Stray Reviews

I've travelled all over the world and the experience I had on Stray was more than everything I had hoped for, the drivers were amazing and some of the stops like Blue Duck Station, Abel Tasman, and Gunns Camp have to be seen to be believed.

I've travelled all over the world and the experience I had on Stray was more than everything I had hoped for, the drivers were amazing and some of the stops like Blue Duck Station, Abel Tasman, and Gunns Camp have to be seen to be believed.

I cannot recommend booking with Stray. From the beginning, I had problems. Stray tries to force you to use their application. It took 3 emails just to get my account set up. The application itself is often wrong or lists days and events in the incorrect order. I had a problem when I booked the Star gazing in Mount Cook. The application and the bus driver directed me to be at the main building at 8:30pm. I had to walk 20 minutes, from the other side of the property in the rain to be on time, just to be told that I was early and to return in an hour. I declined to return and requested a refund from Stray. Stray admitted to posting the incorrect time in their application but refused to refund me. Thankfully I was able to contact The Hermitage Hotel and get a refund. They actually have good customer service. The Stray website is also misleading. On the "Blake" winter tour, the Highlights tab states that during winter "Stray Journeys are operated on our hop-on hop-off bus network" but on the Need to know tab and the rest of the website states "Stray Journeys are small group tours based on a fixed itinerary where you stay with the same guide and group of travelers." This was absolutely not the case with my trip. On day one, we had 21 riders. Most people would not consider that a "small group". We also changed drivers. The accommodations were a mixed bag, mostly bad. There were some places that were wonderful, in what I would consider 4 star establishments and rest were 1 star hostels and camp grounds. The one thing you could count on was that every night that we moved, no one would know what was going on. People were given the wrong rooms, some rooms were given towels, some rooms in the same block had to rent towels. The wilderness lodges and cabins got old really fast. Having to walk 30+ meters to use the toilet, at night and in the rain was not fun. The saving thing on the tour was the wonderful driver Lego and the other travelers.

When you get into the buss you expect a calm and nice atmosphere, but when you get into a stray bus you have to expect way too loud music for probably 8 hours straigth. We were so annoyed with it and often we had to ask the driver to please turn the volume down a bit and then they get a bit annoyed and can’t understand why you don’t like the loud music. But then they turn it down for like 5 minutes and then straigth up again. So you can’t listen to a podcast, your own music, read a book or EVEN think because it’s so damn loud.

Apart from that it is sad that they don’t have more busses driving because some of the towns we didn’t want to visit because it looked pretty much the same as some others but then you can’t skip it...

It’s also bad that they don’t have nigthsbusses, you have to take a buss every other day approximately and then you loose one day everytime you take the bus, because the busdrives are often more than 8 hours in total because of all the stops. Instead of doing all those breaks they should just have busses with a toilet inside.

When you get into the buss you expect a calm and nice atmosphere, but when you get into a stray bus you have to expect way too loud music for probably 8 hours straigth. We were so annoyed with it and often we had to ask the driver to please turn the volume down a bit and then they get a bit annoyed and can’t understand why you don’t like the loud music. But then they turn it down for like 5 minutes and then straigth up again. So you can’t listen to a podcast, your own music, read a book or EVEN think because it’s so damn loud.

Apart from that it is sad that they don’t have more busses driving because some of the towns we didn’t want to visit because it looked pretty much the same as some others but then you can’t skip it...

It’s also bad that they don’t have nigthsbusses, you have to take a buss every other day approximately and then you loose one day everytime you take the bus, because the busdrives are often more than 8 hours in total because of all the stops. Instead of doing all those breaks they should just have busses with a toilet inside.

Unprofessional and untrustworthy company. I bought a Maximus pass with add ons. The buses were dirty, broken down and made for tiny people from Asia. The windows were always dirty, so enjoying the view was difficult. The add on pass I bought was not honored and I spent hours trying to deal with people who never called back and who kept blaming someone else. Some of the drivers looked like they never showered and one actually sang loudly to every song on the radio. The hostels they take you to are horribly run down and the locals in New Zealand actually call it ‘the —- bus’ because of the behavior of the people who tend to ride Stray buses. I felt cheated and lied to and the experience was less than it could have been due to this company’s lack of integrity. Be forewarned.

Unprofessional and untrustworthy company. I bought a Maximus pass with add ons. The buses were dirty, broken down and made for tiny people from Asia. The windows were always dirty, so enjoying the view was difficult. The add on pass I bought was not honored and I spent hours trying to deal with people who never called back and who kept blaming someone else. Some of the drivers looked like they never showered and one actually sang loudly to every song on the radio. The hostels they take you to are horribly run down and the locals in New Zealand actually call it ‘the —- bus’ because of the behavior of the people who tend to ride Stray buses. I felt cheated and lied to and the experience was less than it could have been due to this company’s lack of integrity. Be forewarned.

I travelled the south island of New Zealand with Stray and did so much that I would never have done if I went alone. I met lots of great friends and saw so much.

I travelled the south island of New Zealand with Stray and did so much that I would never have done if I went alone. I met lots of great friends and saw so much.

I'd had Stray recommended to me by a couple of friends, and after a year of living in Wellington, I figured it was about time to get out and see the rest of New Zealand. I was not disappointed.

Ducking out of work for a couple of weeks, I headed down south in an attempt to do as much as humanly possible in 16 days. My particular bus was headed by our professional, responsible (and straight-up hilarious) driver, Lantern, who went to great lengths to ensure that everyone felt included on the trip, catering to all tastes on-board, while providing a snappy commentary between destinations.

It was this service, combined with the range of activities on offer that puts Stray miles ahead of the competition - this isn't a by-the-numbers guided tour, in which you're led through the local tourist destinations. You get to pick what you want to do and (within reason) when you want to do it, you get the opportunity to experience parts of the country that most tours would sail past (hidden waterfall of baby seals, anyone?), and you're encouraged to bond with your fellow travellers.

This isn't a tour, it's an experience, and if you're into fun, friends and adventure, just go for it!

The only negative point? Trying to shake off the post-holiday blues...

This company is perfect for a first time traveller like myself. Not only do you get to see and explore all of New Zealand your driver will orgainse your accomdation and activities for you which allows you to take in the breathtaking scenery without having to worry about your travel arrangements. You also have the opportunity to meet And share experiences with like minded travellers. Your driver will be able to answer any questions you may have aswell as making each journey fun and interesting.
I had the most amazing time with Stray and would recomend it to anyone. If your looking for a chamce to see all the main tourist attractions and travel further of the beaten track with amazing people then this is the company for you!

This company is perfect for a first time traveller like myself. Not only do you get to see and explore all of New Zealand your driver will orgainse your accomdation and activities for you which allows you to take in the breathtaking scenery without having to worry about your travel arrangements. You also have the opportunity to meet And share experiences with like minded travellers. Your driver will be able to answer any questions you may have aswell as making each journey fun and interesting.
I had the most amazing time with Stray and would recomend it to anyone. If your looking for a chamce to see all the main tourist attractions and travel further of the beaten track with amazing people then this is the company for you!

Started amazing and still the only way was up! Great tour guides who were really knowledgeable and a great laugh, fantastic views and awesome activities. All topped off by meeting the most amazing people. Truly off the beaten track and the best 5 weeks that I'll remember for a lifetime :)

My Tour with Stray took me throughout the entire South Island of NZ and even the "deep south" portion. I had three different drivers, each with their own personality and quirky attitudes toward their route and what the wanted to show their passengers. I made so many friends and had plenty of experiences within the short two weeks that it felt like such a larger portion of my whole trip! (6 months total)
The drivers each had developed such a relationship with each of their hosts at each stop and location that it never felt very touristy in any sense but always like visiting an old friend and bringing new ones to be introduced. I loved every second, minute, hour, day of it and could not think of travelling with another tour company throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Started amazing and still the only way was up! Great tour guides who were really knowledgeable and a great laugh, fantastic views and awesome activities. All topped off by meeting the most amazing people. Truly off the beaten track and the best 5 weeks that I'll remember for a lifetime :)