the power of elite
LASTING IMPRESSIONS
Guided by - Phil
"We first met Phil with our airport transfer to our hotel. He was warm, friendly and engaging. Phil inquired about our plans and learned that we had booked a helicopter tour to Milford Sound. The weather forecast for the coming week was not on our side for the day scheduled. Phil (without being asked) called around to find a helicopter tour that would accommodate us the day we arrived to guarantee our chance of seeing Milford. We had an amazing trip to Milford Sound all because Phil is a 'get it done' person. We were so impressed with Phil’s proactive approach that we booked him for a private hike in Queenstown the next day. Phil and his wife Paula worked with us to identify a hike that suited our level of interest and fitness. We went on a half day hike where Phil easily shared history and we talked about all sorts of topics. He was fun and really easy to spend time with during our time. Thanks for making our time in Queenstown memorable."
— Wanda Cole-Frieman USA, visited April 2024
Guided by - Phil
We did a full day privately guided hike on the Routeburn Track with Phil from Elite & Personal Tours. The scenery was majestic and Phil was a book of knowledge of the area. It’s worth mentioning that many scenes from the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed in this area and Phil has an in-depth knowledge of this. Our hike was almost 10 miles round trip and we hiked, including lunch for almost 5-hours. Phil has a great personality and was very engaging. The Routeburn Track is very well maintained and runs along water most of the way. The scenery all along the hike is gorgeous. I highly recommend using Elite & Personal Tours for any activity they offer as they are at the top of their game.
— Peter Kallman USA, visited March 2024
Guided by - Phil
My family and I had an excellent trip to New Zealand. In Queenstown we used Elite & Personal Tours. Paula was exceptional pre-travel assisting me with planning our trip. Once in Queenstown our personal guide was her husband Philip. He was extremely nice and very helpful. First class all the way around. Visiting wineries, bungee jump, jet boat, skiing, Milford Sound and some fabulous hikes as well. I would highly recommend them!
— Frank Odeh USA, visited August 2023
Guided by - Phil
"Our family of five took a day tour with Elite & Personal Tours, travelling to Glenorchy and surrounding areas for my husbands birthday. We couldn't have asked for a better tour guide and company. Phil was professional, friendly, kind and extremely helpful with our three little kiddies who are all under the age of five! We enjoyed exploring scenic locations, hiking, and eating at a local cafe. It can be daunting organising day trips when you have a young family, but Elite & Personal Tours was so accommodating and made it so easy and flexible for us. We highly recommend their services and look forward to more personal tours with them in the future. Thanks for an awesome day out, Phil."
— The Chung Family Auckland, NZ, visited March 2023
Guided by - Phil
"We have relied on this awesome team to plan three separate family trips to New Zealand. They can plan and do just about everything; which areas to visit, where to stay, assist with travel arrangements and set up activities. They have consistently ensured each trip was spectacular. We would not travel to New Zealand without their assistance and guidance. From breathtaking hikes, jet boating, bungee jumping, sight-seeing, fly-fishing, wine tasting, e-biking, to setting up a boat and helicopter tour of Milford Sound, they listen to what we want to see and do and then create a varied and memorable itinerary. As they are locals, they have all the insights and relationships necessary to make your trip exciting and trouble-free. We highly recommend using Paula, Phil, Judy and their team. We can't wait to return to New Zealand, one of our favorite places to visit!"
— The Stoia Family California, USA, visited December 2022
"Our group of six has travelled together to many places around the world. When New Zealand came up on the radar, We were thrilled because New Zealand has been on the top of our bucket list. Elite & Personal Tours careful planning and attention to detail, whether it was a place to stay or dinner in a castle, made our trip all the more special. The highlight of the trip was certainly our helicopter trip to Milford Sound, which included a landing on the top of a glacier and then lunch by a lake in the mountains. Our Driver Guide Phil, was such an asset to our trip. His knowledge of places we should see and the history was excellent. He took a special interest in each of us. Phil took great care of us, was always on time and enjoyable to be with.
Thank you for all that you did to make this trip one that we will never forget!"
— Bob and Daphne Baker Colorado USA, visited January 2018
Guided by - Phil
“From planning through execution, our experiences with Elite & Personal Tours were exemplary. There were six of us, all very seasoned travellers, going together to New Zealand and its South Island for the first time and quite clearly needing help and advice in our planning and our travel. Elite & Personal Tours did a wonderful job of helping us define and coordinate our preferences. They then planned out a full itinerary, including, as the capstone, a helicopter flight to Milford Sound. This took us through the Southern Alps, including landing on a glacier and then later stopping at a high alpine lake for a wonderful picnic. In addition to all the planning, they also provided a very knowledgeable and terrific driver, Phil, as well as an exceptionally comfortable van to provide transportation. Everything was done with great care and effect and we certainly all felt that Elite & Personal Tours really made our trip a great success. We would all warmly recommend their services to anyone seeking to travel in New Zealand.”
— Rick and Carol Dowden Colorado USA, visited January 2018
Guided by - Phil
“Phil spent the majority of the time with us during our stay in New Zealand. He provided articulate explanations of his beautiful country that we enjoyed learning from him very much. We would consider Phil’s zest and energy contagious. It’s admirable to see such young great talent in the company. Phil went above and beyond to make us feel special in every way. Every time we had a special request Phil made it happen.”
— Lilly and Leon Tejidor Florida USA, visited March 2017
Guided by - Phil
“My husband and I recently spent a week in New Zealand with Elite & Personal Tours. We had a marvellous time hiking, biking, wine tasting, and exploring portions of the South Island. Judy does a great job in customising her trips to her guests' interests, and we have only nice things to say about this trip.”
— Liz Bullitt North Carolina USA, visited November 2016
Guided by - Judy
“My family and I had a wonderful time in Queenstown with our guide, Paula. She took us on a tour of Queenstown and nearby sites. We stopped at a picturesque lavender farm for a chat with the owner. She later took us to Arrowtown, where she shared the history of the area and we had a delicious lunch. We visited a winery, went wine tasting, drove up in the hills where we saw deer and sheep farms and exquisite scenery. Paula took wonderful care of us and showed us some truly remarkable sites that we will keep as treasured pictures and memories. Paula is enthusiastic, demonstrates extensive knowledge of Queenstown and its environs, and is flexible. She also shows the utmost sensitivity to her clients in that she makes certain their experiences go above and beyond their expectations. It is without hesitation that we recommend Paula as a tour guide for any travellers who are going to New Zealand. ”
— Cheryl Zatkin-Steres California USA, visited December 2016
Guided by - Paula
“We are a family with four children between the ages of 6 and 12 and we had the most incredible holiday in Queenstown under the expert guidance of Judy from Elite & Personal Tours. From accompanied bike rides, river surfing, horse riding, helicopter landing on glaciers to amazing local restaurants, her advice was spot on and she had everything so thoughtfully planned, which meant our trip was exciting and everyday occurred seamlessly. The attention to detail and her wealth of knowledge on the area was invaluable to our trip. We cannot recommend her services more highly.”
— The Creswell Family Melbourne Australia, visited November 2016
Guided by - Judy
“My family of 10 took a trip to New Zealand and Australia over the 2016 Christmas and New Year holiday. Our tour guide during our 4-day stay in New Zealand was Paula Smyth. We were arriving in New Zealand from multiple airports and at different times. Paula was extremely flexible with setting up our itinerary briefing. We wanted everyone to be there to hear it – even though it meant doing it late in the evening and on a weekend. Additionally, she was very accommodating to our schedule throughout, for which we were greatly appreciative. From that first welcoming gesture, we continued to be so grateful working with Paula. She is extremely knowledgeable about all things related to New Zealand, and with our Australia questions as well. She was a delight to have with our group and we all enjoyed her immensely. She was value adding with her recommendations, and with her descriptions of things we were seeing. She was professional, friendly, and an all-round pleasure. She enhanced our trip and made the first stop of our 2.5 week journey quite magnificent. She also set the bar for how we evaluated our other guides. We highly recommend Paula to any of our friends who make the trek to New Zealand, and should we find ourselves back there again, we will most certainly want to have Paula as our guide. She is top notch!”
— Barger Jeutter Virginia USA, visited December 2016
Guided by - Paula