About this business
Private Driver Hire New Zealand Limited is a chauffeur, private tour and transfer operator with its head office in Nelson and drivers working nationwide. The business trades on exclusive-use vehicles: a booking is for the client's own party only, never shared with other passengers to make up numbers.
Licensing and standards
The operator states it is fully licensed with the New Zealand Transport Agency for both small and large passenger service vehicles. All drivers are described as fully licensed, police checked and experienced on New Zealand roads. Vehicles are stated to hold full 5-star safety ratings.
A practical constraint for organisers: the company does not tow luggage trailers, so on overnight touring luggage is limited to one suitcase plus one small carry-on per passenger, and must fit the vehicle's rear cargo area.
Fleet
- Hyundai Santa Fe Elite all-wheel-drive SUVs and Toyota Highlander SUVs - up to 4 passengers
- Mercedes Sprinter vans - groups of 4 to 15 passengers, used for multi-day touring nationwide
- Larger vehicles for bigger groups quoted on application
Vehicles are described as having leather interiors and air conditioning.
Transfers and service area
One-way transfers are offered from Auckland, Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellington, Nelson, Picton, Blenheim, Christchurch, Greymouth and Queenstown, with quotes available for any other town-to-town movement. Around the Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough base the operator covers:
- Nelson and Blenheim airports
- Picton ferry terminals
- Abel Tasman access points - Marahau, Kaiteriteri and Wainui Bay
- Golden Bay - Takaka, Pohara, Tata, Wainui Bay, Te Waikoropupu Springs, Collingwood and Wharariki Beach
- Marlborough - Picton, Blenheim, Anakiwa, Pelorus Bridge, Havelock and the Marlborough Sounds
- St Arnaud / Nelson Lakes
- Trailhead drop-offs and pick-ups on the Te Araroa, Queen Charlotte and Abel Tasman tracks
Indicative one-way rates for popular Nelson routes are published on the website; other routes are quoted on enquiry.
Touring
Beyond transfers the business runs private, guided touring:
- Nationwide multi-day tours from around 2-3 days up to 3-4 weeks, single island or both, with itinerary planning support. The operator advises that covering most of both islands by road needs roughly 14 nights.
- Short breaks including Christchurch to Queenstown via Tekapo and/or Mt Cook, and Greymouth (off the TranzAlpine) to Queenstown via Franz Josef or north to Nelson
- Nelson Tasman and Marlborough day tours, including wine tours of the Nelson and Marlborough vineyards and Golden Bay scenic touring
- The same driver/guide can be provided for a whole tour, or one per island, at a pre-quoted fixed price with no hidden costs
- Private excursions, boat trips and scenic flights can be arranged as part of a tour package
For event organisers
The fit for MICE work is strong at the small-to-mid group end:
- Airport, ferry and inter-city delegate transfers across most major New Zealand gateways, useful for a distributed delegate arrival pattern
- VIP and speaker meet-and-greet in exclusive-use SUVs
- Roadshow and multi-city logistics - the same driver can carry a group across an entire multi-day itinerary, and start and finish cities do not have to match
- Pre- and post-conference touring and partner programmes, particularly Nelson/Marlborough wine touring and Abel Tasman and Golden Bay day trips
- Fixed-price quoting, which simplifies budget approval for corporate clients
For delegate movements beyond 15 in one vehicle, larger capacity is quoted on application. Bookings inside 24 hours should be made by phone.
See more delegate transport options.