Cruise Ship Package

14th March 2009
A few weeks ago after dropping some passengers back off at the port I was approached by Warwick who worked at the casino on the ship. He saw the smiles and excitement on the faces of the group and asked what we did. I explained to him we mainly customised our tours to suit the groups but largely dealt with the more adventurous type. So, on the 14th Warwick had rounded up 12 staff from the ship who wanted to go rafting and zorbing. first stop was Raftabout and a ride down the Kaituna. Once again I was offered a trip down the river and once again I accepted. I was placed up the front of the raft and Albie was back guiding us after being away for a couple of weeks. We had a pretty strong team and negotiated the river pretty well. Albie set me up again but testing my balancing skills on some of the more gentle rapids. To be honest I had a feeling what he was up to when his first attempt to dislodge me from the raft failed and he returned to the rapid and did it again this time with success. Always up for a challenge I remained perched precariously on the front of the raft for the next rapid which again saw me swimming. It is the type of guide I am, willing to take one for the team. Another great trip down the Kaituna. Next we were off to the Zorb. Once everyone was signed in they headed up the hill for the ride back down. They all seemed to enjoy themselves with at least one trying a couple of times to stay standing up the whole way down. Unfortunately he was unsuccessful. Time for a quick feed before showing them a few of the geothermal areas and then we had to head back as one of them had to be back on the ship by four. They have told me they will be back in April and want me to take them out again. They will be staying for a bit longer so hopefully we can show them more of our lovely country.

Matakana Extravaganza

13th March 2009
Rob and Nicola have been living in New Zealand for the last couple of years and were about to head back to England to live. After initially planning to head out in the morning, due to reasons beyond our control we had to reschedule for the afternoon. In the end it worked out great. The wind had died down and the habour was calm and glassy. It took no time for Rob and Nicola to master the art of kayaking and we were off across the harbour to Matakana Island. We had a bit of time up our sleeve so we got to explore the harbour for a little longer than usual. We soon got the call that their transport was waiting so we headed to Panepane for the pick up. Panepane is a favourite spot for fishing and great for catching kingfish. While Rob and Nicola were off on their horse riding adventure around Matakana I watched the fisherman with interest to see how they were going. They had landed a couple of big kingi's and had seen a couple of large schools swim under the wharf. A couple of hours went past pretty quick and Rob and Nicola were back at Panepane. They seemed a bit overwhelmed and told me they now wanted to stay after their tour of the island. We said bye to our hosts and headed back to the mainland in the kayaks. It was a beautiful afternoon and I think if there were better job opportunities in New Zealand Rob and Nicola would still be here.

Team Building

11th March 2009
We had arranged for an afternoons activities for the Property Services Division of the District Health Board. Pilot Bay at The Mount was our intended location but with winds gusting up to 30 kms required a change of venue. With kayaking and beach olympics been on the agenda I went and had a look at the Mount beach. It was a little more sheltered but as the day went on the wind just picked up more and more. After speaking with DHB management we went for our contingency plan and organised a whole lot of activities at the Mount Action Centre. We swapped the kayaking for building the bikes and doing a lap of the car park. Most of the other games, caterpillar walk, spin around the pole, blind folded relay races and some ball games to work on communication skills and eye and hand co-ordination were able to be held on an indoor court. Near the end of the day we decided to join the teams together and play ultimate Frisbee and in line hockey(without the skates). Although it would have been great to have been able to do the activities on the beach in does show how versatile Adventure Bay of Plenty can be.

Spanish Armada

5th - 6th March 2009
Coca Cola in Spain had run a competition to promote Fanta. The winners were able to invite a friend or two to go for a holiday in New Zealand. Peter from Elements Watersports had the dubious task of organising everything and because of my relationship with the local Maori community on Matakana Island and i had kayaks he asked me if I could help. After months of planning we were all set to provide water activities and a cultural experience for them. The plan for the 5th of March was to provide several activities down at Pilot Bay, Mt Maunganui. These included sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, paddle board, sea biscuit rides etc. There was a bit of wind which was great for the sailing but a little frustrating for kayaking although we were able stay close tot he shore and avoid the worst of it. The day went until 1.30pm when it was time to pack up and start preparing to go over to Matakana Island to set up for the next days activities. Everything went smoothly and all we had to do was wait for the next day to come round. The weather gods were not on our side and the next day brought consistent rain. As with every well organised plan there are contingencies in place and we had a few. Once they all arrived on the island we transported them to the clubrooms on the island where three Young warriors performed the Wero (Maori challenge) before the Powhiri (Maori Welcome). The school children then performed the Kapa Haka (Maori song and dance) to which the Spanish performed their National Anthem. The men then had the Moko painted on their faces and learnt the Haka while the ladies learnt how to make a Poi, how to use the Poi and sing a song. After they performed their new learnt skills to the local community their was a break in the rain and the call went up for a game of rugby. The men raced down to the field followed closely by the local community. The ladies were given a tour of the local school by the principal Jack. It was soon time to head back to the lodge where we had set up some marques, toilets, showers and the hangi. Once everyone arrived the hangi was pulled up and everyone had dinner and a few drinks. It was soon time for the group to head back to Tauranga so after a song and haka performed by the adults they were herded into the vans and taken back to where the ferry returned them to town. Myself, a few of the helping hand and the locals stayed up to the early hours of the morning singing songs and talking about the day.

School Trip

23rd - 25th Feb 2009
It was that time again to go down to Gisborne and help out with Gisborne Intermediate School. For the first two days I would be at Otoi. A small country community with a hall and school with about 10 children. The itinerary was pretty much the same as last year with the first day put a side for setting up, tubing down the rapids on the river and a few games. I forgot to bring a mattress this year so ended up sleeping in my van again. I did hear there were a few snorers so I probably would have ended up there anyway.
The next day we were all set for kayaking and mountain biking. There must have been around 60 kids so we split them into two groups with the plan to meet for lunch then swap the groups over. The day started of great with clear blue skies and little or no wind. I looked after the kayaking side of things while a couple of parents and teachers looked after the biking. Everything went very smoothly with the kids having a fantastic time. Lunch came around pretty quick so we headed back to the hall and then returned with the second group. The skies were looking all too ominous with large black clouds and distant thunder. We decided to get everyone of the water and manged to do so just as the storm hit. I lasted for approx an hour then it was all clear again to get back on the water and bikes.
On the morning of the 25th I left Otoi and headed to Mahia. The weather was still pretty unsettled and as I got close to Mahia the rain seemed to settle in. Once there we had a quick talk and decided to get on with the activities for the day. The weather gods must have been on our side as we ended up with a beautiful day. again I looked after the kayaks while teachers and parents took control fo the biking. Moko the resident dolphin was there to great us and stayed with us the whole day. He was up to his usual antics, stealing boogie boards and even grabbed one of the paddles of one of the kids. He seemed a little more boisterous this year and was interacting with most of the kayaks, pushing them aroudn and playing with the rudders. by about 5pm it was time to pack up. Moko was still hanging around but he was obviously worn out as he wasn't too interested in interacting with a few late comers.

Cruise Ship Adventure Activities

19th Feb 2009
Another cruise ship day and another group wishing to head over to Rotorua. Their preference was rafting so off we went to Raftabout. As on every tour we try and fill in the journey over to Rotorua with a few stories about the local history and culture, a quick stop if we can at a kiwifruit orchard and anything else that may catch the eye of our customers. Today it was Stu, Joy, Steve and Patricia. We booked the 12.30 trip on the Kaituna River which is approx 45 mins on the river and boast the highest commercially rafted water fall at 7 metres. First though I showed them a few of the geothermal areas in Rotorua. When we arrived at Rafttabout they had room on one of the rafts so I was once again given the opportunity to go down the river. Needless to say I was glad to accept. I know I have already mentioned this but in my opinion Raftabout is the best rafting company in Rotorua. The Kaituna river takes you down a narrow gorge covered in native bush and of course several large rapids, but you really need to do it to appreciate how amazing it is. After the trip it was time to head back to Tauranga. Again if we have time I like to take people up one of the highest hills in the area which provides them with panoramic views of the Bay of Plenty. I am glad to say we had time today to do just that.

Tauranga Tour

18th Feb 2009
The Volendam was in today and for a change I had four who wanted to have a look around Tauranga instead of heading of to Rotorua. Norman, Sasha, Helen and John had already decided where that they wanted to go to the Katikati Bird Gardens. As always I was going to show them a lot more than that but the bird gardens was a good start. First stop however was Katikati itself to show them the towns murals that tell the history of the area. We found a park and the ladies decided to do a bit of shopping while Norman wanted to try some of the famous kiwi ice cream. That was easier said than done as we couldn't find one shop that sold ice creams. We soon thought it best to track down the ladies and head to the bird gardens. On our arrival we were given a few extra bags of food for the birds and of we went. It wasn't long before the birds cottoned onto us and the doves were actually landing on us wanting to get a bit of the food. We carried on around the gardens followed closely by all its feathered inhabitants. We had a quick lunch and then I took them to Omokoroa to see one of our more beautiful inner harbour peninsulas and then up to the Minden Lookout which treats you to amazing panoramic views of the Bay of Plenty. Time was quickly running out but we had time for one last stop. The Elms Mission House. Offering pretty gardens and a insight into early European history it provided a nice wind down before heading back to the ship.

Matakana Extravaganza

16th Feb 2009
I had been liaising with Judy from America via email for several weeks and had arranged to kayak over to Matakana and go for the Clydesdale drawn wagon ride. Judy, Dolph, John and Joanne were in Tauranga on Clipper Odyssey and and were in Tauranga on the 16th of February. Unfortunately that morning I got a txt from Hone saying he his boy had fallen off his motorbike and he had to take him to hospital. Needless to say I was not looking forward to telling Judy and the others. After some confusion and misunderstanding we finally decided to kayak over to Matakana from Omokoroa and go for a walk on the island and maybe get someone to take us over to the beach. Going to Omokoroa was definitely the right thing to do. It was absolutely beautiful. The harbour was like a lake and their was hardly a cloud in the sky. Once on the island I decided to see if I could get someone to take us over to the beach. I didn't have much luck so we decided to walk to the hall to see if I could find anyone. On the way we stopped off at one of the 4 Kiwifruit orchards and spoke a bit about the island and the kiwifruit industry. At the hall I found Des who arranges activities on the island for me. I tried to get Judy and the others to go with Des over to the beach for lunch but they did not think there was enough time. We ended up having lunch at the hall at about which time Hone turned up. I left them in his capable hands and he drove them around the island as there was not enough time to get the Clydesdale's set up, although he did take them to the paddock where they were kept. In the end I think they had a good day

Mount Mauganui Marvel

15th Feb 2009
Another day and this time we had Alex and Robin. It was another fantastic day in Tauranga and we were off for our three to four hour Mount Maunganui Marvel Tour. Alex and Robin were quite competent kayakers so although in some places the tide was not ideal we were able to negotiate it without any problems. After showing them around our beautiful harbour and coastline we went over to Matakana Island to stretch our legs and go for a wander on the beach. I let Alex down when getting back in the kayaks and he went for a bit of a swim. Beautiful sunny day though so it was probably well worth it.

Matakana Extravaganza

14th Feb 2009
It was gong to be a busy day. In the morning I had four to take over to Matakana for a horse ride with Hone and in the afternoon I had approx 50 surgeons and their families form around New Zealand for kayaking and clay bird shooting. I rang my good friend Ross to help out with the morning tour. Charlotte and Owen who had gift vouchers from Red Balloon and Daniel and Jenny who were form the cruise ship turned up at appox 9am. Once we all got kitted up and had gone through our safety briefing we were off. We soon arrived at Matakana Island and Janey was waiting for us at Panepane to take them back to Hone for their horse riding adventure. It was a beautiful day so Ross and I decided to kill time and go for a leisurely paddle up the harbour. A couple of hours later they were back from their adventure with Hone so we decide to take them for a short walk along the beach. It was getting close to the time that the first load of surgeons and their families would be arriving. My plan was to get Ross to take our four adventurers back while I hosted the group. Unfortunately Daniel and Jenny wanted to get back as they wanted to do a few other things before their ship left port and Charlotte and Daniel were having to good a time on their walk and had not returned. Tim arrived right about then with the first load for the afternoon so I decided to escort Daniel and Jenny back to Pilot Bay leaving our caterer and to prepare lunch for the group. I was hoping to get back to the island before Tim brought the second lot over. I almost did it but on the way back Tim passed me. I tried to ride the wake form the boat but was feeling the effects of the long paddle back to Pilot Bay and back to the island. I did however give the passengers something to laugh about watching me surfing the wake for a few minutes and I did earn a beer for my efforts. I was only a couple of minutes behind the boat and the first group had just finished their lunch and were having fun on the beach. Ross was about to head back with Charlotte and Owen so everything worked out fine in the end. The team building group split up into the clay bird shooting, kayak and laze on the beach groups. There had been a bit of fun on the boat as the tide was right in and The Enterprise could not get under the bridge as there was some cable hanging a bit low from the construction of the new bridge. The afternoon went smoothly and everyone had a good time. It was my first go at trying to run a couple of activities in the one day and i think we succeeded with a little help form our friends.