Make Your Next Trip Extraordinary

Felicity and Ellen did a great job choosing age-appropriate family activities (I have twin 4-year-old boys), recommending excellent restaurants, making on-the-ground and on-the-fly recommendations, and assisting with alternate plans when the weather did not cooperate (which is unfortunately a frequent occurrence in the beautiful South Island). Our time spent at Tamau Pa with Tom Loughlin, as well as in the Marlborough Sounds on the Tutanekai, a private hundred-year-old boat, were especially memorable.

My boys thought seeing the South Island railway bridge collapse (we actually witnessed it) was pretty exciting, as was their mom calling “111.” Our “virtual observatory” at the Mt Cook Lakeside Retreat in Lake Pukakaki was spellbinding. The Mt Cook glacier? Meh. Alaska’s were a lot more impressive.

Traveler Sandra McLaughlin on the Hokitika Gorge suspension bridge, New Zealand.

Sandra McLaughlin on the Hokitika Gorge suspension bridge. Photo: Brendan McLaughlin

Wendy Perrin’s recommended experts curated a magical two-week trip through New Zealand for my wife and I. As first-time visitors, we trusted the experts to combine “must-see” attractions with more unique, off-the beaten path (they say “track”) experiences. Jean-Michel’s office didn’t disappoint.

Felicity Watson and Lynn Paterson checked in with us daily to make sure we were making all our connections and enjoying the accommodations and tours. One memorable morning included a helicopter glacier tour out of Queenstown. When we landed back at the small airport jittery with excitement at what we had seen, our wine tour guide (the amazing Beau Rapley) was waiting to whisk us to the wine country to calm our nerves!

We highly recommend Wendy Perrin’s travel services and plan to use them again soon!

Felicity planned a perfect trip for us. It was our first time in New Zealand and we had no idea how to navigate it all. She planned every single thing and we just had to show up. It was a great mix of free time and activities. We had boat trips that were amazing, our lodges and hotels were incredible and all our tour guides were so knowledgeable. We would not have been able to do near as much or see as much if Felicity had not planned it. Ellen was our point of contact once we arrived and both she and Felicity kept us updated on flights, helicopters and drivers so we always knew where to be. We loved New Zealand and are so grateful to Felicity and Ellen.

Travelers Joe Tobin and Mary Lou Voytko on a glacier in Whitcombe Valley, New Zealand.

Joe Tobin and Mary Lou Voytko perch on the edge of a glacier in Whitcombe Valley.

We just completed an absolutely fabulous month-long trip to New Zealand that was designed with Jean-Michel Jefferson and arranged by his teammates Lucy and Ellen. Jean-Michel took to heart our interests of where we wanted to visit and the various things we wanted to see and do on our trip. With his extensive relationships, especially with the Maori, Jean-Michel crafted a truly unique trip that we would never have been able to create on our own. We traveled throughout all of New Zealand, with the most time spent in the South Island. We felt that a month was perfect in seeing as much as we could without rushing. We were equally glad that we started in Auckland and traveled our way down to Manapouri/Te Anua in Fiordland. Many travelers that we met along the way, who were traveling in the opposite direction, told us that they wished that they had saved the South Island until last because of the indescribable beauty of the mountains, glaciers and fiords. Both islands however have their share of wondrous things to see, do and experience that we loved. Along the way, we stayed at exceptional hotels in the cities and beautiful intimate lodges, with our final five days at the extraordinary Cabot Lodge with unobstructed views of Fiordland National Park and Lake Manapouri.

Besides cruising Milford Sound, we had three major interests for our trip: interacting with Maori to learn about their culture, going to the MacKenzie-designated Dark Sky region to stargaze, and being on a glacier. Jean-Michel came through in spades for us on all counts. Instead of going to touristy places to see the Maori, Jean-Michel set us up with several unbelievable one-on-one days with individual Maori, including Tom Loughlin, who cooked us a fabulous traditional Hangi meal in the ground at his 5,000-acre wilderness cabin; Delani Brown, a famous master carver who creates enormous masterpieces of complexly intricate carved wood scenes of Maori culture; and Bevin Climo, a master pounamu (New Zealand greenstone or jade) carver, who took us to his tribe’s portion of the Arahura River where I found a lovely piece of greenstone! For our dark sky experience, Jean-Michel arranged for a privately guided astral viewing at the Matuka Lodge in Twizel where we were staying. The stargazing was fabulous and to not to have to do the 3-hour round trip to the St. John’s Observatory was priceless. As for the glacier experience, Jean-Michel again came up with an amazing intimate experience in the Whitcombe Valley, instead of the over-touristy Franz Josef glacier. Matt, our helicopter pilot, came with over 30 years of flying experience and was even the pilot for Tom Cruise when he was filming in the region! Matt created a once-in-a-lifetime experience with views of numerous glaciers and glacier lakes, highlighted by a landing at a glacier that we walked up to and sat on! Talk about being at the top of the world and having your dream come true!

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