We had a wonderful experience and trip, most ably organised by Taylor. He was always quick to respond to any queries and send us further details and information, as were the other members of the team that we spoke to in his absence. We shall definitely return to your company for any future flights we may make and would recommend you (and have already done so)
Connie provided excellent advice and organisation for our travel plans.
Can’t fault DialAFlight - excellent service from Samuel and team
We could have gone to a transit hotel in T3 ( Ambassador) assuming it was available, we went to another hotel in T1 which was fine but just a bit extra hassle.
Everything worked out brilliantly. It is especially appreciated that DialAFlight is so easy to contact and sort out any issues.
Having travelled to New Zealand before I knew we needed visitor visas. We applied on our own merit, but was surprised this was not flagged up on our booking. I understand visas etc are the responsibility of the traveller, but if not applied for beforehand would cause considerable problems.
You got us out to see family in NZ as requested, and at the best price. Etihad airlines were very good, punctual and tasty food served on all our flights. Many thanks for responding to our few queries before going, felt good to have back up on our first long haul flight.
All went smoothly. Thanks Taylor for your help.
Just great to have the check phone call from Arthur in advance of the big trip.
Very impressed with DialAFlight. Excellent app, all information there and very well presented. Once again we didn't get our vegetarian meals on United flights but were assured at check in that they would be available. We haven't got our luggage yet as it wasn't transferred to the connecting flight to Manchester at Frankfurt Airport
Thanks to Connie for reorganising my flights to NZ after the original ones were cancelled due to Cyclone Gabrielle. It was all done with speed and efficiency as always!
Noah was brilliant. Really good service.
Billy was very helpful and stayed in contact regularly.
The Oak Suites Hotel at Darling Harbour although in a great location needed a little more attention to detail as we had no maid service on one of our day's stay.
Noah was brilliant when we had to change our itinerary last minute due to the cyclone in New Zealand. Kept us informed and the changed plans went very smoothly. Thank you. Also Corrine on the 24 hr helpline was reassuring and helpful.
Everything worked beautifully and it was good to know you were there for us in the event of any problems.
I have used Cody for many years and he has always looked after me when planning my flights
Joe and his team provided us with a good service for our first trip to New Zealand. Once we got our heads around the online check-in systems (not DialAFlight) we had no issues. We would certainly recommend to friends and will be calling when we plan our next trip.
Yet again amazing, Keely is the best travel expert I know
Excellent customer service. DialAFlight app is really easy to use and holiday went without a hitch.
Brilliant support from Dale.
As before, Simon Pitman's service was excellent and much appreciated
Jackson is an all round great guy - will continue to use him for all my travels
Great trip. Thanks Niall
Dylan was fantastic as always.
Connie did an outstanding job for us
Tristan Chatburn was excellent as always and the assistance provided by your out of hours staff when I had an emergency was fantastic.
Ash was great at communicating and answered queries, concerns quickly.
We were very happy with Ellis’ help and advice. Only issue we had was a flight change which DialAFlight had no control over.
Second time DialAFlight has organised our travel to New Zealand. We have never had any problems and Conrad has been excellent on each occasion.
Sir Howard Arriving at our Thames B&B, we're told by the landlady that in the event of an earthquake, we should assemble at the cattle grid.
We're not in England's Thames Valley - this is the historic town of Thames, 90 minutes' drive south-east of Auckland on New Zealand's North Island.
North Island is a top sailing spot
SO MUCH TO SEE & DO
This country's spectacular, exotic beauty was forged by earthquakes and volcanoes over millions of years. The South Island looks and even sounds like the Scottish Highlands. Parts of the North Island resemble Jurassic Park.
It's no surprise that Kiwi filmmaker Peter Jackson used his native country as the backdrop for The Lord Of The Rings. About a third of New Zealand's four-and-a-half million people live in Auckland, with the rest spread over a country slightly bigger than the UK.
Our trip was part normal holiday and partly to follow the British Lions rugby tour.
Arriving in Christchurch, we found it still scarred by the tragic 2011 earthquake - a constant reminder of how this lovely land came into being.
Driving south to Dunedin - so Scottish we had haggis and whisky for breakfast - we spent a glorious day exploring the craggy Otago Peninsula. We saw rare royal albatrosses with wings like wind turbines crash-land on a cliff to feed fluffy chicks too fat to move; we watched baby-blue penguins waddle up the beach at dusk for a cuddle, honking amorously; and we nearly tripped over a snoozing sea lion on windswept Allans Beach.
Sit back and enjoy views of the beautiful geysers in Rotorua
SWEET REMINDERS
New Zealand's endless miles of neat wooden bungalows, with pretty Victorian ornamentation, white picket fences and soporific verandas, filled me with nostalgia for my childhood in a wooden bungalow by the River Thames near Windsor.
There are two sets of initials a visitor to New Zealand should know: the All Blacks rugby team are the ABs - and SBs are sauvignon blanc wines.
VINEYARD TOURS
The New Zealand SB boom is exemplified by the Woolshed Vineyard, which produces Mud House wines in the Marlborough region at the top of the South Island. The Woolshed ranch was once a sheep farm, but the sound of shearing has been replaced by that of SBs being swirled round the palate by brilliant young winemaker Cleighton Cornelius.
Mud House was sporting enough to sponsor the British Lions - another reason to buy its excellent wines, including sauvignon blanc and pinot noir. After sipping several, we took a ferry to the North Island, passing many hidden sandy coves glinting in the moonlight.
Next we headed north to Rotorua, New Zealand's unofficial Maori capital. The Maoris came to New Zealand some 500 years before Captain Cook landed here in 1769, but no one is sure where from. Guesses range from Hawaii to Indonesia.
Maori chiefs handed sover-eignty of New Zealand to Britain in the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi.
Have your own beach bath at Hot Water Beach
A WARM WELCOME
Some say that NZ has made a greater success of integrating two ethnic groups with starkly contrasting cultures than any other country.
A fun way to experience New Zealand's natural underfloor heating is at Hot Water Beach, on the Coromandel Peninsula. Dig a hole in the beach, let the cold waves dilute the boiling sand and you have your own bubble bath. But beware: get the mix wrong and you'll be scalded where it hurts.
Simon wrapped up his trip watching the All Blacks
A FUN FINALE
We ended our tour in Auckland, where we joined thousands of British rugby fans who swapped beer, banter and ballads with the locals in harbourside bars and restaurants.
We stayed in Auckland's Ponsonby district, a kind of mini-Notting Hill with yet more quaint bungalows. They make for a novel skyline, with skyscrapers and the ocean right behind them.
We twice bumped into ex-Irish and Lions rugby pin-up Brian O'Driscoll in Ponsonby as well as AB star Beauden Barrett - though a friend laughed off our celebrity sightings, saying: 'There are so few people in New Zealand, you soon get to meet them all!'
First published in the Mail on Sunday - October 2017
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