We love getting feedback from our passengers after they complete their Kiwi Experience. Feedback helps us tweak Kiwi Experience for other passengers or simply lets us know when we've done a great job.
Some of our passengers stay in touch for years to come. We love that!
Reviews
Rating Snapshot
Overall
Kiu • 5 years ago
All-round experience
The guides are super nice and caring. They are professional in terms of knowledge and cultures of kiwi.
GemmaV • 5 years ago
Amazing views and activities
I travelled on the kiwi experience for 3 months and booked all of my buses before I left England. Even from sending the first email to confirm all my buses, I was impressed. Instead of the kiwi experience colleague going ahead with my bookings straight away, they gave me recommendations on where to spend longer and where to spend less time and advised me to change my plans accordingly. This was extremely appreciated as the time spent in each place was perfect! Kiwi experience drops you off and picks you up (or as close to) wherever you're staying, even if it is not the hostel kiwi experience recommend. This is bliss for any traveller with a heavy backpack! Most of the pick up and drop off times are convenient and leave you with a good amount of time for the rest of the day, however I feel as though Wellington should be a two day stop. Having taken the trip a lot slower than the large majority, I have found no end of things to do in each place and feel that minimum time being a month is too quick ... But that's just me! The drivers were very knowledgeable of each area and were willing to help with activities and accommodation (with some exceptions). Taane is a new driver who is Maori and I absolutely loved hearing about his stories and culture on the way to Kaikoura, a brilliant man! My only complaint is that kiwi experience only gave us two weeks notice for a permanent change in the route (removing Dunedin) when we had already started our trip and booked those buses. Kiwi did kindly pay for an intercity bus for us to visit Dunedin once I called up. Why Dunedin is removed is baffling, as there is so much to do and see, the hostel I stayed at even had a Dunedin checklist! The deep south now, in my opinion, is a waste of time and money as the places you see are Invercargill and Te Anau, by far the most boring places in New Zealand.
Katie • 5 years ago
Love Kiwi
I've had an absolutely amazing time on kiwi experience. I felt very relaxed during my trip as the bus drivers make it so easy to organise everything. Assisting with what to do in each place, dropping us off even if we are staying in a different hostel and giving so much information and discussing the country and Maori culture! The only disappointment I had was the deep south. We had booked and paid for the whole kit and caboodle which included the deep south with Dunedin. However 1 week into our trip and a few months after we had booked, we received an email to say the deep south was being changed and a few stops (including Dunedin) were being removed. This was a major inconvinience as we had to change our whole itinery and we had plans to meet family in Dunedin. Although kiwi did not offer a refund which we had hoped as the places that were now included were very small and did not have much to do, they did offer to pay for a Dunedin intercity bus which we did. We cannot understand why Dunedin was removed from the trip as there was so much to do and we felt we could have easily spent 3 nights there with plenty to do. Additionally the deep south now feels a slight waste of time as there is nothing to do in Invercargill except Kmart and Te Anu was pretty but again has very little to do. A highlight was Milford sound however this can be done as a day trip from Queenstown. Therefore, I feel including the deep south is now a waste of people's money. However, all in all I have had a fabulous time with kiwi, met some lifelong friends and had some amazing experiences. The drivers have been amazing and have definitely taught me a lot and it has been completely stress free (apart from removing deep south). Thank you Kiwi I wish you existed in other countries too
Rob • 5 years ago
Great experience, would definitely recommend!
We had a great time on the kiwi experience. It was well organised and the activities were great. Both drivers we had greatly added to the experience, James and Fraser, we're very friendly, knowledgeable and up for a laugh. We would definitely recommend the kiwi experience.
Lynesha • 5 years ago
Great experience!
I just finished a three week trip with Kiwi Experience and wouldn't have wanted to travel the country any other way. We got to see and explore all the best known places along both the North and South islands as well as some things along the way maybe only locals would know about. A few of the people I met and traveled with on the bus will likely be lifelong friends and my driver, Fraser, was the absolute best! He gave us a lot of fun facts about the country, encouraged us to make the most of our trip and was just overall a lot of fun. The whole trip was just a blast!
wadschka • 5 years ago
A Great Journey
I bought this trip to travel New Zealand after my studyexchange and it was awesome. I didn't want to travel alone so this was a great alternative. I met a lot of beautiful people and had so much fun during my trip. I would definitely recommend this for everybody who visits New Zealand on their own. I had 4 different busdrivers and everyone of them did a great job.
PLM • 5 years ago
Pretty cool
Bought a Bottoms Pass 16 days 14 nights South Island
Ann789 • 5 years ago
Really nice!
I had a great time with Kiwi Expericence! You meet so many people and it is so easy to travel with this buses. It is more like a school trip else a hop-on-hop-off Bus. I think thats is important to know ;) The bus driver organised the activities and the accomodation and everything else, so nearly nothing can go wrong ;)
Emma • 5 years ago
Good for young solotravellers!
Good way to meet new people, since almost everybody on the bus is solotravelling. Almost everyone is between 18-32, with most people around 22-24 years of age. Since I did not complete my pass in minimum time, spent multiple days in many destinations, I was on several different busses with different groups. Both pro's and con's with this - Had to leave friends that I met on buses, but on the other hand got to meet so many people and bumped into friends from buses in the past anyways along the way! Would recommend sticking with the group and staying at the Kiwi Experience partner hostel in the smaller places, but in the bigger cities - book your own accommodation, especially if you're staying longer. Travelling with Kiwi was lots of fun! The bus drivers were helpful and informative. You also got good discounts on activities. Would definately recommend the company to a young solotraveller who wants to experience what New Zealand has to offer without having to drive yourself :).
Robin • 5 years ago
What an experience!
I chose to travel with the Kiwi Bus because I wanted to meet new people. The bus didn't disappoint at all. Our group, including the driver Stretch, was good fun. We experienced a lot within this 4 weeks - adventures, nights out and lazy days.
