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!

Reviewed almost 13 years ago