Thrifty Tours New Zealand

Fantastic experience: My sister and I spent 10 days in beautiful New Zealand travelling with Thrifty Tours/New Zealand Fine Touring. We chose the ‘Middle Earth Discovered’ independent tour option. The tour was incredibly well organised. We were given a detailed itinerary and were able to customise the trip to suit our interests and budget. The app was very handy and easy to use as we travelled. We were always picked up promptly (even sometimes early!) and had a range of guides and drivers who were helpful, informative and kind. We truly felt that we got great value for what we paid; we did and saw so much in the 10 days we stayed. Thank you to Chelsea for helping us with all of our arrangements and taking care of all our needs and requests. Would highly recommend Thrifty/NZFT for anyone travelling to New Zealand.

Negative experience: This company is so awful they are a tour company who books another tour company. Incredibly expensive, horrible planning. There is no guide. They don't have their own car service so they make you use random crowded third party services and other 'many' tour companies. The routes and hotels were awful, they upcharge you an insane amount. When they booked us with other third tour companies, I realized that these tour companies provide way more services and are way cheaper!

Fantastic experience: We worked with Thrifty Tours to create the exact itinerary we wanted. Shelley was our agent and she bent over backwards to accommodate all of our requests. She always responded to emails in a timely manner and answered all of my questions. They have an app you can use while travelling that doesn't require wi-fi or data. Your itinerary is at your fingertips, with phone numbers and a chat feature if you need emergency assistance. Our flight to New Zealand was delayed 24 hours, on Easter, but someone from Thrifty Tours was still available to help us rebook and rearrange our itinerary to accommodate our delay. Amazing. I highly recommend Thrifty Tours! They are so easy to work with and will create the tour you want. I will definitely use them again.

Positive experience: The tour they put together was well organized, however they didn't convey a lot of important information. It was unclear which days included lunch, snacks, tea, etc. The app also said to confirm a cruise we had booked and it was unclear if it was me or Thrifty toura that was responsible for this. Knowing we would be switching buses half way through the day would have also been good to know, and the tour description wasn't entirely accurate.

Fantastic experience: Just back from our holiday trip! 10/10 We love the amazing itinerary which was planned for us! Fuss free and is worth every bucks! Thank you to Nichole and Linda for your prompt support and assistance (for our last min requests). Both of you were amazing! Great app, great staff, great company with good partners (Cheeky Kiwi, Cheeky Kea, Glacier Shutters, Hokitika Scenic Tour and the private pick up drivers who were so friendly and professional) Love it!

Negative experience: I didn't have a good experience dealing with Thrifty Tours New Zealand. Booked a trip advertised for a certain date at NZD$ 651pp and then received an e-mail asking for an extra $225pp for them to be able to confirm that date. If it was not available at that price why they kept advertising it for several days? If it was not available at that price why they took my deposit? I consider it a non honest advertising.

Negative experience: Do not book with this company! No shopping time at any of the stops on the first day. No transfers to 'added' activities, really early meeting time listed for Hobbiton and once purchased our itinary changed to have 45mins in Matamata instead direct bus back to Auckland-no bus time was listed 45mins would have been 6:10pm which seemed odd and when we asked the Hobbiton driver he said 6-6:15pm was the usual. We later found out the bus time was 5:45pm when the bus left without us just after 6pm. This was the last bus of the day which also wasn't mentioned, didn't see a thrifty tour guide once throughout the trip and when we rang up to find out what would happen to get us back to Auckland we were advised to purchase accommodation in Matamata and more bus tickets for the next day at our own cost. We made it back to Auckland thanks to a very lovely Kiwi local at our own expense and no thanks to Thrifty Tours who we are still waiting to hear back from.

Fantastic experience: Excellent service!! Heather Mullett is very kind and helpful and offered me a good route for a good price! I had a great time in New Zealand and I thank you to the agency.

Fantastic experience: My fiance and I spent three weeks in New Zealand in January 2018, and Salli Smith from Thrifty Tours NZ helped us organize two weeks of that trip. Salli was responsive and offered great suggestions. Our holiday was amazing and everything worked like clockwork. It was a very comfortable way to travel.

Fantastic experience: I booked a trip for my mother who travelled from Mexico and she was very impressed by the service and itinerary. Erynn Bell did a great job.

Fantastic experience: Everything went like clockwork on a complicated trip through both North and South island. No problems.

Fantastic experience: Great tour! Loved that everything was arranged and the Franz Josef hike was the perfect addition.

Fantastic experience: Alarna Dwyer did a fantastic job in organizing our trip from Auckland to Christchurch. The pickup, the bus driver, the accommodation, the sight seeing, the famous tourist places with guided tours, the private pickup from and to airport, they are all wonderful. We enjoy every minute of our trips. Alarna was very responsive and quick in responding to all my request or questions. I Will absolutely recommend Thrifty Tour to my friends and family. I wish they also have Thrifty bus tour in Europe :)

Fantastic experience: Erynn Bell was an excellent coordinator. She was incredibly punctual with her responses and helped me make some last minute changes when my flight itinerary got altered. We also spoke on the phone a few times so she could get a feel for what I was looking for before making the itinerary. At first I thought the price seemed high, but it was worth it to have everything done - inter-NZ flights, transportation, and motels all seamlessly coordinated so i never had to worry about how/when I would get somewhere.

Negative experience: I did not have a good experience with this tour company. Thrifty tours consist of sending you an email instructing you to show up at the Auckland Intercity Bus Terminal, which is New Zealand's discount public bus service, and asking for a print-out of bus tickets. I never met any tour guide from their operation. I did not receive any guidance. I was basically put on public buses crisscrossing New Zealand, which dropped me off in random places an hour or so before sunset. Thrifty Tours advertises "individualized tours" and "personalized coach tours." What they really mean is that they will put you on the public bus and charge you around four times the amount of what the actual tickets and accommodation cost. You would be better off planning your own trip by Intercity bus or renting a car or using a proper tour company that puts you on an organized tour bus with a guide and some guidance. This is not a legitimate tour company and their customer service is very poor.