I had an amazing time traveling around New Zealand with Intro Travel, my tour leader Lauren was so helpful the entire time, never failing to keep the group in good spirits even during the days when it was raining. Lauren is the best leader, encouraging everyone to participate in all activities and allowing each and every person to have the best time away on their travels. Even when the trip was over she checked in on how time back in Aus went. I couldn’t recommend Intro Travel enough and if your lucky enough to have Lauren as your leader your in for an amazing time!!!

My most memorable part of the entire trip was, without a doubt, Lauren—our group leader.

Her zest for life is infectious. From day one, she brought an energy that lifted the whole group and set the tone for the experience. She has an incredible way of making everyone feel welcome, included, and at ease, no matter their background or travel experience. That kind of atmosphere doesn’t just happen—it comes from someone who genuinely cares, and it really showed.

Her knowledge of New Zealand was also a huge highlight. Whether it was sharing local tips, explaining the history behind places we visited, or pointing out hidden gems along the way, she added so much depth to the trip that you simply wouldn’t get travelling solo.

What stood out most, though, was her consistency. Every single day she showed up with the same positive attitude, patience, and professionalism. Managing a group of 17 people—each with different personalities, expectations, and needs—across a country like New Zealand is no easy task, yet she made it look effortless.

Lauren is a real asset to Intro Travel and absolutely deserves recognition for the way she leads a tour. She didn’t just organise the trip—she elevated the entire experience and made it genuinely unforgettable.

Haka House Hostels - a full review is to be done re these hostels. They are not welcoming at all, staff are miserable & ignorant. I would never book a Haka House Hostel in the future! There are so many better places to stay in New Zealand and these hostels let the overall experience down. I have given 5 stars because of Lauren.

I recently completed the Intro Travel New Zealand North and South Island tour and wanted to leave a review mainly because of how exceptional our group leader Lauren was.

Before the trip I did have some frustrations around the booking process and charges regarding moving dates that I didn’t feel were clearly explained. However once the tour actually started Lauren completely changed the experience for me.

She was organised, knowledgeable, approachable and genuinely invested in making sure everyone in the group had the best possible time. She created a really supportive atmosphere from day one and balanced logistics, activities and group dynamics effortlessly. It never felt like she was just doing a job, she clearly cared about the experience we were having.

The itinerary itself was great for the length of time you have in New Zealand. As with all tours there are always places you wish you had longer in than others, but for me it was the perfect introduction and helped me decide where I wanted to return and explore more afterwards.

One thing I especially appreciated was Lauren’s aftercare once the tour finished. She shared recommendations and helped with onward planning which I honestly wasn’t expecting and found incredibly helpful while continuing my travels.

If Intro Travel had more like Lauren I am sure my overall experience from the beginning would have been excellent across the board.

I am about to start the Intro Bali tour and have already booked South Africa with Intro as well so I am really hoping to come across more group leaders with the same energy, knowledge and care that Lauren brought to the trip.

This was my first time solo travelling and I would definitely recommend the trip. My group leader Lauren really added value to the experience and made me feel comfortable, she was amazing! She really knew her stuff and had some great recommendations. The tour itself was unforgettable and New Zealand was amazing. Getting to learn about Maori culture in the North and seeing the amazing views in the south.

My personal highlights were the boat trip in Taupo and the views in Tekapo! Can’t wait for my next trip wIth Intro Travel!

This was my first time traveling internationally and it couldn’t have gone better! I had a wonderful time traveling through the North and South Islands, especially the South, where the scenery is truly stunning. The itinerary did a good job of covering several locations throughout the country, including some that might not have been on my radar if I was planning my own trip.

Our group leader, Lauren Ryan, was always on top of things and had good recommendations for restaurants and free time activities in each location. She was also very accessible and responsive to any questions or issues and made a point to interact with everyone in the group.

The people in the group were great, and I couldn’t have asked for a better crew to experience NZ with.

So I did an intro travel in New Zealand, 17 days. My group leader was Lauren Ryan, she was an amazing leader! Everything she did was structured well from travelling place to place, leading a group and communication was spot on!
Even very detail was thought of, so multitasking was one of her key points I thought! I was very impressed with how she handled and organised events.
I thought she was brilliant, and if I had any issues I could talk to her.
Lauren was very easy to talk to, very easy to get along with and had a positive impact on the group!
She is a a solid leader, can tell she has done a few tours and it all comes with experience and her knowledge is great! So well done to her! Such a lovely person.
I also loved how each place in New Zealand there is something different! North and South, amazing!
I would definitely recommend doing the 17 day tour to someone thinking about it!
Such a beautiful country, so many things to do and see. The scenery is out of this world! Never seen nothing like this before!

I have been on a few different tour trips with a variety of companies but this tour (17 days North + South) was brilliant. Its hard to do everything in just over 2 weeks but the itinerary is well thought out- combining the more cultural elements with the breathtaking nature. Shoutout to our group leader Lauren who is a star- 10/10 isn't enough for her efforts and she deserves all the praise she gets. She would even offer up her recommendations of where she'd spend her free time if we wanted to join making it feel even more inclusive. Funny, kind, professional and a real asset to Intro. Would definitely recommend to anyone

This was my first ever trip with a travel company and I have to say, Intro Travel did an amazing job with what they provided. Our tour leader Lauren was brilliant, she always gave great recommendations on food and things to do. The cultural facts she gave were great l, as it was lovely to learn about the history as well. The views on the hikes and lakes we visited were spectacular! I loved the bisit to the Maori village among many ither things such as the river rafting and milford sound, where we were lucky enough to see the dolphins.