Be warned - Wellington Ocean Sports Centre is not, as we thought, with the RPNYC building, but a…read morefew buildings closer to the gym at the far end of the harbour? See? I not only write reviews, but give you directions too, so you don't get as lost as we do. WOSC offer sailings around Wellington Harbour, as well as various sailing courses for those nautically inclined. We wanted to have a sailing lesson of some sort, and so the SR found the Sunday evening sail, which is what we opted for. We ended up on a keel boat, with four other novices, and the instructor, who tried to ensure we all had something to do at all times of the sail. The sail itself is a couple of hours, with time inclusive to go through some basic instructions, safety advice and fitting of lifejackets and waterproofs. We sailed on quite a blusterly day with a westerly wind, which the instructor noted was rare for Wellington (nice, not that I get worried but DID THE INSTRUCTOR KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THIS RARE WIND - of course he did, I'm just paranoid and out of my comfort zone on a boat) which helped prove how uncapsizeable these boats are, even in the hands of terrified novices. I even, by the end of the sail, had the courage to leave my corner of the boat and crawl out onto the bow to help dock the boat at the end of the day. I have nothing negative to say about our experience - it was great, our instructor great, and full of tips and guidance as we sailed around, and he didn't take us into a situation where control was lost - you could see he was changing his plans based on how us baby sailors were coping with the changeable circumstances on the water. If we had time, we would have gone back for more instruction if we could, but that will have to wait for the next time we are in New Zealand. Definitely worth a visit, and sailings take place all year around in most weather conditions.

I went there and there wasnt that much activities i got 4 cock roaches got into my tentread more

Lovely camp ground - you can camp inside your car or near it - it's close to the river and…read moreprotected from ambient light so you'll have unparalleled views of the sky and all the billions of stars that we don't get to see in the US. January summer ambient temperatures were a bit cooler than I would prefer for splashing around in the river but people in NZ think that 74F is a heat wave, ymmv.

Planning our NZ South Island holiday, we scheduled the Pelorus Eco Tours, because of the promoted…read moreHobbit Kayak Tour- "enjoy kayaking the famous filming location of "Hobbit" movies"-we kayak a fair amount at home, so initially the high price for the short route was a bit meh feeling, but as LOTR fans, we were willing, and excited, for the opportunity to visit some film locations-learning about the area, and local experiences during filming. We did have a good time navigating the shallow rapids, observing the river's ambiance, but overall, we found the tour lacking compared to our expectation & prior experiences. Traveling all across the North & South Island, we blended our itinerary with NZ Culture & LOTR nerdom. This particular tour was meant to be boost LOTR, but the tour guide barely spoke to the filming, and when he did it felt forced, disconnected to a 'tourist' feeling-it was more of an afterthought, for how much it was promoted as a specific LOTR moment. Also, during the tour, while Shane was a fantastic guy to socialize with, he was training a friend on river guiding, so we found ourselves 'backseat' to the training, often waiting on him chatting with staff while we sat in open water mingling amongst ourselves. Overall, a lazy river experience, only entertaining for the few rapids we were able to ride down- we honestly had more fun on the LOTR set, once we knew where it was and went back later to complete our own hike- If going for the LOTR experience, research the waypoint, park at the camp, and take a leisure hike saving time/money. (but do take time to eat in Havelock, because the local dining was delicious)

Wow we had so much fun on the Pelorus river today and the nature there is sumptious! We did a break…read moreto go swimming in the blue and green water...So good on such a hot day! The kayaking tour is perfect for families and people or all ages, the little rapids make it even more funny and shallenging... Thx again Shane for your energy and hapiness!