Doubtful Sound Archives - Australia 2000 Travel

July 26, 2018

Thank you from Natalie Robinson

Karen planned the perfect trip of a lifetime for our family of 5 (kids are age 22, 19 and 16) for our 30th wedding anniversary. It had been a dream of mine to visit Australia and although I usually plan and book all our trips I wanted to make sure that I sought expert opinion for this one. I had a couple of initial meetings with Karen where we discussed preferences and options and budget and Karen then put together an initial plan. I would say our final trip consisted of 95% of Karen’s suggestions.

We stayed in 5 different locations in Australia and New Zealand and they were all superb from the flights, accommodation to the airport pick ups and drop offs to the excursions. The majority of our excursions were private with an expert driver/guide who looked after us extremely well. Our highlights of the trip were Orpheus, just paradise! Sydney harbour tour with lunch, Queenstown is a beautiful city and our accommodation at Millbrook was fantastic. Doubtful Sound is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited and the tour was very well planned. The least interesting city we stayed in was Auckland but it was worth it for our day trip to Waiheke (an island 35 minutes ferry ride from Auckland) with another expert guide where we visited wineries and olive groves.

This trip slightly exceeded our initial budget but it was well worth it to have the expert planning and attention from Karen and her team in Australia and New Zealand and to have so many exceptional experiences. I would recommend Australia 2000 to anyone looking to travel to Australia and New Zealand.

December 19, 2016

Thank you from Hillary & Andrew

We used Australia 2000 Travel to plan our honeymoon to New Zealand. Karen planned an amazing honeymoon for us that allowed us to experience the country like a local rather than just going to all of the tourist destinations. We met with her and told her our budget and what we enjoyed.? She handled everything else and developed a customized itinerary?for us. The day before our trip started a major earthquake hit New Zealand. Karen and her crew worked tirelessly to rearrange our trip so that we stayed safe and away from the impacted area.

She communicated frequently and had our new itinerary to us before we made it to the airport. ?All the accommodations that she booked for us were astounding with amazing views. Everything from our progressive wine dinner to our trip to Doubtful Sound couldn’t have been better. She included numerous sites to see and places to eat at every city we visited as well. This was our first time to New Zealand and our first time using a travel agent and were extremely impressed with both.? We?highly recommend Australia 2000 Travel!

?Thanks,?

?Hillary and Andrew

January 21, 2016

Thank you from Vivian

Hi Karen,

Our New Zealand trip was fabulous!! ?NZ is so beautiful and far exceeded my expectations. ?We really enjoyed our vacation.? People are super nice and very punctual. ?We were picked up promptly and all the flights were on time. ?We loved all of the tours you arranged for us. ?Eden House and Doubtful Sound Cruise were definitely the highlights of our trip.

Thank you so much for all your help!! ?We’ll definitely contact you next time when we are ready to visit Australia and New Zealand again. 🙂

Best,

Vivian

April 30, 2015

Thank you from Mary Jo Drew

Hi Karen,

My entire foodie trip in the Lands Down Under went off with nary a hitch. The business class flights were the best splurge I’ve given myself in years!

MEL - Downtown from Mary Jo Drew — Photo Credit to Mary Jo Drew

The Hotel Lindrum in?Melbourne was well positioned with easy access to shopping and attractions.? The Lanes and Arcades tour is an absolute must for anyone visiting Melbourne for the first time. As our guide pointed out, by not knowing to look down the city?s narrow alleyways?many Americans would walk right past them and miss out on so much vibrant local culture.

There is so much colorful history in Melbourne.? At our guide’s advice, I even stopped in and had a drink?upstairs?with the famous Chloe in her namesake bar across from Flinders Railway Station!? The?Yarra Valley?winery tour was great fun. I really enjoyed seeing the Chandon Estate and didn?t realize Chandon had a vineyard in Australia!

Hobart in Tasmania was a really nice respite after the hustle and bustle of Melbourne.? The Old Woolstore Hotel was so close to the downtown area and harbor that I was able to walk virtually the entire downtown during my stay.? My private tour and lunch at the Morilla Estate was fantastic though the artwork at MONA came as a bit of a shock!?? The trip to Bruny Island was great.? The weather started out very rainy but by noon everything cleared out and I had a lovely day.

ZQN view from Mary Jo Drew — Photo Credit to Mary Jo Drew

And then came Queenstown in beautiful New Zealand. The Dairy may have been my favorite accommodation – had I not stopped at The Manse later!? The view, room, breakfasts and staff service were all superlative.? I also enjoyed the hot tub on the back deck – a great place to sip wine while enjoying the view!? Although the weather was on again, off again, I had mostly great weather for my wanderings about town, the public garden, and the narrow streets.? I also enjoyed great meals at a couple of unique tapas bars on Lake Wakatipu.? The Doubtful Sound trip was quite majestic, but as The Sound is so remote?it was a very long day. The winery tour to Otago was great and the charcuterie lunch was quite good.

NPE - The Manse view from Mary Jo Drew — Photo Credit to Mary Jo Drew

Lastly came Hawkes Bay. I knew I was in for a treat when I saw the plane I?d be flying on the leg from Christchurch to Napier – a regional aircraft not unlike some I have been on in the Pacific Northwest!??After staying at The?Manse and being totally spoiled by the fantastic accommodation, the pool, the drinks before dinner, Gary’s sumptuous meals, and his and Dietske’s hospitality, I can only say that I wish I had had spent more time there!? My guide on the winery tour had spent years in the business himself, and it showed in his insights into the various wineries and producers.? My tour of Napier with Gary on the last day of my trip certainly cemented my wish to spend more time in stunning Hawkes Bay.

The trip was spectacular and I will have great memories to share for years to come.? Thanks for all your help in making this happen!

Best wishes,

Mary Jo

January 28, 2014

Thank you from David & Adrea Benkoff

Dear Karen,

We traveled to Australia and New Zealand for 3 ? weeks on a spectacular tour tailored to our tastes. We hopscotched around Australia from Sydney to Cairns, Ayers Rock to Kangaroo Island. Every stop included personalized tours, wonderful people and terrific wildlife experiences. We even spent a day in Barossa wine country sampling from four wineries.

The scenery in New Zealand was picture postcard perfect. The experiences that Karen provided in Arthur?s Pass, Queenstown and Doubtful Sound highlighted the natural beauty and provided exciting activities such as a Jet Boat Ride, overnight cruise and sheep shearing. We toured with an Aboriginal and Maori guide and experienced their lifestyle first hand.

Whether we had a private tour or joined with others, all the selected tour guides were personable, knowledgeable, and genuinely enjoyable to spend time with.

Australia 2000 made this the adventure of a lifetime.

Thanks, Adrea and David Benkoff

May 10, 2011

Thank you from the Berminghams and Elders

Karen, Hillary, Shelly and Wendy,

Our Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania trip was spectacular. Everything was perfectly planned and we experienced a new adventure every day. We loved Sydney – the bridge climb, sailing the harbor and great shopping. A highlight has to be the Blue Mountains with such spectacular views, the opportunity to see kangaroos jumping about it the bush and lunch on the Wollondilly River.

We were very brave and drove on the opposite side of the road for our tour of Tasmania. We experienced Bruny Island with all the massive cliffs and just incredible views on our drive on the coast to Freycinet National Park. The Park has beautiful beaches with clear water and a nice secluded feel. It seemed there was one beautiful sight of beaches, waterfalls and rainforest after another as we drove to Launceston.

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