Terry Seaman
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South Island ▷ Coastal Otago ▷ Oamaru ▷
Katiki Point Lighthouse Walk
5.0/5
This was by far THE BEST place to see penguins and seals up close.
I can't believe it's free. We were able to come within a meter of wild penguin chicks and lounging seals in their natural environment. The hideaway hut provided an excellent shelter from the rain and wind while we watched yellow-eyed adult penguins (we saw five) pop out of the surf, waddle through a gauntlet of lounging seals and disappear into the brush to the chicks. The trails and hut are well-maintained and allow for a wonderful viewing experience with little effort.
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South Island ▷ Coastal Otago ▷ Oamaru ▷
Moeraki Boulders
4.5/5
Ample parking with a short walk to the boulders down the white sand beach.
The huge boulders are mysteriously stunning sitting in the middle of the sandy beach and the afternoon fog enhanced the experience tremendously. There are beautiful sea shells scattered along the beach along with a few live shellfish. We really enjoyed watching the gulls pick up clams and drop them from 10 meters up to crack the shell and feed on the animal inside.
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Okarito ▷
Okarito Kiwi Tours
5.0/5
We wanted a genuine experience of seeing wild kiwi in their natural habitat and we got it.
Ian conducts his tours in a responsible manner that minimizes conditioning or impact on the rare, resident Okarito kiwi. The adventure of the tour includes the very animated Ian sharing kiwi facts and quietly walking through the dark bush in search of the elusive bird. We were very fortunate to come across three birds, one of which hung around the trail for a while and put on quite a show.
Viewing kiwi birds at the zoos and nature centers is interesting, but watching wild kiwi in their natural habitat is truly amazing.
Okarito Kiwi Tour is a must-do activity for anyone with an appreciation for nature and wildlife.
Trip Date 27 Feb 2014
Thanks for the description.....Fancy, Joeline, then Beaumont.....quite an adventure.
Ian
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North Island ▷ Waikato ▷ Waitomo ▷
Marokopa Falls
5.0/5
Glad we walked the short, well maintained trail to the beautiful falls.
Loved that we were able to walk to the bottom of the falls and get drenched by the mist.
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South Island ▷ Fiordland ▷ Milford Sound - Fiordland National Park ▷
Milford Sound Day Cruises
4.0/5
We did the Nature Cruise and the nature guide was informative and entertaining.
Scenery was amazingly beautiful and we did see two yellow-eyed penguins standing on the shoreline. The ship was a little crowded with a couple of tourist buses on the same boat.
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South Island ▷ Mount Cook - MacKenzie ▷ Twizel ▷
Church of the Good Shepherd
1.0/5
We were not impressed by the church itself.
The surrounding area is beautiful, but the church is nothing to get excited about -- architecturally or historically.
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Rotorua ▷
Rainbow Springs Nature Park
1.0/5
We are an adult couple and was not interested in the children's games, rides and playground.
The park is set up for families with small children. We appreciate the efforts the park is doing for kiwi conservation and paid the high admission, but did not care to partake in the park activities other than the extra kiwi tour which we had to pay extra.
Expensive admission to the park, but we felt better knowing the money was going to kiwi conservation. We opted to pay extra for behind the scenes tour and enjoyed seeing the newly hatched kiwi. The tour guide shared lots of interesting kiwi information. Tour was short and we expected to see or hear more.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review :)
Ashley Aitken
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South Island ▷ Kaikoura Region ▷ Kaikoura ▷
Ohau Point Seal Colony
4.5/5
Parking at the cliffside car park is a bit dangerous since it's on a slight bend in the road.
LOTS of adult seals and pups sunning and swimming. Fun to watch the pups play. We didn't appreciate the people who ignored the signs and wandered down the hill trying to get close to the seals.
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South Island ▷ Fiordland ▷ Doubtful Sound ▷
Doubtful Sound Day Cruise
4.0/5
The experience of the cruise was extraordinary.
We saw the wildlife trifecta -- penguins, seals and dolphins -- as well as a beautiful view of the sound from the Wilmot Pass overlook on the clear day. I did not enjoy the obligatory stop at the power station. Real Journeys should offer the Doubtful Sound cruise with the option to skip the stop at the power station. High cost for the cruise is worth every penny.