not disappoint! We crisscrossed the south island and saw varied countryside. The hotels were lovely, the food was always good, and the scenery and excursions were absolutely fabulous. We opted to take the excursion to Doubtful Sound instead of Milford Sound and were so glad we did. It was so remote and beautiful. It was raining so we had LOTS of waterfalls.

The driver and tour guides were especially knowledgeable and catered to all our needs. A highlight of the trip was meeting Peter Hillary, grandson of Sir Edmund Hillary.

We put this at the top of our favorite trips that we have taken. I'm just sorry it's such a long flight from the west coast of the US or we'd travel there again. Maybe one day we will!!

We had a very enjoyable experience. Our guide was excellent and our bus driver was very knowledgeable and helpful. We have no complaint about the hotels, food, trains, or buses. We were members of a fairly large group but the way we were divided into subgroups made it feel like being in a group of 20. The train rides revealed wonderful scenery and the on-board guides provided a lot of historical and background information. Specific highlights include the Glow Worm Cave excursion, the Croydon Aviation Museum, the Albatross/Fort excursion, and our entire stay a Aoraki Mt. Cook. My wife was thrilled to fly in the 1932 Tiger Moth plane. Most people on the tour were from New Zealand and Australia and we couldn't ask for better companions.

We are well-traveled seniors who have used a variety of tour agencies - Road Scholar, Tauck, Nat'l Geo, etc.
This tour was equal to any of our best tours - well-organized and fun-filled, with many 'jaw-dropping' experiences. Moreover, this tour surpassed any of our others with its Outstanding Tour Leaders! They were organized, informative and engaging every day. Recommend it highly as a comprehensive tour of NZ's Southern Island.

I did this trip in April 2021. This was a great trip. Very well organized. Great scenery. Comfortable trains and coaches. Accommodation and meals were excellent. I would recommend this trip highly. I would love to do it again. Rosie Thomson

The overall trip was amazing. The tour Guides were very helpful, friendly, and informative. The scenery was beautiful, and our choices we picked were not disappointing. The Antarctica experience was fantastic.

The whole experience was so amazing from day 1 to day 13, whether on the trains or on the bus. There were a variety of places visited, and this was enhanced by the knowledge, friendliness, and professionalism of the guides and bus drivers involved. The accommodations were just great, especially at Dunedin where the hotel had a washing machine in the room. There were plenty of stops for morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea, and stops weren't rushed so had plenty of time to look around. What a great company. What a great tour.

From the first night when we met our tour guides and given our "Welcome Pack" (Water bottle and Hat included) very handy... You knew it would be very well organised tour from the get-go!! and it was. From our daily list of what and where, was happening that day.
Our guides knowledge about their country was exceptional, and was given with a sense of pride. The two weeks were just packed with beautiful scenery, lot's to do and eat , and a lot of new friends to meet. Your country exceeded expectations from landing in the helicopter and walking on the Glacier, the talk from Peter Hillary and the scenery at Mt. Cooke, to Milford Sound and nearing the end of our trip, Picton, to mention only a few highlights, then there was our Guides led by Chris, even with a very sore hip, there was nothing to much that he wouldn't do for you. A simply wonderful Tour... Thank you Kirsty and crew. Marj Troon & Yvonne Hutchinson.

We originally took this trip in October 2022. Unfortunately we caught Covid halfway and had to leave. So this year we invited friends from the US to join us and do it again. It’s the best way to see most of the South Island. There is a lot of bus travel but it’s a big area to cover. Between our tour persons and our bus driver the commentary was very informative. The Trans Alpine crossing is always a delight. Loved our time at Franz Josef. Interesting little town and beautiful scenery. The Kingston Flyer was fun. Unfortunately it broke down and we couldn’t return on it but we had a beautiful lunch in the sun in the middle of nowhere at the station.
We had 2 nights in Dunedin at a lovely hotel in a suite with a washer and dryer in each room. It was great to have the ability to do laundry half way through. The Hermitage at Mt Cook was the best and what a view from each room! The food was the best! The Whalewatch and dolphins in Kaikōura were super! Loved the train all the way up the coast from Christchurch. Plus in Christchurch we had never done the Tram ride in all the times we’d been there. It was great. A really good tour of the city. Loved the Omaka air museum in Blenheim. Oh and I forgot Queenstown and the day at Walter Peak Station. Fab! And the trip to Milford Sound. Got to see my fav bird, the Kea! Lots of them! I could just go on and on. We loved this trip. The food was a lot of buffets but how else do you feed that many people in a short time. For the most part it was good. We certainly didn’t starve.
I think the whole trip was certainly value for money! We met lots of interesting people. We would highly recommend this trip!

My wife and I did the trip in October 2022 and it was a wonderful tour, not cheap but the quality of the accommodation, food, trains, buses, tour guides, side trips etc were excellent

very well organized and a great experience. Everything promised was delivered. Great tour guides who interacted with the group. Our trip was October 2023 but the website was not able to record this date. Highly recommended

We loved our adventure with The Sir Edmund Hillary Explorer Tour! I would do it again if I have the opportunity. Everything was very well organized and ran smoothly. Even the weather was fantastic (we are from Central Queensland so not used to the cold). We travelled in October 2024 and our guides were great. Nothing was too much trouble, questions were answered and they told us each night what we needed to know for the next day. Our fellow travellers were of similar age and very friendly sharing their other travel experiences too. We loved every minute and there are too many highlights to list. Highly recommended. The only downside was having to wait for a place on the next tour…. I wasn’t very patient because I was so excited for months. We put our names down for any cancellations that came up and were lucky enough to get one that suited us. Kristie and all the staff at Pounamu Tourism are awesome.

Fabulous tour with some iconic train journeys round the South Island of New Zealand. Despite it being October there had been a big snow dump, so Aoraki/Mount Cook looked spectacular. The tour was very well organised and despite being with a much bigger crowd than I would normally travel with, everything went smoothly. Hotels were terrific, especially the one in Dunedin where every room had it's own laundry!!

We thoroughly enjoyed our South Island holiday, from the magnificent scenery to the beautiful accommodation (such comfy beds) and the friendly group we travelled with. Our guides were competent, our coach driver (Cameron) was a hoot. Mt Cook was particularly beautiful and meals provided here were really good. It's a lot of time on a coach, and we would have liked to visit the Church of the Good Shepherd, but didn't have enough time.
Overall our experience was wonderful and we saw more than we could have done on our own. Very well organised tour.

Wonderful crew, great job covering a lot of ground. Saw soo much of the South Island. Accomodations were great, food was very good, itinerary worked great. Thank you so much!

There were some great highlights on the trip, and we absolutely loved the South Island. Activities we loved included a jet boat ride on Lake Tasmin (Aoraki Mt. Cook), the helicopter ride to Franz Joseph glacier, the Albatross sanctuary, and of course, Milford Sound. Our driver, Brad, who previously was a guide at Milford Sound, was a wealth of knowledge - he knew so much about geology, history, flora and fauna. Plus (as he revealed in a private conversation), he trained as an actor, so his delivery was clear and entertaining. Our tour guide was more of a tour manager - she was great at logistics, but her narration was reading from her guide binder. She did her best, but her delivery was flat and monotonous.

Our accommodation was to a high tourist standard - not luxe (NZ isn’t a luxe place) but clean, comfortable, and washing machines were plentiful.

The “cons” truly shaped our opinion of the trip.
1) We spend an inordinate amount of time on the coach. We had a good deal of territory to cover, but there were frequent (too many) rest stops and it seemed to take forever getting people on and off the coach. As noted above, the narration did not enhance the experience (except for Brad).
2) There was no effort to introduce travelers or encourage interaction. Once we were moving, we sat in coach seats looking at the back of the seat in front of us, so there was limited opportunity to talk with others.
3) The food was mediocre at best. The “sumptuous” dinners were buffet-style, with overcooked food sitting hot plates. The exception was the buffet at The Hermitage Hotel at Mount Cook.
4) The train thing was overdone. The TransAlpine route was gorgeous, as were the train rides between Christchurch and Picton (not sure this is still included). The Taieri Gorge railroad showed an amazing feat of engineering, but the other two train rides (Kingston Flyer and Rodgers K92) were a total but except for great train enthusiasts. We would have preferred more time to visit the museum in Dunedin or explore Christchurch.

All in all, if anyone were to ask for my recommendation, I would NOT suggest this tour. I would instead recommend one of the smaller tours we saw throughout our journey.

Absolutely amazing!!! Stunning scenery, tour guides top notch, Kirsty in corporate office on top of our every need. From Christchurch, Milford Sound, Mt Cook and beyond, all excursions were professionally presented by all. History, stories and friendly banter by guides and travelers made the experience that much more pleasant. Strongest possible recommendation for anyone wanting the Kiwi experience. This American will be back!