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Amanda McCaig
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Kaitaia ▷
Harrisons Cape Runner
Whilst it is a long way to Cape Reinga, so you are a long time on a bus, our tour guide and driver, Peter, made the journey seem short.
A Maori, Peter was the perfect guide, giving us masses of information and being entertaining at the same time - a rare gift! The sand tobogganing was hilarious and silly - loved it. We got plenty of time at the Cape too, with a nice picnic. One of the best two experiences we had North of Auckland.
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Reporoa ▷
Riverjet NZ
This was fun!
The driver/ guide was great. We stopped at these amazing terraces and had plenty of time to walk around the geothermal area - quite beatiful - before jet boating back. Again, an absolutely great day out.
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Bay of Islands ▷
Sailing R Tucker Thompson
This was a fantastic trip.
The crew were wonderful - even providing a surprise birthday cake for my daughter! It was a simply glorious experience we will never forget. The Captain let my daughter take the helm for quite some time - which made it even better.
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Dargaville ▷
Kauri Coast TOP 10 Holiday Park
Nice park, well set out, but operators very surly.
We had to leave after only 1 day due to death of a business associate. The owner was quite unpleasant when we told them. The cabins are nice and spacious, but the bunk beds in ours creaked and rattled so badly my daughter ended up in the double bed with me! The kitchen area is not well planned or equipped. You have to ask the owners/operators for basic equipment, and if you arrive late, you have to do without. Would not recommend this place.
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Kaitaia ▷
Whatuwhiwhi TOP 10 Holiday Park
The campsite itself is very nice.
We stayed in a cabin. However after booking in, we found that there was a large extended family group there who seemed to spend all their time drinking and leaving the children to run wild. It ended with us being attacked and abused by a large group of these people. We had been watching tv when 2 young boys came in and started playing around and making a racket. We politely asked them to be quiet as we were watching a film. Some half hour later, a group of adults (obviously the worse for drink) came in and started shouting at us. There was no sign of the site owners and no way of contacting them from the domestic area we were in. It was very unpleasant. It was only afterwards we were able to leave the kitchen/tv area and find the owners. Nothing was done. We would not recommend anyone to stay at any camping ground where there are large groups booked in.
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Auckland ▷
Escape Campervan Rentals
The campervan they first provided for us in Wellington had been in an accident.
The company was quite prepared to leave us without any transport on one of the busiest weekends in the year, when there was no other transport available. We had to take it, as there was no alternative, but we lost a day making them check that it was safe & legal (it wasn't) - a rear light was out. We then lost time finding a garage to do a temporary fix on the broken light. The van was also dirty and the bedding in a disgusting state. The company provided a much better van for us when we got to Rotorua several days later, and gave us some discount on the cost of the first van. However they should sent a van down to Wellington as soon as they knew one was needed. They didn't. This is poor customer service. Giving us money back did not make up for spoiling our holiday or the day's rafting we lost. The vans themselves are a very poor conversion. You can't sit in them comfortably as there is no back to the rear bench seat. This company needs to spend less on fancy paint jobs and more on converting and kitting them out. They should also make sure all bedding provided is clean, washed and sealed in plastic bags for each customer, not just stuffed into the bench seats. Would not use them again.
Hi Amanda, Gutted! When you travelled with us a 18 months ago, did you speak to us about your experience at the time? Things have changed a lot since you had a van– we don’t use the Welly depot you dealt with anymore…and we’ve spent many man hours and kiwi bucks to refurb all our vans as well… also the older ones have been phased out (including the one you were initially in).Please contact us if you do come back to NZ –I’m confident you’ll be much happier this time around.Cheers for the honesty!
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South Island ▷ Queenstown Region ▷ Glenorchy ▷
Dart River Jet Safaris
This has to be one of the best silly things to do in South Island!
Very well organised. The "funyaks" - inflatable canoes are a hoot. The day we went out there was a stiff wind across the river, which made paddling - err - interesting. The guides were great and took a lot of trouble with those who were having a bit of difficulty paddling. We've canoed before - but I bet you didn't know you could do Hamilton Turns in an inflatable canoe! The picnic provided was awesome! The scenery is glorious. This was a fabulous trip and I'd love to do it again.