Aidan Lawrence
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Auckland ▷
Wilderness Motorhomes
5.0/5
Wilderness are at the luxury end of the motorhome market.
I had two separate hires (One Base Jumper 2, one Escape 4) on my trip to the North/South island respectively. My measure of a company is how they deal with problems - I did have a significant mechanical issue with one of the vehicles I hired but it was dealt with well. I would say that some vehicles are better for freedom camping than others. In practice I found the Escape 4 to be very luxurious but a little less practical. If you are new to motor homes then I would you encourage to talk to the guys before making your selection.
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South Island ▷ Wanaka Region ▷ Wanaka Township ▷
Wanaka Flightseeing
4.5/5
Lovely day flying from Wanaka over the alps and onto a small cruise ship.
A few things to be aware of:
1) Don't bother trying to decide between 'Wanaka Flightseeing' and 'Southern Alps Air' - it's the same firm behind the scene
2) Be aware that this is very weather dependent. My trip was postponed a day, even though the weather was fine in Wanaka it was no good in Milford. So if you only have a few days in the area book this as soon as you can. If getting to the sounds is a 'must' for you on your trip then don't rely on flying - instead take a land route to Te Anau and go to Doubtful sound - much much less weather dependent.
3) I had visited Doubtful sound on a previous trip. As a humble tourist, I could see very little difference between Doubtful sound and Milford. So if you've already been to Doubtful then probably not worth the extra time and money to go to Milford
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South Island ▷ Marlborough ▷ Blenheim ▷
Wine Tours by Bike
5.0/5
What makes this special is the owner Nigel engagement with his client and genuine enthusiasm for the region.
Rather than just give you a bike and say good luck, he was happy to spend time talking about the different characteristics of the wineries to help plan the day. He suggested some routes, showed the distances and even gave some lunch suggestions. The bikes come with panniers adapted to hold 4 bottles. If you have any problems Nigel would come out with a spare bike - no need to worry about punctures etc.
Give yourself the full day, spend plenty of time at the wineries and just enjoy yourself. Final tip - bring a day rucksack if you can - so that you can carry more than the 4 bottles :-)