It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience - albeit physically demanding and technically challenging at times for our 70 year old bodies. Our guides Ken and Elder were always on hand to assist, provide professional advice and local knowledge while ensuring our safety at all times. Their excellent culinary skills were an unexpected surprise. Overall we recommend the tour operator to future cyclists to experience the A2O trail.
It would be helpful to know that a degree of agility is need on the catamaran and stamina needed for walk at Abel Tasman park. However it was a wonderful experience
Fantastic trip, our guide Guy was very good. He was very knowledgeable on everything, and booked everyone onto all the activities they wanted, and I felt very safe with him as our driver and guide. The only reason I took off a star was because of the awful state of some of the accomodation. Particularly Nomads, after our stay in Nomads in Wellington, where the Accomodation was filthy, and the beds unsafe (not unrealistic standards I think), we were so upset to find out we were staying with them again for four nights in Christchurch, when the itinerary still had LYLO hostel on it (which is of a much higher standard). The breakfast in Wellington was awful and made a lot of us sick, the breakfast in Christchurch was lovely. It was very good having breakfast provided in the mornings. The bathrooms in the Blue Dolphin Accomodation were all broken. And the facilities in the rock climbing accommodation were all dirty. The activities were great fun, the experience in the Māori village was a great way to get everyone comfortable with each other on the first night. It would have been nice to have gone down a bit more south, considering there’s a lot of driving, a few more hours wouldn’t make a difference. Overall, I had a great trip, saw so much of the beautiful country and had so much fun with the other travellers.