Sarah was truly an exceptional guide. Her wit, knowledge, leadership and daily positive attitude was wonderful. She's a great asset to your organization. One in a million!!

The hotel you selected was excellent. While it was not "near" any other shops, restaurants, or beaches, the location was perfect for just relaxing and engaging in optional tours and activities at the hotel. We met so many of the staff, and everyone was friendly and remembered our names. They really put a personal touch on everything. We are looking forward to going back next year!

Lindsay was a fantastic tour manager. His vast knowledge base about NZ is large, and he has an encyclopedic knowledge about NZ's history and the Morai culture. He willingly shared with us facts, stories, and interesting information throughout the tour which made the longer drives on the coach more tolerable. I'm always one to find at least one recommendation for a TM, but I really do not have any for Lindsay. His experience as a TM shows. I always pride myself on trying to stump the TM with a question, but with Lindsay but I could not as he had an answer for all questions. He added much value to our trip by recommending certain vendors for souvenirs along the way, restaurants depending on your desires, and always asked us if we had any questions that he could answer. He kept informing us by posting the next day's itinerary, and reminded us of upcoming events, their timing, and when we needed to be ready, all of which necessitated very few questions from the group. I would go out of my way to take a tour with Lindsay again, if that tells you anything.

Trip was great & the guide "Fiona" was SUPER GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!! All aspects of the trip were good including locations, bus drivers, lodging, food, transportation, organization & our guide Fiona....thanks

My New Zealand trip has been my favorite of all my Gate 1 journeys. The itinerary covered both the North and South Islands and lasted more than 15 days, yet it felt much shorter thanks to our outstanding guide, Kevin. His humor, quick wit, and warm personality made every day enjoyable. It was truly a pleasure to have him leading our group.

Best vacation EVER!! My family was thrilled with every aspect of the vacation. Our guide/docent, Kevin, was attentive, informative, professional yet personable and a ton of fun! We will be returning to Gate 1 in the future.

The trip was awesome. Guide Phil was great and our bus driver Josh was the best. NZ is a wonderful country with the friendliest people. Thank you!

Our tour manager, Tracey, was incredible. I was traveling with three others, and typically I am the one who manages the details of the trip, and makes sure things go smoothly for us. With Tracey, I was able to fully relax and enjoy myself without worrying. I felt taken care of, and that I wasn't missing out on anything as she had done the research and provided us with a plethora of information ahead of time, even providing a well-thought-out list of activities to do in our free time. This is my fourth Gate 1 trip, and I can confidently say that Tracey is an absolute gem and elevated our vacation experience like no other. Her thoughtfulness and thoroughness towards each travelers' needs, goals, and priorities was remarkable. If it were possible, I would wish that Tracey could be our tour manager for all of future tours.

Our vacation to New Zealand was spectacular! From the moment we arrived until we walked through security to fly home, we were well looked after. Another trip of a life time, another great Gate 1 tour. We are already booked to go to Australia next year with Gate 1! Thank you, thank you, thank you! My mom and I will talk about this trip for the rest of our lives.

My wife Elyse and I want to take this opportunity to share our experience with Tracey, our Tour Manager: This was our fourth trip with Gate1, and by far Tracey was the best Tour Manager we've had. She was always there for everyone, and helped us experience New Zealand in ways we couldn't have imagined. We are back home now and already miss her.

The trip to Fiji was je of a kind. It was an entirely unique experience to stay in a hotel in the middle of Sonaisali Island. We rode the boat to check in for our hotel accommodation . The Locals -Fijians are very warm, hospitable and fun loving people. There is a good selection of activities in the Island and Mainland. Overall, I highly recommend this trip. Thank you Victor and thank you Gate 1.

I just finished the New Zealand tour with Kevin. When a tour is excellent (the bus, the bus drivers, the agenda, the hotels, the food, registration), it's hard to stand out. Kevin absolutely stood out. For this tour I expected an advanced wikipedia article with pictures. Kevin gave us a fun, entertaining, incredibly knowledge packed two week immersive experience in New Zealand. Staff we talked to whispered that we were lucky we got Kevin. Bus drivers hinted we got the best in Kevin. Everything went perfectly from Kevin being a catalyst bringing the tour together to quietly solving numerous issues. (One member of the tour left his phone in a bathroom, then we left. Soon, problem solved without disrupting the tour.) Kevin's jokes and friendly personality were second to none.

Our trip to Australia was fantastic, my wife Debra and I enjoyed the places and activities we went to and saw. Our guide, Tracey, was attentive to our group, she was well prepared, our daily activities were detailed in daily activity sheets that she provided for us every day. Tracey did an outstanding job making sure that all our questions were answered and that she included everyone in all the new experiences we were enjoying. She did a great job. The small group size, 12 people, was wonderful. We would use Gate 1 in the future for vacation again.

Our tour Manager Juliet was very professional , organized, friendly, concerned that the group (40) are together every time, get their needs & answers all concerns on a very timely manner. Made sure everybody in the group get along well., treats very body fairly. She did a very outstanding job & very knowledgeable . Hope will meet her again in future de travels with Gate 1.

Our tour guide in Australia and New Zealand, Juliet, was extraordinary. She made every single person feel special and important. Her positivity, cheerfulness, utmost patience, and professionalism were incredible. She was knowledgeable about the locations, history and culture and made the stories alive and fun. She was made for this job! Incredible warmth and humanity.

My husband and I cannot say enough wonderful things regarding our recent trip. We thoroughly enjoyed the optional excursions-especially stargazing beneath Ayers Rock, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef and surprisingly, the Hobbiton movie set-which made our time there very special. This was our 9th Gate 1 trip, and Matt was the best tour manager we've ever experienced with Gate 1. His good humor, personal warmth, hospitality, knowledge of and love for the world Down Under will always be a highlight of this epic adventure in our memories. His genuine and congenial efforts to get to know each group participant individually was remarkable and much appreciated. He went above and beyond to make sure our group had the greatest vacation possible. We feel so blessed to have been able to travel to Australia and New Zealand through Gate 1 with Matt. We will continue to recommend Gate 1 to our traveling friends.

On this Discovery tour to Australia and Tasmania, we had the best tour guide ever. Al exhibited the characteristics of what we feel a perfect tour guide should have. He was very organized, accommodating, knowledgeable, kind and funny. Al did a great job keeping all of us organized and on time as well. Several of us wanted to do the Sydney Opera House tour, which was not available with our other Gate 1 scheduled activities, Al went above and beyond to walk us to and through numerous areas in the Opera House. Al shared his pride and knowledge of his Australia in a very easy-to-understand manner, always prompting more discussion, in which he was willing to engage. Al always had great suggestions for leisure time and meals on our own for all kinds of palates. At all five intercontinental flights and our international flights back to the United States, Al guided us to check-in, lifted our heavy luggage onto the scales, got us to security and waited on the other side pointing us to our next gate(s). Every day was a new adventure, and we can't thank Al enough for making our Australian adventure one of our favorite travels ever. We felt Al did everything humanly possible to assure everyone had a great time. Gate 1 should be proud to have him as one of their guides.

We just completed our first Gate 1 tour. Several of our friends have traveled with Gate 1 and recommended it. I must say that our first experience with Gate 1 was outstanding. The itinerary was excellent. The delivery of this trip was a trip of a lifetime, thanks to Tania our tour guide who was outstanding. She really made this trip extra special. Her love for what she does is felt throughout the trip. To maintain this level of service for so many days is incredible. She really cares about each and everyone of the guest. The drivers Chris and Vlad were also outstanding and very attentive to us. I know that there is a tremendous coordination between all of the vendors in each location. The experience that I have from this trip is a new appreciation of the New Zealand culture and beautiful surroundings. We learned so much from Tania on this trip of the Maroi people, the culture, the history of each location and more.... We have not stopped talking about this trip and have encouraged others to take a Gate 1 Trip. We had already booked our second Gate 1 trip to the Galapagos in April 2026 (before we went on this trip). Thank you to all of the people at Gate 1 responsible for putting these trips together. Great job. And extra kudos to Tania for making this trip the outstanding experience it was.

The trip was great! I enjoyed both Australia and Fiji but the former was more insightful and more educational due to the outstanding skills of the Tour Manager, Vic.

We had a FANTASTIC trip! It far exceeded my husband's and my expectations. We've recommended Gate 1 to many of our friends. The hotels we stay in are always superb as are the personable and informative guides. We've always had a great time on our Gate 1 trips. We will be scheduling many future trips with your company. Thank you so much for providing these great experiences.

This trip was far more than advertised. Both of the tour managers went above and beyond. Tracy and Aaron made the experience and knowledge of the two countries gave me a better understanding of the down under life. The optional tours were more than I expected.

We had a wonderful trip to Australia made possible by the exemplary service provided by our tour manager guide Ms. Juliet. She paid attention to all the details of the trip on a daily basis and attended to individual needs as and when they arose. She treated each person with warmth and care. She ensured that all members of the group were having a wonderful time in all parts of Australia. She coordinated well with local guides and provided additional information and descriptions when needed. To this end we did gather a lot of information about Australian. We thank Gate 1 for providing such an excellent tour manager. This has been out fifth tour and all the tour managers have been very good but Ms. Juliet was excellent.

It was one of the best trips yet! Susan was a phenomenal tour manager- one of the best I have ever experienced with Gate 1. The pacing, the optional tours, the hotels, etc. were all well chosen. This trip was my fourth Gate 1 trip this year and I have two more trips to go. Gate 1 does group travel right!

The trip was wonderful. Dana was a great guide and leader. Very knowledgeable and a pleasure to be around.

Wonderful trip to Australia! Vic was a super guide with so much information. Gate 1 always proves to be the best choice for travel. I've already booked a river cruise for 2026! Always glad to refer my friends to Gate 1. Thanks for a great memory!!!

Our New Zealand trip went well. We all had a fantastic time. The weather was good during our visit. Gate 1 travel did an excellent job in selecting hotels and arranging our flights.

Fantastic trip with our best quite yet. This was our 16th Gate one tour with many more booked. Matt, our Australian guide, was a complete pleasure. He is a truly gifted guide and human being. Gate One is very very lucky to have him. His knowledge and humor kept the trip lively and professional. Way to go Matt and Gate One. He is a winner.

We had a great vacation! I have recommended Gate ! travel to several friends and family members after this trip. The resort was exceptional in service and cleanliness. The staff was excellent and we felt taken care of with the most utmost professionalism. Thank you again for all your help with the reservation and travel arrangements.

Our tour guide Tracy was AMAZING! She was organized , efficient, friendly, helpful & interested in each & everyone of us. I would give her 5 stars.

Absolutely the best trip ever! Tracy is a fantastic tour guide and the drivers also did a terrific job. Our guide, drivers, and 20 fellow travelers made our trip very enjoyable. We have traveled with other companies including Viking and our Gate 1 trip tops them all.

An amazing trip around New Zealand, made even more amazing by a fantastic tour manager, Tania Simpson. This is our seventh Gate 1 tour and all tour managers have been great but Tania has been the best. Her knowledge of the Maori people, history of early European settlers, the fauna and flora were only surpassed by her sense of humour. We appreciated her personal stories and her endless playlist of appropriate and relevant songs on the coach. She showed incredible kindness to passengers who needed a little more assistance. She was always one step ahead anticipating our needs. We really appreciated her and also the drivers, Rene and Vlad. Kudos to Gate 1 for hiring such incredible people to take care of us. Because of this we will always use Gate 1 and have two more tours booked in the Fall.

We had an outstanding trip. I was hesitant to spend all this time on the bus and crisscrossing the country, but this was the only way to fully understand the country and see the beauty of New Zealand. With 21 customers the coach rides were spacious and very comfortable. All the food was VERY VERY Good. You had to skip some selections after a few days, but there were so many good options - and the food was plentiful. I cannot recommend Phil Wilson enough. He was outstanding. He was very knowledgeable, personable, caring, informative, and funny. He was always there and available. Make certain you KEEP him. He made the trip with superior knowledge, provided fruit and snacks for the trip, and told stories-plus he also provided hours to sleep and do our own visits. The bus drivers were exceptional on those narrow roads and in rainy conditions. Simon and Jerry were personal, always on time, and had clean transportation. I have already recommended this trip to others and will travel with Gate 1 again, both on the river and these inter-country visits. Thank you all - but especially PHIL and the crew !!!!

Just wanted to say what an amazing tour manager Phil was on our recent trip to New Zealand. My husband and I feel that he is one of the best managers we've had! Great job Phil!!

Our trip was wonderful. Australia was amazing. Especially Uluru it was amazing. New Zealand was beautiful. All of the accommodations were good. The food choices were excellent. As were the side trips. But what made our trip so memorable was our tour guide Tracey. She was the best. So organized. But her personality and humor made the trip. She was great. An asset to your company.

The trip was excellent. Our guide Kirstin was amazing, knowledgeable and great to travel with. Drivers Bernd and Keith were excellent drivers and also knowledgeable about the various locations.

This was an awesome trip! We did lot of flying, but it was worth it to see all the beautiful and interesting places in Australia. Our Tour Manager, Fiona was excellent. I really liked that she provided us a typed summary of all our experiences on the trip at the end of our journey. Since I don't keep a travel journal, this will be a welcome addition to the Itineraries that I do keep. This was my 16th trip with Gate 1 and it was a WOW!

It was a wonderful place with friendly people in a small island. We really enjoyed our trip. Thank you

We just returned from the Small Group Australia Discovery Tour which my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed. Australia is a wonderful country, with amazing sights, experiences and some of the friendliest people we've ever met. Tracey, our excellent tour leader, was tireless in her efforts to address all the needs of the 13 tourists under her care. Her attentiveness, patience, conscientious, kindness and generosity knew no bounds. She made a wonderful tour of Australia even better. Her efforts included making sure to help us with each check-in at an airport, not an easy task since there was a lot of flying to different destination. She maintained a steadfast sense of humor which made everyone comfortable. She dealt with any unexpected challenges with good-natured, but organized aplomb and made the trip one of the best tours we've had. Gate1 is fortunate to have such an able leader as Tracey. As for the tour itself, this small group discovery tour offered by Gate1 allows a traveler to get a good introduction to the size, variety of life and landscapes of Australia and provides an excellent mix of nature, culture, history and of course, food. There were many selections of foods on the menus and the hotels were top class. Everything worked to perfection and we couldn't have been happier. We're looking forward to our next Gate1 Adventure.

Just returned from my first Gate 1 Discovery Walking tour to New Zealand. It was wonderful. The weather was beautiful, the scenery was breathtaking, accommodations were terrific, and our tour guides (Marie and Kelsi) were great. They were both experienced, friendly, knowledgeable and shared a lot about the country's history, landscape, culture and people. Peter, our driver, was exceptionally personable, kind and a skilled driver. I will travel with Gate 1 again. Thank you.

We had a fantastic time on the 13 Day New Zealand Walking Tour. Our two tour guides, Marie and Kelsi, were so knowledgeable, friendly and well organized - they never made us feel rushed on the hikes and shared so much information about the landscape, history, culture and biodiversity of the South Island. They always made sure we were prepared for the hike while reminding us to bring rain jackets (we, luckily, never needed them), walking sticks and provided lots of fun, nutritional snacks. The hotels were all first rate, especially the view from our balcony at the Hermitage Hotel at Aoraki Mount Cook National Park. Our driver, Peter, was exceptionally skilled at navigating the roadways and was always cheerful when handing out water and making sure all of our luggage was loaded and accounted for. We can't wait to go on our next Gate1 adventure!

My husband and I had a wonderful time visiting Australia and Tasmania for our 25th Wedding Anniversary trip! Gate 1 itinerary was well put together with great coverage of destinations, hotels and meals! The variety of nature, landscape, states and cities that were covered during our tour was amazing and breathtaking! It was very exciting to see and experience such a vast coverage of destinations! We will cherish those memories forever! We couldn't have had a better tour manager than Matt who was an amazing person. He went above and beyond to take care his 'Mob of 13 people'. He was very kind, caring, funny, informative and entertaining. He shared history and insight of each destinations that we visited and, shared his local knowledge and experiences; he guided everyone how to enjoy our time with local activities and places to maximize our trip during outside of planned itineraries. He helped us with each check-in at an airport, hotel with great care and fun. His sense of humor which made everyone comfortable even when we were waiting for delayed flight at the airport. Gate1 is fortunate to have such an amazing tour manager as Matt! We're looking forward to our next Gate1 Adventure in the coming years.

My husband and I had a wonderful time visiting Australia and Tasmania for our 25th Wedding Anniversary trip! Gate 1 itinerary was well put together with great coverage of destinations, hotels and meals! The variety of nature, landscape, states and cities that were covered during our tour was amazing and breathtaking! It was very exciting to see and experience such a vast coverage of destinations! We will cherish those memories forever! We couldn't have had a better tour manager than Matt who was an amazing person. He went above and beyond to take care his 'Mob of 13 people'. He was very kind, caring, funny, informative and entertaining. He shared history and insight of each destinations that we visited and, shared his local knowledge and experiences; he guided everyone how to enjoy our time with local activities and places to maximize our trip during outside of planned itineraries. He helped us with each check-in at an airport, hotel with great care and fun. His sense of humor which made everyone comfortable even when we were waiting for delayed flight at the airport. Gate1 is fortunate to have such an amazing tour manager as Matt! We're looking forward to our next Gate1 Adventure in the coming years.

I cannot express enough how much I enjoyed this trip! New Zealand had always been my dream destination, and I can't imagine a better way to explore its breathtaking landscapes than on foot. Walking allowed me to truly immerse myself in its beauty. I loved the pace set by our tour manager, Marios. He never rushed the tours, even though his fitness level would have easily allowed him to. Whether you preferred lively chats while walking at a faster pace or simply wanted to reconnect with nature at your own rhythm, he ensured that everyone had an option. It was also reassuring to know that his assistant, Fleur, was walking at our back - ready to support us. And the snacks she provided were incredible! This dynamic duo complemented each other perfectly, keeping us both safe and well-fed throughout the journey. The non-walking portions of the trip added even more unforgettable experiences. I absolutely loved visiting the farm and meeting all the animals. One of the most magical moments was spotting wild seals while cruising through Milford Sound. As we ventured into the Tasman Sea, I couldn't help but feel like an explorer, just like James Cook! I also liked the relaxed and engaging way we gained new knowledge. Instead of rigid lectures, you could simply chat with the tour manager and ask whatever piqued your curiosity while hiking. As a tourist on a hiking trip, I would expect basic accommodations, but I was pleasantly surprised by the level of comfort provided. The company offers an impressive standard, even for trekking tours. While it may not have matched the luxury of other travel products, for me, waking up to a breathtaking view of Aoraki Mount Cook from my balcony was everything I could have wished for. It completely blew my mind-I didn't even want to leave my room! I didn't mind that there wasn't much else around because that view alone was worth it. Maybe next time, I will visit the Edmund Hillary Centre and sign up for a stargazing trip. And Wanaka apartments with a washing machine and dryer were exactly what I needed in the middle of the trip. And the cuisine-oh, the food! I enjoyed lamb in so many delicious variations. I also really appreciated the casual yet authentic lunch experiences. Whether it was stopping in a small village to grab the best meat pie in the country or having a lakeside picnic, every meal felt special.

I really enjoyed the small group tour of New Zealand driving through the both the north and south. Kevin was a great tour guide providing stories about New Zealand. The highlight of the trip for me was the dinner with the family in Roturoa; wow what an amazing family exceptional food and how they brought us into the Mauri culture. That was an experience one could have only on this tour. Gate one has great tours but for me the best are the ones with the guide and Kevin has been the best guide ever. Such a warm and knowledgeable person.I look forward to my next trip with gate 1.

I just wanted to let you know that we had the very best ever guide on our Discovery Tour of Australia & Tasmania. Al was so articulate, organized and fun! A real package deal! He was SO helpful to us to help navigate the cities and even took us out to explore on his own time. The tour was awesome as well. I absolutely loved being with the animals at the Cleland Wildlife Park. We did enjoy the dinner and evening at Uluru rock very much! Hats off to you Gate1 for having excellent guides!