Preparing for your tour

So you've booked - yeeehaa! To help you get ready for the ultimate NZ adventure tour, here are some tips and pointers. We will also send you out heaps of helpful information with your Final Tour Documentation.

1. What to bring

• it doesn't matter whether you bring a backpack or suitcase but we would appreciate it if you would restrict yourself to 1 or 2 bags, max 23kg weight
• clothing depending on weather (see point 6). When packing for colder conditions we recommend layers over thick clothes
• sun screen at all times of year – our sun is intense!
• swimwear
• comfortable shoes
  jandals/sandals/flip flops/thongs in summer
• towel (as our accommodation suppliers don’t provide them)
• day bag
• passport for identification
• make sure you have a valid visa, passport (more than 3 months before its expiry), and travel insurance - we are affiliated with Down Under Insurance who are great for all those extreme activities!

2. What not to bring

• you don’t need any extra equipment for activities (such as the ones shown above) other than swimwear; everything is provided
• large pieces of sports equipment, surf boards, bikes and such without permission. If you are interested in bringing anything like this, please ask your tour advisor beforehand
• ladies: don’t expect to need heels very often, if at all!
• bedding is always provided by our accommodation suppliers so there is no need for sleeping bags
• cooking equipment, tents or anything along these lines

3. What to expect on a day-to-day basis

The earliest time we expect you to be up and out of the accommodation by is 7am (when we have to catch the ferry from Wellington to Picton on the 16, 24 and 30 day tours). Other than this we normally have breakfast between 8 and 9am. On “free days” there is sometimes the opportunity for a longer lie-in but we like to make the most of your time!

Journey times can vary between an hour to maybe occasionally 4 or 5 on the road (depending on which tour you have booked on!). However, don’t sweat because your tour guide will break up every journey with heaps of unique stops to keep you entertained and show you as much of our beautiful country as possible. Besides, the scenery is so stunning you can never get bored!

Don’t expect an hour-by-hour constant schedule as we like to keep some spontaneity involved! However, your tour guide will always make sure you know what is planned ahead. Saying this, they will still provide the odd surprise along the way!

On “free days” when we don’t travel between locations we still have plenty planned to show and do with you! Your guide will give you a fully guided tour of the area, and is always open to what tour members wish to focus their day towards. You are of course still free to do whatever you want to should you not want to stay with the group - your guide will be full of suggestions and certainly won't force you into doing anything you don't want to do.

Lunch and dinner are not provided so you have two choices – you can buy food and make it at the hostel (all have kitchen facilities) or you can eat out. Your guide will have suggestions as to where the best places are to go and may even be able to get you a discount! The occasional place we stay at will offer dinner for a very reasonable price as well. More often than not, a tour party will chose to eat together, often cooking as a group and sharing the cost of food. Occasionally your guide may treat you all and cook up freshly caught seafood(!) and whilst on the road we have a number of places we like to picnic (weather permitting), such as the locations shown below.

In the evening there is always an opportunity to socialise but again it is completely optional! Some tour members will like to grab a beer or two (or ten!) whilst others will rather chill out in the hostel and have an early night. If you do ever fancy a night on the town, adrenalin and extreme activities are always the best hangover cure!

4. What to expect from your tour guide

Passion, knowledge, organisation, and a good friend. Your tour guide is there to provide you with an outstanding service and show you everything New Zealand has to offer! All our guides are NZ experts: bursting with energy and information about their country and all our activities. Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions and make full use of their expertise - you wouldn't get this service if you were travelling alone!

Your guide can advise you on all of the activities whilst on tour and get you booked on to anything you wish to do that you haven’t pre-booked. (You don’t have to pay for any of these activities until the last day of your tour but be warned they will cost more than our online prices by about 5 - 10%.)

Each of our guides has their own favourite places and extras that they like to show and do with their groups. Some examples – when possible Jared likes to have a BBQ on the beach on the way into Wellington, Steve will catch seafood in the ocean at Kaikoura and cook it up for dinner, Si likes to let you try to delicacy of whitebait or fresh NZ salmon… and so on.

Finally, we do ask that you realise your guide cannot be expected to work 24/7, and therefore will need a break in the evenings to relax after a busy day of driving! We can promise they will still go out of their way to make sure you have the time of your life, but don’t forget they are also human!

5. What else to budget for

There are no hidden costs when travelling with Haka Tours. We suggest that you consider $30-60 for food (i.e. lunch and dinner together) per day, depending on how expensive your tastes may be!

Some activity suppliers will offer you photos or DVDs of your time with them, in particular skydiving, canyon swing, quad biking, rafting, and bungy (like the below). This can vary from $30-100 and is completely optional.

Allow money for souvenirs should you wish to bring back anything and always get insurance!

6. NZ weather

NZ is known for the ability to have 4 different seasons in 1 day so we ask you to be prepared for all conditions. The North Island’s climate is considered subtropical, so expect more humid conditions in summer. The South Island will be colder than the North in winter.

Our seasons:

Spring – October to December: varying temperatures with cold/cool temperatures in the evenings/out of the sun. December can be as warm as the summer months.
Summer – January to March: temperatures usually from 20 – 35 degrees in the North, with the occasional cooler day in the South. Sun screen is essential as you can burn even in 10 minutes of our sun. Very little rain in most places.
Autumn – April to mid June: getting cooler with more chance of rain, especially in the West Coast
Winter – June to September: colder temperatures, occasionally dropping below freezing. Snow is common in places especially in the South but rain remains infrequent.

Have any further questions? One of the team will be happy to help at info@hakatours.com.