Our Customer Reviews

So happy i joined kiwi because i met the best friends over there!

So glad I did Kiwi Experience. As a solo traveller it was the best option and I met some super people along the way. Lots of like-minded people which was fab. Great activities on offer. Some drivers made me feel more comfortable than others but while I wasn't overly keen on a couple, the nice ones were amazing.

My wife and i had an awesome time. Our only regret is that we only did 5 days

Great drivers who are very knowledgable and encourage people to partake in fun activities on the bus. There are some quite early start times so it may be worth planning this in with extra nights in some locations.

I had a wonderful time with Kiwi Experience. It was great and comfortable that the trip was organized, that I did not have to find out by self the itinerary, how many things i can squeeze in in one day. I liked all 3 drivers I had on the trip. I liked Rob the most, who was my driver for the biggest part of the journey. However, the time was not enought at most of the places where we stopped on the road. No matter if it was a 10 mintues or a 40 minutes walk, I always had to hurry and check the time, and I always felt i did not have enough time to just enjoy the view for a couple of minutes. I was always the last one to get back to the bus, while it felt like i was running all the time. Then at the end of the day there was too much free time for nothing. Especially in Waitimo, Lake Mahinapua, Lake Tekapo. We arrived early, and there was nothing to do. If the weather had been nicer, then yes, you can just chill at the lake/beach whatever, but other than that there were no activities to do, and from like 4pm till midnight it just felt like a waste of time. While the stops during the day were too quick.

A well organised bus and itinerary. Really enjoys meeting lots of new people and seeing amazing places. The optional activities were awesome too

It was a great experience. I saw nearly everything I want to see and meet so many good friends on my superfunky trip.

I had previously had an awesome trip with Kiwi Experience all the way back in 2010, and at first, I admittedly was a little hesitant to book with them again because I figured I might be too old for it this time around. In the end, I could not resist and booked the Funky Chicken in combination with the Milford Explorer and the Bay of Islands, two places I had not seen before. Starting off in Christchurch, I did the South Island loop first, and what a blast I had! There was a whole bunch of great people onboard my bus, and our drivers did an outstanding job in helping us make the most of our time. We got to see tons of places I probably would never have found by myself, and no matter if you like to party or prefer to keep it calm, you will find some people to roll with you. I was travelling in the middle of off-season, and we still had an almost full bus of people from countries all over the world. And most importantly, my initial fears that I might stick out age-wise proved to be completely unfounded; we had people of all ages onboard, most of them between 20 and 25 years old. And what's even better, New Zealand and Kiwi Experience constantly keep evolving! Many of the places I already had been to had seen changes, and even on the main route I got to see some places I had not seen on my first Kiwi Experience Trip. Lake Mahinapua Hotel probably saw the biggest change. Back in 2010, the inn was still being run by the legend, the one and only Les Lisle, but he sadly passed away in 2014. In the time since, the fancy dress party and the roast dinner have stayed just as good, but additionally, Les's successors (heh, that rhymes!) have given the hotel a thorough refurbishment including new bathrooms, hot tubs and everything a backpacker needs after several weeks of adventures. All in all, Kiwi Experience has once again helped me to get the most out of my time in New Zealand, and I can wholeheartedly recommend their services to anybody who wants to get to know New Zealand and have fun and meet nice people while doing it.

Gave us real freedom to travel around and explore the south island, really good way of travelling

Fantastic and comfortable provides freedom and good value for money