Reviews

Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It’s the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you’re interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.

Simply use the selector below to search our trip reviews and start reading real feedback from real Exodus travellers who have ‘been there and done that’!

Lots of our clients also like to post handy tips and advice about their travels. It’s great to know what to expect on an Exodus adventure before you go, so make the most of their experience and you’ll make the most of yours!

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30 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Keisuke Murata

Reviewed February 2024

Unforgettable trip

I enjoyed every moment of the trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

Hiking in the Tongariro Crossing was fantastic. Landscapes throughout the trip was simply breathtaking.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent . The trip was extremely well organized. We were lucky to have a Maori origin guide/leader who gave us insights to the history of New Zealand. He adjusted itinerary flexibly according to the weather forecast so that we could enjoy key activities in good weather. He is knowledgeable in wild life and nature. He was an excellent driver and knew best restaurants in all destinations.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you are looking for some serious hiking, this may not be suitable as most of hikes were very easy except for the Tongariro Crossing.

Suggestions

If Exodus could propose a tour with more serious hikings, I would come back to New Zealand.

Ruth Townsend

Reviewed February 2024

ALN 240120

Great insight into an amazing country . We covered so much and saw some amazing sights. Some of the days were understandably quite long but unfortunately the transport ( i.e. the minibus) was not the most comfortable, my husband at 6foot 1inch was unable to fit his knees in between the seats and had to travel with his legs in the isle ( not the most comfortable of positions) also the air conditioning was not very efficient.

Most Inspirational Moment

Doing the Tongeriro crossing

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jeff was a great group leader. His knowledge and enthusiasm for New Zealand were second to none. He told us so much of the local culture and history, always making it really interesting. He also managed to try and plan the itinerary around a varied range of peoples abilities, requirements and the changeable weather conditions.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for long tiring days and changeable weather, but it is definitely a trip not to be missed

Phil Revell

Reviewed February 2024

NZ24

This was a really good trip to a stunningly beautiful country.

Most Inspirational Moment

Difficult to choose, but probably the Mount Cook glacier walk.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jeff was a good leader. Adaptable and resourceful with problems, knowledgeable and entertaining about the country and its culture.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take insect protection. NZ's only predator is the sand fly. Think midges on steroids.

Robert Pyner

Reviewed February 2024

Trails of NZ

This was an excellent holiday. There were some physically demanding elements but this was balanced by time to rest and relax. We saw lots of the regions of NZ. Jef, our guide, was excellent adapting the programme to meet our needs and the weather. He has a great deal of knowledge about NZ and Maori culture which he shared willingly.

Most Inspirational Moment

Hike in foothills of Mt Cook.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jef was excellent. He readily shared his extensive knowledge of the history and culture of NZ. He shared many aspects of Maori culture. At all times he was good humoured and patient.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be aware that there are some demanding hikes. These are optional but worth it.

Suggestions

The only aspect that caused some concern was that the shuttle did not arrive for us at Auckland airport. We were arriving late in the evening but we had booked a shuttle. We went to the hotel by cab.

Els Vercammen

Reviewed February 2024

Did not meet my expectations at all!

Trip notes are totally out of order: too much driving in bus to do the proposed activities.

Most Inspirational Moment

Not really any; New Zealand is a very beautiful country, but it misses culture, fine dining and good accommodation. Trip is far to expensive of what it actually had to offer. Some accommodations were below standard and really dirty.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Bad; only interested in what he wanted to do, not following the trip notes at all

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do not go there!!!

Suggestions

I went on +/- 30 trips with Exodus, and this the worst I ever experienced. Group dynamics were no where to be found: as a solo traveler I ended up most of the evenings dining on my own as all other couple-travelers decided to dine on their own....not what I expected in an Exodus tour.

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank you for taking the time to review your Exodus trip to New Zealand, Els, although we were incredibly regretful to learn that it didn’t meet your expectations in several areas. You will be aware, having travelled with us many times, of the role our leaders play in elevating our groups’ experiences in destination, so we are sorry you found yours to be so poor. Exodus requires all tour leaders to complete our online induction module and read our leader manual to ensure they understand the expectations of both Exodus and our customers, and our local operators supplement this with their own extensive training programmes. We can assure you that your leader completed all the relevant training ahead of your tour and we had every confidence in him to deliver your tour to a high standard. We are pleased to observe in other reviews that he was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and organised, although we remain apologetic that this is not reflective of your experience. We are further regretful that you felt your tour failed to capture New Zealand’s culture, food and quality accommodation, as this is not the type of feedback we expect to receive. As you may be aware, New Zealand is a particularly expensive country, with high operational costs, although we still feel our tour represents value for money due to the variety of activities it incorporates. In terms of fine dining, whilst this is available in the major cities, the hospitality industry in rural areas has been much slower to bounce back after the pandemic, which means that restaurant options are very limited. Though we recognise that not all the hotels will suit all our customers’ preferences, we are not aware of previous feedback regarding properties being unclean, so we were surprised to hear this. Nevertheless, we have shared your comments with the hotels directly to ensure any issues are rectified immediately. We realise this response cannot change the disappointing experience you had, but we do hope it shows that we have listened to your concerns.

Kelly Reid, Product Manager

Jo Revell

Reviewed February 2024

Spectacular scenery

We had a friendly group and a hard working, knowledgeable guide. It was a great holiday. The distances travelled caused some tiring days but the places we visited were worth it every time.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking long the coast in the Abel Tasman National Park then sailing back on the catamaran. Stopping off for a swim and then being accompanied by a school of dolphins too. Perfect.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jef was hard working and knowledgeable. He dealt with any problems promptly and efficiently to give us the best of times. He broke up the long journeys with plenty of short stops at places of interest or of great beauty. He amended schedules to take into account the weather to ensure we had optimum conditions for the activities planned. He sharedhis knowledge of Maori history and culture which was most interesting.

Advice for Potential Travellers

In areas where sandflies are endemic ensure you use an effect insect repellent or be prepared to cope with intense itching from the bites that can last for a week or so.

Suggestions

The holiday enabled us to see the best of New Zealand in a relatively limited time.

Fatema Jamil

Reviewed March 2023

Great overview

This was an amazing trip to see the highlights of new Zealand. It is full on with long driving days staying in a different hotel every 1-2 days. The walks are mostly short but there a few days of longer walks but these are optional (just don’t miss Hooker valley ) Unfortunately due to the weather we weren’t able to do Tongariro alpine crossing but instead walked to waterfall and lakes which was great

Most Inspirational Moment

It’s hard to choose but I think I would refine to 3: seeing a purple sunrise in Milford sound, hand gliding in Queenstown and the Hooker valley walk- but I don’t want to spoil your surprise.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We had 2. Our first guide Duli, covered the North island. He was a great driver but left to feel self- guided at stops. A few of us wrote to exodus and we promptly had a change of guide. Peter was great, improving our experience. He appeared to know the South Island in great depth, choosing interesting stops en route. Whilst also not a hiker, he joined in with the group including for walks and appeared to enjoy himself.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don’t overpack! You really do not need shampoo/ conditioner (or maybe just a tiny bottle) as available in most the hotels. Laundry facilities (water/ dryer) are available in several of the hotels but limited by time to use them if you arrive late/ leave early. 5 days worth of clothing would be adequate including waterproofs! There are a number of very long drive days of 4-5 hours but this is interspersed with stops at interesting sites / beautiful scenery so really doesn’t feel arduous (except for driver)

Suggestions

It’s an expensive trip but I can see why. New Zealand is not cheap and the trip includes several activities which I may not have considered myself but it is well packaged and varied and definitely worth it.

Sandie Leeming

Reviewed December 2022

Full on trip

This was a fantastic trip where we saw so much . Not for anyone wanting to take it easy. Some fantastic sights great tour manager and lovely accommodation

Most Inspirational Moment

Difficult to pick one but my favourite day has to be the walk in Abel Tasman National Park and then the afternoon spent on a catqnaran sailing around Anchorage Bay. Lovely walk and beautiful weather for a sail.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Summer was a good tour leader. She was enthusiastic ,helpful, knowledgeable about the culture especially the maori culture. She was always fun to be around

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't do this trip if you want plenty of rest. There is a lot of walking involved and a lot of it uphill. There are some long days getting in not much before 7pm so be prepared for not having much time before dinner Otherwise just enjoy the amazing sights you will see and some great accommodation

Suggestions

I was disappointed by Milford Sound and would have liked to have just had a few hours there instead of staying overnight. Getting there at 4pm and leaving at 9am in the morning we didn't see as much as I expected. I would have liked more time in Wellington as we got in there in the afternoon and left early the next morning

Miriam da Silva

Reviewed December 2022

A great summery of what New Zealand has to offer.

A packed trip including most of the scenery and activities you can get in New Zealand.Although we covered a lot of kilometers, there was time to walk, take a boat and just take it all in. We had a great tour leader who also drove the van, even the men in the group noticed she is a very good driver.Everything was well planned for, including stops for buying food in supermarkets, and of course the toilet stops. We were lucky with the weather, although the only rainy day was when we were in Tongariro so the crossing was cancelled.But later in the afternoon it was still possible to walk around a bit. Most of the group, if not all thought that another night in Rotorua and especially in Mount Cook would add to the trip.The hotels were very good, most of one hotel group,but the hotel in Mount Cook stood out and even had a complete kitchen, and the views… with clear skies just amazing.,

Most Inspirational Moment

For me the hike to Key Summit, as 15 years ago I walked the other end of the Routeburn trek in heavy rain and got then wet to the skin. This time the rain was a little drizzle slowing down, and at the top clouds were playing around the tops of the mountains.The same gave a magical touch when we woke up in Milford Sound that same morning. Another moment was when Summer saw the rare white Heron flying just in front of the car. We stopped ,and could see it and even take pictures when if flew alongside the road for several minutes. The opposite was true for Christchurch, which I remember from 15 years ago and looks now so different and cold with new high modern buildings and lost all the charm it had before.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Summer is the right person for this work: passionate about her country and its culture, has broad knowledge of every aspect of nature and life in New Zealand, is interested in her guests and devides her time between all in the group.Always on time, drives good and very careful,efficient when dealing with hotels and other service providers.I think she found the right balance between giving alone time and initiating reservations for dinner.The goodies bag was a welcome surprise and greatly appreciated.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take good raingear, and layered clothing.Be ready for some long drives but with stops ,sometimes some early mornings. Everything could be paid for by credit card, although some places had a surcharge for that from 0,8-2,95%. So you can decide if that's for you or pay cash. Most of the group came 1-2 days before the trip to New Zealand , so were over the jet lag when we started, and some also planned some extra days after the trip.If you fly to the other side of the world, that might be a good thing to consider.

Anne Black

Reviewed March 2019

A wonderful trip.

This trip covers a lot of ground, with a packed itinerary and with plenty of walking in beautiful scenery. The weather was very kind to us – we even saw Milford Sound with clear blue skies!

Most Inspirational Moment

I couldn't single out just one - there were too many. The North Island volcanoes and geothermal activity were amazing but the South Island scenery was spectacular. The ' Abel Tasman' day was one highlight - a beautiful walk followed by a swim and beach picnic then a return journey by sail - perfect. Sunrise at Lake Matheson, the boat trip on Milford Sound and walk to Key Summit were other highlights, as were the unexpected extras arranged by Sean and Merisha.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Joint leaders Sean and Merisha were great!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Travel as light as you can - there are chances to wash clothes at lots of the motels. I brought far too much luggage and regretted it! Do bring layers, even though we had fantastic weather the temperature ranges were big. We didn't use our waterproofs much but I don't think our weather was typical. If you can, add an extra day or two in NZ at the start and end of the trip.

Suggestions

New Zealand is a beautiful and fascinating country. We had a great group and excellent leaders. I would highly recommend this trip.

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