The "Sir Edmund Hillary Explorer" Tour Anmeldelser 73

Thank you for such a brilliant, well organised adventure.
From day one to the last day everything flowed like a well oiled machine.
We were very fortunate with the weather being able to see snow capped mountains, cascading waterfalls and glistening lakes.
Highlights are too many to list.
Accomodation and meals were what was to be expected.
Our guides, Trevor, Heather and Brian, backed up by driver Brad (very little contact with other driver Steve) helped make the journey enjoyable.

As a young person I never appreciated the beauty of the South Island, when I saw this tour I thought I must do this.
The guides were superb and the back office staff made sure that everything ran smoothly. The manner in which everything just jelled it was essy to see that the whole team has a lot of experience in putting a tour such as this together. It was a good mix of train journeys and coach trips.
The Distinction hotel in Dunedin was an added bonus with a washing machine and dryer in each room.

The organisation of this tour was first class. I am New Zealand born but have lived in Australia for many years. Going back "home" was great and the guides and drivers gave an excellent commentry and insite into New Zealand culture. The trip covered all the South Island highlights. The helicopter trip to the Tasman Glacier was unforgettable.
I thought one thing that could have been added was more emphassis on the New Zealand cuisine. Much of this is probably controlled by the accomodation provided but I thought could have been done better.
One disappointment was the greenstone experience in Greymouth being run by Indians with very poor launguage skills.

Words can not describe the beauty you will see, the wonderful people you will meet and the fun you will have on this tour.
From the start when you book your tour until your final day on the tour it’s all so easy and they look after you, they care. A truly unforgettable experience.

A fantastic trip with all the magical sights of the South Island mixed with the fun of many train journeys. The organisation and communication was exceptional with nothing too much trouble or complicated for our guides to manage. Highly recommend this tour!

Was a journey to catch up on the south island of a similar trip i did with my family in 1990.It covered all that I had hoped and more.
Was a bucket list moment

Everything well organised. Guides & drivers were fantastic.

A brilliantly organised tour with amazing guides that went above and beyond to make sure that everything ran smoothly and everyone was getting the best experience possible. The itinerary was designed to see as many different aspects of the South Island as possible without feeling rushed, and only a few early starts (to make train schedules) The accommodation was of a high standard and the optional tours were varied. I could not recommend this company highly enough.

Well organized and run tour with highly skilled leaders. The itinerary was interesting and well presented to cover many interests.

This was an amazing tour and I highly recommend it. The weather couldn't have been better with only 2 wet days and some cloudy ones but it made for the most picturesque photos. The guides really knew their stuff and ensured we were well looked after for the entire journey. That also goes for our bus driver. Refunds for cancelled activities due to weather were handled promptly and efficiently by the team in the office. Accommodation was mostly first class and I just loved that I didn't have to worry about my luggage at all as it was taken care of, hotel to hotel. We were also very well fed with breakfast, lunch, and all but 2 dinners, which we gladly organised for ourselves. That, and down time to do what we wanted, was always welcome. It was very easy to deal with the Pounamu team and if there were issues we didn't hear about them. Other than the beautiful stops the other highlight was hearing from Peter Hillary at The Hermitage, Mt Cook. What a great speaker he was and to top it off he gave us all a signed copy of In The Ghost Country.

The entire tour of 16-30 March 2026 was fantastic: from the guides to the drivers, to the faultless attention to detail and attending to our every need, to the impeccable rearrangement for two cancelled tours due to inclement weather, and Wayne's medical episode requiring a new driver, from hotel and food arrangements (and there was plenty of beautiful food!), everything went like a well-oiled machine. A little sickness onboard the train and coach trips was a concern, which took the shine off them, and required most of the ill passengers to do the right thing and wear a mask. I must say, the tour with Pounamu was epic and a highlight of our travelling over the years. Well done to all involved: Kirsty, guides Ted, Alan (the hugger), Jacob, driver Wayne and his replacement (Graham?) and anyone else I may have missed, you all need a pat on the back. Thanx, Nick Penn (aka Stolen Biro) and Wendy Penn.

An all round great experience from beginning to end. Whether it was the tour leaders, the activities, the transport, the accommodation, and the food they were all exceptional and the focus was on meeting the reasonable expectations of the tour participants. In the space of 14 days minor things were inevitably impacted, particularly by weather, and we quickly came to realise that the tour company would effectively work around them both on tour and in the back of house. The company can be relied upon to deliver the quality experience that it markets.

well organised, great communication, good handling of unexpected challenges (eg weather, transport cancellations etc) guides were excellent and good fun

Fabulous tour and experience! The itinerary was comprehensive- we saw so much of the South Island, without feeling rushed. The tour guides were all brilliant and nothing was too much trouble for them. The accommodation was all excellent, extremely comfortable rooms, and the meals were also very good when provided, with great suggestions for the meals we hd to source ourselves. I highly recommend this tour and this company, and thank everyone who was involved in the organizing.

Nikki was an excellent guide, and Carl an outstanding driver.
The itinerary was perfectly crafted - and, wow!! - what stunning scenery.
The accommodation arrangements were first rate, and the catering will require a weight loss regime when back home.
The rail journeys were a real highlight and Mt Cook in all its snow-capped blue skyglory was the star of the show

The tour leaders Mike and Nikki ...and even our driver Caine did a wonderful interesting commentary job. We also enjoyed their banter and their funny jokes.
The organisation of the tour was faultless thank you.
Hotel choices and tasty meal selections,eating locations and food presentation styles were excellent.
The talk and film given by Peter Hilary at Mt Cook Aoraki was another great bonus.

The tour guides were exceptional. The great scenery and the.company of the other travellers.

Be. Prepared to have great y

The tour was laid out well and the participants and guides were great. Since I have a natural resource background and NZ is all about ecological diversity and issues, I'd have liked to have received a more cohesive focus on natural resources, biomes, and challenges, especially regarding management of all of the introduced species.

Everything was 5 star experience, the Guides supporting the journey were all very respectful & helpful dealing with all types of people.

Fantastic scenery, great guides and drivers and friendly fellow passengers. The highlights were the train journeys and the talk by Peter Hilary.