Southland

Donna has the heart and soul of New Zealand at her fingertips. She fastidiously planned a five-week trip from January through February 19 for my husband and I that left us with a great love for the beauty of the country and its gracious people. Covering both the North and South Island, Donna mapped our way through the lushest and most astounding scenic drives, sheltering us in unique accommodations along the way. At the end of our day's journey, we always anticipated with joyful expectation the hotel or B&B we would be staying at next. The guides who she knows personally were warm and knowledgeable and were most enjoyable to spend the day with. We learned a lot about the culture and heritage of the country and made many new friends along the way. B&Bs were not only visually pleasing and stunningly located, but the hosts made us feel like family, making us regret our leavetaking. The scenery in New Zealand is a photographer's paradise.To quell our passion for photo taking, Donna planned out the best possible land routes for our journey while peppering in other modes of transport that afforded us stunning sights, including a sunrise ballon trip, transcoastal train rides, a jet boat adventure, sightseeing flights over the Bay of Islands, fjordland cruises, punting on the Avon, and a relaxing ferry ride. My husband and I love wildlife and nature, so Donna put us in the best spots for capturing New Zealand's unique indigenous birds on predator-free islands, plus venues for spotting sperm whales, dolphins, and shore birds, and taking bushwalks among 2,000- to 4,000-year-old sacred trees. Helpful hints marked meticulously on our maps for which cafe to take a break during our long drives were always on the money. In fact at one such stop, we had one of the best meals on the trip. Phone calls to our hosts and to us personally as we traveled showed how much Donna really cares about her clients and her work. Thank you, Donna, for your painstaking preparation of our trip and offering us a gem of an adventure as each day unfolded.