Kayaking Milford Sound

If you’re thinking about going to the Milford Sound and not sure the best way to see it, I can highly recommend booking onto a kayaking trip – either for a single day, or for a multiple day trip for the real wilderness experience. I visited the Sounds before Christmas and kayaked for the day. The drive from Te Anau to Milford Sounds is a journey in itself, with passing through the Homer Tunnel and with interesting commentary from the fantastic guides, once you arrive at Milford you really feel as if you know quite a bit about the wildlife and the history of the region.

We kayaked for about 4 hours, before rafting up (there were only 8 of us), and setting a sail between us for the ‘cruise’ to our lunch spot. It is true about the sandflies – they are hungry at lunch too! Take good repellent, and don’t let them get the better of you!

We kayaked a bit more after lunch and had plenty of time to take photos and chat to the others in the group, before we headed back to the minibus for another scenic journey back to Te Anau.

While it is possible to kayak in Milford Sound all year round, the best times are September through June, as during mid-winter it can get a bit cool on the water.

Outside Magazine's Trip of the Year Oceania

Some of you may have heard of our big win earlier in the year. Yes, Outside Magazine, the largest adventure travel magazine on the planet, voted one of our tours as Oceania Trip of the Year!

Obviously we were blown away, but being our busiest time of the year couldn’t make it to Chicago to accept our prize, so Tourism New Zealand attended on our behalf.

Fiji Cruising and Diving

With all our success promoting and bringing people to New Zealand, we’ve started branching out to some of our South Pacific neighbours, and are delighted to be working with Blue Lagoon Cruises in Fiji.

The Fiji option works really well for people travelling from (or through) North America who are looking for maybe a week of total relaxation on their way to or from New Zealand. Just like our New Zealand group tours, their cruises are small group, with all the attention and personal service you would expect – we wouldn’t work with them otherwise. And although they are small group, luxury cruises, prices represent great value – just US$1495+GST per person for a 7 day all inclusive cruise (i.e. all diving, accommodation, meals, activities, entertainment and entrance fees.

Tours depart every week all year round, and every first Monday of the month the tour has a diving focus.

And until September, we’re happy to offer a special offer for diving departures – book for 2 people and the second person saves US$500 on their cruise. Some conditions apply, so ask for full details.

Whale Watching

We’re so blessed in New Zealand to have relatively unspoilt waters and an abundance and great variety of marine life. Recently Brent had the opportunity to go orca (killer whale) watching with Dr Ingrid Visser, who also leads our Whale Trail tour.

The 3 orca, 2 adults and a pup, were right inside Auckland’s harbour so they weren’t too hard to find. It’s not unusual to find them there either.

There are many places around New Zealand where it is possible to view and interact with marine life - you don’t need to be a scuba diver to get up close and personal. In Kaikoura, for example, you can go whale watching and seal swimming (or seal dive if you are certified) in the same day. There are also some great dolphin swimming locations all around the country.

If you’re really keen to view and learn about marine life in their natural habitat, then you can’t go past our Whale Trail tour. These tours usually run in July and August each year, but we are also looking at adding departures over our summer months (December through April) for next year. We’ll keep you informed, but feel free to let us know what dates may work for you.

Peak Season Bookings

…are already very heavy in locations such as Queenstown and the Bay of Islands. In fact in another month or so Queenstown will no doubt be fully booked for dates from mid December through to mid January. Similarly, some dates for walking the Milford Track between November and February are already full – and it’s only June!

We say it every year, but please don’t leave your booking until the last minute! Not only will it mean not getting the best that was available, but it’s also a lot more work for us to find you the best of what is left!

Our New Location

Much sleep was lost over January and February as we chose the busiest time of the year to move into bigger and better premises. For those of you who know Auckland, we’ve moved down to Westhaven in central Auckland, right between the city and the largest marina in the southern hemisphere. The new space is a huge improvement on our old office, and the kettle’s always on if you’re keen for a cuppa.

Anyway, I had better get back to work. See you soon.