Sallypea
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Abel Tasman ▷
The Sea Kayak Company
This was a lovely experience, enjoyed every minute of it.
Our guide was brilliant and good fun, so that gets a 10/10. Unfortunately I have to rate the Sea Kayaking Company as a 4/10, because of the unprofessional, unpleasant behaviour of one of the owners prior to our trip: We booked a 3 day trip which they could not fill on the date I booked, so I had to rearrange my whole holiday to accommodate them, which I was quite happy to do being a flexible fair person, however when we arrived 2 days prior to our trip and it was raining and the sea was the colour of mud due to recent floods, I dropped in on their office and pointed this out as a concern, assuming the trip would be cancelled or delayed, however they were certainly not as accommodating as I had been with them. Although it would have been nice to have crystal clear waters as advertised, I would have been happy to carry on had I been reassured it would still be fun and probably clear up a bit (you know a bit of polite customer service), but instead I was snarled at by some angry old bag about cancelling and having to pay the full fee whether I came or not, and then she promptly stormed out mid conversation, leaving her husband and a friendly guide to try and reassure us it would be worth it. Well I work hard for my money and when I purchase an expensive service, I expect to be treated with a little more respect. This woman certainly erased the myth that all New Zealanders are friendly and relaxed people (Well Done!). I nearly cancelled this trip because I was so angry. However the weather did finally improve and I am glad I finally decided to ignore this dreadful woman and go on the trip. The guide who had been present during the altercation had done a good job of reassuring us, clearly he should be the one dealing with the customers and this woman should be kept well away from people in general if they do not want their business to suffer. A perfect score ruined by bad customer service, what a shame!
Hi Sally, I'm so glad the kayak trip was a 10 and that you had a great time despite your earlier misgivings caused by me.
I'm sorry that I snarled (great word) and was a unpleasant, equally glad that Pete and Rowie reassured you and you still came on the trip..
The 31st Dec was a particularly trying weather day and we were just sitting down with a beer (6.45p.m) to celebrate surviving 2011 and unfortunately had not locked our office door (not expecting clients at that time of the evening) when you came in. Obviously one more question about the weather tipped me over the edge, and into the black hole of bad customer service!
If you come back to NZ ANYTIME drop back in to SKC and I''ll give you a bottle of wine as a apology.
Regards
The Grumpy Old Bag
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Bay of Islands ▷
Sailing R Tucker Thompson
If you do only one thing in North Island, book a trip with R Tucker Thompson, not only is it a great day out, it is for a good cause.
The Bay of Islands is beautiful and seeing the area from this stunning tall ship is the best way to do it. Lovely friendly crew, yummy lunch, dolphins, and hands on sailing if you want to. Would love to do again and would recommend to everyone! I have been travelling in NZ for 5 weeks (North and South) and I would rank this as my best experience overall.
Thanks so much for your great feedback Sally, it is much appreciated. And thanks for recommending it to everyone on your travels ;-) Hope your 5 week stay in New Zealand has created lifetime memories for you!