Our guests are more than happy to share their experiences with you- here are a few of their testimonials. You are welcome to email them if you wish to check personally about their trip.
Dear Robert, This is to express to you our sincere thanks for the marvellous tour of New Zealand’s South Island with you last month. Your itinerary included the most interesting places, views and activities we could have imagined. We were impressed with your genuine love for New Zealand, its people and their culture. We felt as though you were our professor in teaching us New Zealanders’ way of life—their kind, cheerful, peaceful, generous nature. Not only is your country beautiful and inviting, but so too are its people, including your wife, son and daughter we were so pleased to meet and spend some time with. Everywhere we went people were happy, smiling and in jovial moods. We found this delightfully refreshing from the more hard-driving, fast-paced way of life here in the USA.
The scenery we experienced was spectacular—the fjords, mountains, glaciers, lakes, waterfalls, rivers, idyllic fields of sheep, red deer and cattle showed the productivity of the South Island. Our helicopter ride around Mts. Cook and Tasman was the scenic thrill of a lifetime.
We appreciated your masterful driving, always feeling safe with you in your luxury car. The lodging and food was as wonderful as the beauty of your country.
Thank you for answering our endless questions so capably and patiently from your deep reservoir of New Zealand knowledge.
This was our first trip south of the equator and therefore an entirely new, possibly once-in-our-lifetime experience for us. We will always cherish our tour with you, and hope to send more travelers your way.
With gratitude and kind regards from Eagle, Idaho, USA, Jennifer and Tom (& Kathy and Garth)
May 28, 2019
We bid farewell to our New Zealand guide, Robert Panzer this morning. He is an excellent guide to the South Island. We traveled 1560 miles with his expert driving up and over winding mountain roads (on the wrong side of the road). Although we covered a lot of miles, Robert knew the perfect spots to stop for photos and walks/hikes/tramps. He designed our trip so that each day and at almost every turn, our experience was better than the last. We enjoyed beautiful accommodations and delicious meals every day and night. Our hosts at each of these boutique hotels were wonderful and made us want to stay longer. If you’re looking for our travel blog see: sherwood2018.tumblr.com
January 15, 2019
We enjoyed our trip to New Zeeland even more than we imagined. The idea of a private guide with a custom tour worked out very well. Robert arranges everything from getting picked up at the airport, to checking into wonderful locally owned boutique accommodations, as well as meals, and most activities.
The people were great, the food was very good, and the accommodations were 4 Star. The people who ran the B and B or small hotel knew Robert and everything was set up as we got to each place. No stress. Robert also did all the driving in a very comfortable SUV/Van. The seats and view were outstanding. In addition, Robert stopped along the way, breaking up long drives. He was very knowledgeable about each city, location, restaurants, things to do etc.
The trip involved very little stress on our part. Robert has that rare talent of knowing how much to interact and when we needed some private time. Little was said, because it just worked out.
I would be happy to recommend New Zealand Custom Tours aka Robert Panzer to any couple who wants to see the country in depth and not have to worry about the day to day hassles of getting from one place to another, where to eat, what to do (given multiple choices), etc.
Sincerely Mark Kosins for Mark and Stacey
January 15, 2019
Thank you Robert, and thank you for organizing and leading our great trip.
We all thoroughly enjoyed our time with you and clearly fell in love with your country.
Wink & Bonny, Ed and Jan, November 2018
January 15, 2019
“Robert Panzer’s service exceeded our expectations in every aspect. His knowledge and experience were significant contributions for our overall experience, as we were his error-free choices of accommodations and restaurants and his ability to adjust our schedule to avoid the impact of bad weather we occasionally encountered.
The materials he provided for each stop along the way were well organized and informative.
His personality, sense of l humor and choice of socks continually delighted us.
We’d recommend Tailored Travel to our friends without hesitation. Thank you!”
Margo and Bill, MA, USA (Feb. 2018)April 18, 2018
Travel tales from George and Pat Stewart
“The first part of their trip was a 17 day private tour of the South Island, New Zealand with the tour company Tailored Travel. They only hold tours with a maximum of 4 people and it is designed around the travelers interests. Some advice the Stewarts would give neighbors planning a trip to New Zealand is to use Tailored Travel (New Zealand Custom Tours) tour company. Driving in New Zealand is not easy and can be dangerous. Having an experienced driver who knows all the best places to go is definitely worth it”
Read more here: Travel tales
April 18, 2018
I picked up a cd in Hokitika on our trip with you about 6 years ago, and I was listening to it again today. Thank you for amazing memories of a stunning country!
Robin Rhein Hurwitz
April 18, 2018
“We had a great trip and experience thanks to you. First class planning and execution.
We will recommend you highly and feel free to list me as a reference. Happy to give you 5 Stars on Trip Adviser if I can figure out how to do it. Thanks again.
We will stay in touch” Steve & Mary, AL, USA (Dec. 2017)April 18, 2018
“Kia Ora Robert, Thank you for being our guide for one of the most unforgettable journeys of our lives. The itinerary was perfect and afforded us the opportunity to experience breathtaking scenery, including deep blue lakes, Alpine peaks, glaciers and green valleys. Outstanding food, accommodations and your insight put this trip in the exceptional column for us. It was a pleasure meeting you Robert and spending 2 1/2 weeks in your beautiful "office". Kindest regards, Linda and Don, March 2017”
April 28, 2017
“Our trip was very enjoyable and that is why it is difficult to high light one spot, though the overnight on Doubtful Sound was exceptional. We had excellent accommodations, and Robert selected great locations for dining as well. Robert went out of his way to make it a memorable trip. We would highly recommend using Tailored Travel for any one going to New Zealand”. Tom & Diane (March 2017) Email: tj1950f@hotmail.com
March 28, 2017
Alice and David, Ann and Trav
Dear Robert, just as we have exhausted our supply of superlatives for your beautiful country and its inhabitants, so too are we at a loss of words to express our gratitude for your extraordinary “care and feeding’ of us during our journey in NZ. We will simply say thank you form the bottom of our hearts for your service, your good humor, your knowledge and your patience, and all the seamless adjustments that made our enjoyment ever more special. We shall miss your companionship.
January 23, 2017
“Tailored Travel is a great way to see the South Island of New Zealand. Robert’s tailoring our itinerary to fit our style and desires were masterful. You cannot do it all, but he gave us a chance to see as much as possible of the amazing landscape, people, and wildlife within our allotted time. His organization and depth of knowledge allowed us to enjoy it trouble free. An excellent way to have one of those trips of a lifetime”
G Henson, GA
July 27, 2016
“Traveling with Robert of Tailored Travel surpassed our expectations. He developed an itinerary unique to us, which we could not have done in a group or on our own. He was very knowledgeable and supplemented his extensive knowledge by doing ‘homework/ research’ during the evening in several cases making the trip extremely educational and rewarding. We understand and appreciate New Zealand in a way that would not have been possible without Tailored Travel. In addition, Robert was always there when we needed him, but also gave us time on our own and was never intrusive. A very compatible fellow traveler!”
“We had a spectacular time on our trip with you. A couple of things stand out;
- You provided just the right balance of availability to be with us and importantly for us to be by ourselves. The flexibility and sensitivity were notable.
- We appreciated the ‘homework’ you did several evenings on subjects that interested us-like the power plant near Doubtful Sound
- The accommodations you selected were great, nice knowledgeable people and great locations.
- The food was uniformly excellent.”
Charley and Barbara Email: jagrrl49@gmail.com
October 5, 2015
Our trip was far beyond our expectations. We knew it would be stress free, and we thought we knew the beauty of the island, but we never expected you to be a historian, a botanist, zoologist, restaurant expert, navigator, conversationalist, and an extremely interesting guy with whom to spend over two weeks. We can truly say, it was our best vacation ever.
Ella and Dale
March 7, 2015
The level of the accommodations you provide is outstanding and is only superseded by the friendliness and uniqueness of the hosts that allowed Kitty and I to share their homes.
Their life stories make the history of New Zealand more personal, meaningful and alive. How exciting is it to have dinner sitting on top of a gold mine with the owner telling you the story of discovering gold while digging a sewer drain field or how their family started off with a small plot of land…40,000 acres outback!!!!
Kitty and Paul W Hamblin II June 3, 2014
Thank you so very much and thank you again for the amazing trip you planned for us. I haven’t stopped talking about it!!
Your thoroughness and organization of it all was so professional and your company throughout added to the pleasure of it all. We never could have put anything together that was so varied and well suited to our wishes. So...thank you once again for such a great jobNancy Phillips June 3, 2014
"Thank you so much for showing us your country and the most wonderful time we've ever had! Between myself, Deborah, and Brittney, we have almost 3,000 photos to remember our remarkable journey. Doubtful Sound was just awesome! After listening to comments from other travelers, I feel we made the right choice, at your suggestion, to see Doubtful Sound rather than Milford.
There's nothing we wanted to see or do that you left out. You enlightened us on New Zealand culture, climate, geography and fauna. Everything as endlessly interesting! And of course, we couldn't have eaten any better as you know some great restaurants. I'm spreading the word to fellow travelers about Tailored Travel from here to relatives in Oregon.
It was our good luck to have found you. We were never disappointed about anything, and if the opportunity comes again that finds us in New Zealand, we would not hesitate to contact you Robert. Again, thank you for the trip of a lifetime! Sincerely, ”
Cynthia Ahmed May 29, 2014
"Our personal guided tour in New Zealand with Robert’s Tailored Travel "We thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Robert as our guide. Our itinerary was planned with close attention to detail and with carefully selected quality accommodation. Robert is a good driver, well informed and communicated in an effective manner. All these factors resulted in a relaxing and memorable trip"
Ann and Bev Collombin Toronto May 24, 2014
"Our tour with Tailored Travel was a great way to see New Zealand in a short amount of time. With his contact in Wanaka a great travel and hunting combination was achieved. Robert was well organized and planned everything very well".
Sarah and Cliff Clegg May 23, 2014
"Everything was amazing. I actually think Robert making the plans for our trip ultimately made our trip better. One of the main things that I found particularly beneficial was that we did not have the traditional "down time" or stress in deciding where we would eat, stay, or how to get hold of a company to plan our next day's activities. The other thing we noticed was that Robert was totally unobtrusive as a guide but was very enjoyable to be around. He just always seemed to be there when we needed him."
Kirk and Shelly Hines May 21, 2014
“We recently returned from a fabulous trip to New Zealand. I wanted to pass on the name of our guide as he was the best we have ever had in all of our travels. His name is Robert Panzer of Tailored Travel.
After we filled out a questionnaire as to our interests, he planned a custom tour for us - he made all reservations at 5 star B & B's, did all of the driving, took us to all of the best restaurants, and took all of the worry out of traveling. It was a "no headache" trip. Our only regret is that we don't know a "Robert" in every country we travel to!”
Ralph and Allyn May 21, 2014
"Our trip to New Zealand was truly a "trip of lifetime!" We talk frequently about our desire to return. Robert introduced us to the beauty of the South Island and also to the most wonderful people we have ever met in all our years of traveling. Robert gave us just the right amount of attention and also free time to pursue our own interest. The investment in Robert made the trip so much better than it could have been had we been on our own. And actually, in talking to other travelers in depth, we realize that Robert's cost saved us money over couples that planned their own trip. We wholeheartedly recommend using Robert”
Please take a moment to read this client review on Tripadvisor
Randy and Janice Durden Georgia, USA May 21, 2014
“Tailored Travel scheduled our tour to satisfy our requests. Life is too short not to use your time and money effectively”
Stu and Elizabeth Spragins May 20, 2014
“Your knowledge of the South Island made it possible for us to experience so many wonderful places during our visit. Every B&B was a jewel, every activity you suggested was thoroughly enjoyed, and every evening you found a great restaurant with a good wine selection. We just did not have to worry about anything – you really delivered. We loved New Zealand and will recommend it and you to all our friends”
Ray and Freddie Wheeler May 20, 2014
"His trip was fabulous and he is always a step ahead, a great driver, which one needs in this beautiful country of 2 lane roads and one lane bridges –and the mountain roads!
We will never forget our visit”
Diana and Jack Pickard May 19, 2014
We miss the pampering that you spoiled us with. The tour was fabulous and we don't believe you could have done a better job. And you ordered up fabulous weather besides. Who could wish for more!
Our impressions of New Zealand were more than expected and definitely will be lasting.
Dick and Susan May 17, 2014
"We have traveled with Robert Panzer of Tailored Travel twice during the past five years, each time on a two week, custom design wine, food and culture tour"
Read more...nancy@fosterthornton.com
Robert and Nancy ThorntonMay 16, 2014
Your detailed planning was superb and we know that we saw and did things that we never would have done had we tried to plan the trip on our own. Many thanks for all you did.
Marti and Bruce
May 15, 2014
"As to our trip I don't think I can say it much better than you did but it was the trip that we did not want to end, it just kept getting better and better as we went along. I must confess based on how happy we were with the first trip I came prepared for this trip to be great but not exceptional in comparison to the standard you set last time.
Well it was truly exceptional, Marilyn and I have been over it many times with members of our family and friends and we cannot think of anything that was not a thoroughly enjoyable experience."
wetmorerm@gmail.comRon and Marilyn: May 14, 2014
