John
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Kapiti Island ▷
Kapiti Island Nature Tours
5.0/5
This was possibly the number 1 experience of our two week trip to New Zealand from the US.
And for me the best aspect was that on the north end during the overnight stay, it felt like I was being welcomed warmly into the home of a real family. Stepping off the ferry on to the stones of the beach, we were met by Manaaki, who explained that his family had owned this land for generations. He showed us their cemetery on the way to the family home, now the main lodge building. Amo, the grandmother or aunt, made a point of talking to me, and I so enjoyed hearing her stories about some of the ancestors pictured on the wall, and her kind attention. Vikki, Matthew, and Minnie in the reservations office could not have been kinder or more attentive. The meals were tasty, with many options and generous quantities. Having meals three times with the other guests that night and morning, most of whom were from NZ, allowed some of us to get acquainted and even form new friendships across the miles. It was inspiring to see the extraordinary efforts being made to conserve the remaining species, by the DOC as well as the family. We had some luck finding those endemics, including one little spotted kiwi and a little blue penguin. I heard more birds than I could spot; many seemed elusive. Other reviewers have detailed what is there. I also enjoyed the north end loop hike and views from the peak to the west and back to the North Island (not as steep a hike as the one in the middle of the island) and learning about the trees and other vegetation. I was sorry when our 30 hours were over and would love to return. Thank you!
Hi John
We appreciate your comments & review.
Regards.
Minnie
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Auckland ▷
Wilderness Motorhomes
4.5/5
Two couples with motorhome experience rented two Escape 4s, and overall we can rate Wilderness very highly.
Every member of the W team was warm, energetic, and effective at their jobs. The vehicle is impressively well designed to pack so many features into its finite space. We used it for freedom camping as often as possible. The first night out of Auckland was perfectly miserable because I could not figure out how to get the heater or the fridge to operate, even after studying the operator's manual repeatedly and experimenting. My wife's feet were like ice bricks that night despite an extra blanket Pietro had kindly given us. The next morning I reached Flavia by phone and she expertly and quickly gave me the solution to each problem. The defect was not in the equipment; the manual was incomplete or just wrong, and it needs revision. We also had a defective extension cord and electricity inverter. In each case, Flavia asked about our route, called ahead, paid for a replacement and had it waiting for us. Two phone apps, from Rankers and Wilderness, proved extremely helpful in locating camps and dump stations, complete with compass coordinates. If I had not rented the GPS navigator, it would have taken twice as long to find all these places, if at all. We had understood that the roads in New Zealand are narrow, but did not fully understand what this meant. Driving a van of this width meant much of the time we had only a few centimeters of clearance on either side of the vehicle. And on the North Island, sometimes we faced many huge commercial trucks charging along on the opposite side. The driving was more stressful than we had expected. Overall, we very much enjoyed camping on beaches, by gurgling streams, at the foot of Mt Cook, and in such comfort thanks to Wilderness's Escape 4, seeing many wonderful NZ sites, chasing endemic birds, and meeting a few interesting people along the way. I enjoyed all my experiences with the team. Thank you!