Eric Scott
South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Nelson ▷
4.0/5
Marion was an excellent guide - bright and cheery and very well informed about all the wines we tasted.
First stop was at Waimea, one of the larger Nelson wineries, where a tasting plate of many delicious goodies helped the wine go down a treat. Then it was on to Grape Encounter for tastings from two small (what we’d probably call ‘boutique’) vineyards, Te Mania and the organic Richmond Plains. This was also a good place to sample some other delicacies – olive oils, dukkah, liqueur syrups, fudge – and we’re looking forward to eating the goodies we bought there. Next stop was at Stafford Lane, another small winery with a particularly good sauvignon blanc. But in fact all the wines we tasted (and there were very many indeed) were excellent. With everyone by now in a pretty chirpy mood our last call was at the Tasman Brewing Company, a local micro brewery which produces loads of different beers. Baytours put on an excellent wine tasting tour and at $75 really good value considering all the food and drink we consumed.
South Island ▷ Kaikoura Region ▷ Kaikoura ▷
5.0/5
After six weeks in New Zealand we were really looking to finding out more about the Maori people and their history.
We couldn't have had a better introduction and thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon with Maurice and Jacqui. Maurice was a very entertaining and knowledgeable guide with a lovely relaxed attitude. He and Jacqui made us feel totally at ease and gave us a wonderful insight into Maori history, culture and their family backgrounds. We felt really thrilled and privileged to be welcomed into Maurice's family home to meet his wife Heather who laid on a delicious afternoon tea. The combination of our hosts and the interesting content of the tour and activities made for a wonderful day.
South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Murchison ▷
3.5/5
A really good day out on the Buller River.
Adam, our guide, was experienced and good fun which helped to make this an enjoyable trip. Although we're not experienced rafters we had done it a few times previously and would have liked to have longer, more continuous, stretches of grade III/IV white water,which would have given us more of a challenge and would have for a more thrilling experience. Of course this is not down to Ultimate Descents because the river was running lower at the time of year we there (April). But perhaps they could make allowances/adjustments in price depending on the season and thrill level.