went on the half-day afternoon walk, which was excellent and gave us amply enough time on the glacier.

We'd booked the previous day, which is probably advisable. Personable guides (Jono and Tyler) who knew their stuff and made sure we all had a good time. We were glad we chose this rather than the more hectic Franz Josef glacier, and didn't miss doing the heli-tour which takes you higher - we got great views from the lower level we went to.

Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in November 2011

Lovely simple quiet camp next to a beautiful beach.

The sites are alongside a stream.The price is very reasonable - a great place to stay.

Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in October 2011

Interesting place and well done, but as others have also said it is much too expensive.

Also, I know they pay their taxes, but why let in New Zealanders for free when foreigners have to pay ? Not many such places in other countries do that. There are too many staff who seem to spend time chatting and joking with one another instead of attending to visitors.

Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in October 2011

nice tidy place, a bit expensive but the discount voucher for the hot pools makes it worthwhile.

Although next to a main road, we were not disturbed by noise.

Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in October 2011

a reasonably OK site, if a bit crowded, but far too expensive in comparison with Top 10 parks elsewhere

Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in October 2011

A large, well appointed site with great views.

A short walk from the town and beach, as well as from the other beach on the south side of the isthmus. A touch expensive though.

Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in October 2011

Extensive gardens, relatively new so some of the planting still needs to fill out.

Well signposted with informative signboards. Good selection of New Zealand flora and shrubs, as well as some from other places - we liked the African section. Good quality leaflet to help guide yourself around. Free ! Pity the café & info centre close at 4pm, although the gardens stay open till 8pm

Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in October 2011

This is a wonderful museum, and we could easily have spent lots more time at it.

As it was, we were there for 2 hours but had to leave in order to catch our ferry. The local society have decided on 'preservation' rather than 'restoration' of the old ship, and the displays and video tell you why. It's a good idea, and the result is a much more interesting ship to look at, compared with restored ships elsewhere. There was a nice helpful lady volunteer there, too.

Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in September 2011

Beautiful riverside location, tree-lined shady sites, nice short walks next to the site possible, friendly and helpful staff, - and a fire to sit around in the kitchen/lounge in winter.

What more could we want ?

Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in September 2011

Noisy, crowded,expensive, poorly lit with a dirty kitchen (blamed by the site on other campers, but most other sites manage somehow to keep their kitchens clean).

Next door to an industrial estate where lorry and machinery activity starts noisily in the early morning.

Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in September 2011

This was the most disappointing place we visited in NZ.

They have really lost the plot. 5 of the ‘spacious avaiaries’ were empty (signs on them saying so), and only 3 therefore contained birds. One of them had birds that are scarcely endangered – red crowned parakeets. There were 2 poor kiwis kept in night cages. The maintenance of the site was a bit lacking too. We reckoned that we each paid $20 for a shortish bush walk which we’d had for free, and better, in many other places.

Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in September 2011

Saw lots of seals here - families, babies, big daddies - and, 200 metres or so out at sea, a few orca who were diving and showing their flukes.

We were anxious for the seals, but that's nature in the raw.

Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in September 2011

pleasant grassy semi-private hedged site areas, good facilities, and there are nice walks either to and along the ocean beach, or along the estuary right by the site

Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in September 2011

lovely little walk, nice bridge to cross, and like almost everywhere else the walk was excellently maintained.

The pools were very blue.

Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in September 2011

A wonderful peaceful site, a hop and a step from the beautiful beach (full of fishers for whitebait in late September), and a short walk from the excellent kiwi tour hq.

The showers are hot, the kitchen is basic but absolutely adequate. A DOC lady (of Canadian origin) came by when we were there - perhaps to check that we'd paid - to do a bit of site maintenance and she was an interesting fund of local knowledge. The site was clean, tidy and well-kept.

Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in September 2011

This is a smaller operation than its main rival, with smaller boats and a nice intimate connection between the crew and the guests.

It was also significantly cheaper when we went. (Even so, the price is indeed high). We had a great full day out, starting in warm sunshine in Manapouri, going through falling snow on the Wilmot Pass, and experiencing rain, drizzle and mist on the Sound. Nigel, the part owner, is a mine of interesting information. A highlight of our tour to New Zealand.

Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in September 2011

We had a brilliant day out.

Bus picked us up in Motueka and took us to the very pretty Kaiteriteri, from where the boat took us along the coast to Totaranui, stopping along the way to pick up and drop off people. We saw lots of seabirds - gannets and shags especially, seals, and a few penguins. The boat driver was informative too. We were dropped at Bark Bay and walked back the lovely, and well-signposted, if on occasion steep, coast path back to Anchorage - the last km over a sandy estuary when the tide was out. The boat came to the beach to pick us up as promised. A perfect day out.

Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in September 2011