Making a reservation

No. We do not charge an additional fee for paying with your credit card.

Yes. Your bank may have some penalties for paying in foreign currencies, for example paying NZ dollars with your US credit card. We recommend doing some research and make sure your bank or credit card company are not trying to charge you extra!

Many banks or credit card companies offer multiple types/conditions of credit card and normally there is an option for a credit or debit card which does not have any foreign exchange charges - this option may give you the better currency exchange that we can offer, when paying for your trip in NZ dollar and is the best to have for spending whilst you are in New Zealand.

Paying in New Zealand dollars
Our tours are priced in New Zealand dollars. If you choose to pay with NZ currency your credit card supplier may charge you a foreign exchange/currency conversion fee, much like if you went to a bank and purchased foreign currency.

Paying with other currencies
We do give you the option to pay in an alternative currency. For example: paying in US dollars using a credit issued in the US should mean there is no foreign exchange/currency conversion fee applied by your credit card company.

Currency conversion rates
Every bank or credit card company has a different foreign exchange/currency exchange rate, which changes daily and this is normally higher than online exchange information based on the share market. The only foreign exchange/currency conversion rates possible for you to use is that of your banks, credit card companies or ours supplied by our bank here in New Zealand.

To be clear, any additional fees incurred at the payment stage are due to bank fees or currency conversions, not us.
 

We accept Visa and MasterCard payments and process them via our secure credit card processing system.

This system is administered entirely by our bank (Bank of New Zealand) and Windcave (A secure online payment system).

When completing the booking form the final stage is the payment process. From there just follow the instructions.

When your payment is made the screen will display a reference number and a receipt will be emailed to you.

We will automatically be notified of your payment and one of our travel consultants will be in touch with you to confirm your booking within 48 hours of payment. Once in contact with an agent you are welcome to make adjustments to your itinerary. 

Found a suggested New Zealand holiday package you like? You can simply click the "Get Quote/ Book Now" tab on the tour menu to make a reservation.

Follow the instructions and complete the details requested. The booking process requires a deposit to be made through our secure credit card system (Visa and MasterCard only).

We are always on the end of the phone so if you have any troubles booking or want to make small adjustments then please do get in touch, we would be only too happy to assist.

At the time of booking we ask for a deposit payment of 20% of the quoted tour cost or NZ$250 per person - whichever is higher.

Occasionally, items such as domestic airfares may also need paying for at the time of the deposit. These are usually paid for immediately after you book; so we collect payment along with your deposit. Your agent will advise of any items such as this and explain the relating T&Cs upon booking.

The deposit amount will be calculated automatically and displayed on the payment page.

The balance for your tour is due 60 days prior to the start date or if you have made a reservation within 60 days it is due upon you receiving a confirmation document for your tour. For a group booking, final payment is typically due 60 days prior to your tour start date. Please confirm with your consultant.

There may be some special arrangements we have made that require prepayment and we will advise you of this at the time of booking. There are no hidden costs with our itineraries and our pricing pages update instantly as you or our specialists make any alterations.

Note: the balance due date is displayed on the costs page of your itinerary.

Yes. The payment system we use offers the highest levels of safety and security available.

The system we use is administered entirely by Windcave -- a world leader in secure online payment technology -- and our bank, the Bank of New Zealand. When you click through to the payment system the transaction is completed within a secure page and the information entered is only seen by Windcave and our bank.

Yes. You can choose to pay for your tour in another currency.

Choose your preferred currency on the payments page and our system will convert your balance into your currency using BNZ (Bank of New Zealand) exchange rates.

Paying in Your Local Currency

For example, selecting to pay us in $US will mean you will be charged that exact $US amount, if your card was issued by a US bank.

Paying in NZ Dollars

If you choose to pay in $NZ using a non-New Zealand credit card, then your credit card company or bank may charge you a currency conversion fee. This can sometimes be around 3% of the transactions. So check with your bank or credit card company first to make sure which is the best option for you.

Note: the cost in currencies other than $NZ may fluctuate with exchange rate changes. We use the NZ$ price as the base cost.

If you don't have a credit card or prefer not to use one then contact us and we can supply all the information you need to make a direct credit to our New Zealand or Australia bank account.

Payment made this way will need to be made into New Zealand dollars to arrive into our account in New Zealand dollars and any bank fees incurred may need to be also covered by you. Depending on your location and bank this can also take up to 10 days to process, so make sure you leave enough time to action this kind of payment.  We cannot begin confirming your plans until we have received the full deposit amount.

For many of your arrangements, although these will be prepaid, when you are in New Zealand they will ask for a credit card for incidentals. For example, when collecting your rental vehicle and on check-in at hotels for mini-bar, room service, and restaurant charges. Therefore it is recommended to obtain a Visa or MasterCard credit or debit card before you travel to New Zealand.

After you have made your deposit for your wonderful New Zealand experience, you are not asked to make a balance payment until 60 days prior to your arrival. Your balance payment date will be outlined in your tour confirmation.

Should you wish to make partial/split payment or have travel companions who wish to make additional payments, this is easy.

Through your online tour itinerary, select 'make/view payments' in the right hand side menu. At the bottom of this page is a white box showing the balance due and this can be edited. Simply edit to the amount you wish to pay and then click through to process your payment through our secure credit card system.

If you have not made your deposit payment yet but want to split the deposit between travel companions or different credit cards, simply get in contact with us. There is a small manual adjustment we need to make and then you will be able to enter the deposit amount each wishes to pay in the white box. Once your full deposit payment has been received, we will be in touch to confirm this with you and can begin to book your amazing experience in.

Yes. You can use as many different credit cards as you wish to pay for your trip.

The system processes each card individually and allocates to your account. So splitting costs between fellow travellers is easy. all you need to do when you pay the deposit is advise us you wish to split this across cards or fellow travellers and we will switch to multiple payments.

For the balance payment select 'make/view payments' in the right hand side menu of your online tour. At the bottom of this page is a white box showing the balance due and this can be edited simply edit to the amount you wish to pay and then click through to process your payment through our secure credit card system.

Yes we like to know about anything that needs consideration on your tour, such as ability to walk up stairs etc. Once you have booked, you will receive a form requesting details of any medical conditions that may be relevant to your tour experience. This allows us to make any necessary arrangements.

Yes, we take reservations from all over the world for all our tours. Our bookings system accepts Visa and MasterCard for payments through secure technology.

We work with many agents from all around the World and we would be more than happy to help you book your New Zealand experience with your preferred local agent. To arrange this, simply pass our contact details onto your local agent, for them to get in touch directly and we will take care of the rest. Booking through your local agency can offer you the best of both worlds - with their support whilst you are at home and our fantastic team here offering full support whilst you are in New Zealand. When booking through your local agent we offer a range of different options to ensure we are working together to get you the best New Zealand experience.

Book early! Especially if there are experiences that the travelers must do, there is an incredible amount of pending trips that have been postponed for a couple of years now, so 2023 will be a busy year. If you are planning to travel over the school holiday period (End of Dec to Early Feb) book well in advance.
Have travel insurance! We can help with that
Don't be scared of New Zealand's off-peak times - aka the shoulder seasons of spring and autumn. Large numbers of people will begin travelling again soon and if you'd like to avoid the crowds, try these quieter periods. They hold their own reward with spring being prime wildlife/farm animal spotting, not to mention the beautiful natives including rata and manuka coming into flower! Autumn is a time for crisp bluebird days and some of the calmest weather of the year. The beautiful fall colours are not to be missed, and are best seen around Hawkes Bay and Central Otago.

Completing our booking form will supply us with the information we need to arrange your holiday.

The booking form asks you for the information we need such as names, address, phone number etc. We also ask for your flight details if you have those arranged already (if not you can still book and supply those later).

Requesting Special Requirements

There is a section on the form which allows you to add special requests such as dietary requirements or preferred bedding configurations or anything else you want to let us know.