BOTTOM LINE: Do not book this package tour as it has a hidden commission fee of between 600.00 to 800.00 in US Dollars that will go to the vendor who operates this tour. All activities that are described in the tour information section can be booked separately online from the direct companies that the vendor utilizes to put this package together. The tour package price for a single person was 1700.00 in US Dollars when I booked this tour. While conducting this tour. I gathered information on the exact cost of each activity had I booked everything separately. This included getting room rates for the same hotel rooms listed in the tour information section i.e., I asked the front desk clerks what the nightly rate would have been had I just walked in to obtain a room that night. I found the total cost to be 1072.94 had I booked everything separately. The vendor for this tour made 627.06 money that I could have saved had I booked everything separately. The vendor can make more money when the hotel room rates drop during slow times of the year as the tour price does not drop during these slow periods. I confirmed this when I obtained the vendor's own brochure on the tours it operates - all prices were listed as fixed prices that did not adjust during slow periods of any given travel year. The bus ride from Rotorua to Wellington listed in Day 3 is a bus ride on Intercity Bus. This bus company is the equivalent of Greyhound Bus Lines in the United States. The Intercity Bus is good and I found the bus to be more clean and better maintained than a Greyhound Bus. However, the cost of the Intercity Bus ticket from Rotorua to Wellington was just 31.50 in US Dollars had I booked the ticket myself. I plan to submit a formal complaint to Viator about this vendor when I return to the United States next month in January 2018.

Well, to be honest this is basically two days tour. We got to have a real tour on the first and last day. All those three days we had to fill it up on our own. Not to mention that one day is completely waisted by taking the bus (BTW public bus!), with basically no stopping. Wouldn't recommend!!!

I don't know if I booked something wrong or misread but I did not expect to be completely by myself for the tour, I thought that I would be part of a tour group. Other than that the places and the sights and activities were great! I would love the same tour but with more people to meet!

Wish that the transit in Taupo Lake was longer...10 minutes was like touch and go...and should not be listed as highlight of the tour...

The tour was ok, but why 5 days' tour is only 4 days tour with one free day? Heidi and Uolevi

Great tour with a well timed itinerary and wonderful local staff. Would have been useful to know of the names of the local places of accommodation or at least what type of rooms we were booked into as we could have made better use of the kitchenettes if we had known. It would also be helpful to have it stated clearly and upfront, that this is a self-guided tour with the occasional input from local operators. It was not a draw back for us, but certainly not expected when booking a "tour".

The details of this trip read that it was a tour. I signed up alone for my first trip to New Zealand. I expected a tour where the same people would be with me for the duration. This was very different. One day, I was transported to a public bus, which I rode for the day to Wellington. The hotel was in an area too far for any real sight seeing. You are left on your own quite a bit. That was OK in a couple of stops since there were things you could do and see on your own. I did enjoy NZ quite a bit and was able to see a bit of both islands. The tour ends in Christchurch. I was moved by what the people of Christchurch have been through. I think you should reconsider the end city of the tour. Access to the city, where most tourist attractions were, is closed. Based on the other Viator tours I've taken, this rated very low.

very nice trip
would book again!