If you're a Lord of the Rings fan (or just a movie nerd in general), the Wētā Studio Tour is a…read moremust-do in Wellington. Walking through the workshop where so many iconic props, costumes, and creatures came to life was seriously cool--it felt like stepping behind the curtain of Middle-earth. What surprised me most was just how many films Wētā has worked on beyond LOTR--blockbusters, indie films, you name it. Their fingerprints are everywhere in the film world, and you don't even realize it until you're surrounded by all the displays. The best part? You can tell the people who work there love what they do. Everyone we met was excited to talk about their craft, and their passion was infectious. It made the whole experience feel less like a tour and more like a peek into a community of insanely talented (and genuinely happy) creatives. Highly recommend carving out time for this if you're in Wellington--you'll come out with a deeper appreciation for all the magic that goes into movie-making.

This has to be one of the best things you can do in Wellington, if you're a LOTR fan!…read more When you visit the Weta Cave (the shop), you can see prop replicas that you can purchase. But the real props can be seen on the Weta Workshop tour, so definitely spring for that. We started our visit outside where there are three giant troll sculptures you can scream in front of (LOL) When we were there, our guide lifted up one of the trolls' little aprons and there were actual small Wetas (the insect) scurrying underneath! So cool. Once inside the Weta Cave, you can see a few neat exhibits there, like Hobbit feet, an impressive Gollum sculpture, Sting (the Sword), and Theoden's armor - just to name a few. If you like seeing all of that, then while you purchase items from the Weta Cave, also purchase tickets to the Weta Workshop tour! That's where all the movie magic happens. Photos aren't allowed on the Workshop tour, but you won't need photos to remember all that you see. The Halo Warthog, Sauron's armor (really light), Hellboy's firearm (actually really heavy!) - just to list a couple and not spoil everything. And yes, you do get to touch and hold some of the actual screen-used props! Ah! We also got first-hand views of the armorer workshop - behind glass of course. It was super fun to see them working on these swords, helmets, weaponry, etc. If you have come so far to visit the Weta Cave, definitely also do the Weta Workshop tour!

I want to give you the perspective of a 17 year-old on a trip run by this company…read more We were all very excited to go on a tour of our dream destination -- Japan. This trip was shaping up to be truly exceptional! Koji and Wendy were going to ferry us across Japan with grace and we were ready to have the adventure of a lifetime. And then the cracks started to appear: Choosing a hotel 2 and a half hours away from our sightseeing areas, putting us on different floors of our hotel, telling us to call the front desk of our hotel when our AC didn't work (when the front desk doesn't speak English and we, unlike our tour guides, don't speak Japanese), and while the summer heat wasn't in their control, their planning was (and it wasn't taken into account). While Patrick did offer us "rest days," we didn't pay $8,000 per person to sit in our hotel rooms for the day. At the end of the day, we coped with run-of-the-mill incompetency. What really upset us was how they responded when we actually asked them to address their planning issues! Wendy very quickly showed her true colors towards us -- where she used to actually greet us in the morning with a "good morning" and a smile (usual common courtesy), she now provided us with a solemn stare and nothing short of the barest communication possible (in addition to the occasional remark where she would criticize us at different points -- a great service attitude!). As if that wasn't quite enough for her, Wendy also restricted our communication privileges. When previously she asked us to text her on WhatsApp for things that we needed, we were now placed on "restricted privileges," where we first had to email, then call their hotel room, and only text in case of emergency. Her antagonistic, crass, and unwarranted behavior towards us negatively impacted our experience during this trip. Completely contrasting her poor service was Koji: we couldn't have asked for a better tour guide. He was sweet, kind, caring, and knowledgable. When he made a mistake in planning, Koji behaved like an adult and took full responsibility in addition to attempting to rectify the situation. We can't thank him enough.

Japan is amazing. Our Japanese guide (Koji) was wonderful. The company, alas, was not. The…read moreextremely hot weather was not under their control but planning for it was and they failed us. Once things got bad on the road, the strategy of the owners turned into blaming the customers (us). Decide for yourself if this is worth working with them.

Na Clachan wine tours Easter Sunday, April 21…read more We found this tour company through Cruise Critic recommendation. Our ship docked about ten minutes from town and we took the provided ship's shuttle to the parking lot of the town's tourist information Office. We Met Chris, two other ship passengers and two people on a world tour. Wineries were about 20 minutes outside of Picton and there were plenty to choose from. Chris took us to six wineries where the predominant regional wine was Souvinon Blanc with a smattering or other whites, some Roses and some Pinot Noir. We liked the Pinots best, a much lighter product than our favorite Oregons. We found Chris to be both knowledgeable and gregarious, fun to be with. We found some of the wines a bit repetitive but their take on Pinots exciting. Our tour ended with a visit to a chocolate factory then a trip to a high lookout to photograph our ship. We found the experience fun, entertaining and informative, our six person tour far and away better than the 50 passenger busses from the ship we kept skirting. We highly recommend Na Clatchen for your Picton adventure. PS. Neglected to say tour included stop at winery for lunch which was excellent. Sometimes we were a" wined out" but this break for lunch revived us....until the chocolate. Chocolate we could easily bring on the ship, wine was questionable.

From the owner: Small group wine tours with knowledgeable tour guides. We introduce each winery and provide…read moreinformation on growing grapes and the Marlborough region during the tour. We DONT have a set timed itinerary to ensure a relaxed tour

It doesn't get better than swimming with wild dolphins! Our trip with Dolphin Watch Ecotours was…read moreone of the highlights of our New Zealand vacation. We'd heard about dolphin swimming in NZ and had originally planned to take a trip out of Kaikoura, but after chatting with the people there, we realized our tendency to get seasick might ruin the experience (as it's on the open ocean). Luckily, I randomly saw a brochure for this Picton business, and noted that since it's in the sound, the waters are much calmer. I called the office to verify and the captain swore he'd "never had someone seasick on his boat". I was sold. We had 11 people total on the boat and that seemed like good number, although apparently they sometimes take quite a few more. That included the skipper (who was great) and our nature guide, Kate, who was absolutely awesome. Then there were 7 of us swimmers and 2 viewers (those who didn't want to get in the water). There are 5 different species of dolphins in the Sound, which is pretty awesome, and you have a good chance of seeing several. On our trip we saw the Dusky dolphins as well as the common dolphin. Our first two times in the frigid water was with a small pod (just 5 or 6) Duskies. For whatever reason, they weren't interested in us, so although we got in the water we didn't end up swimming with them. The third time was the charm, however, and we ended up playing with a pod (30-40) of common dolphins. The commons are the biggest dolphin species, so it was actually more impressive anyway! I do have to admit that 3 times in and out of the water made for a very cold me, but Kate sprayed us down with hot water when we came out and made us hot drinks (tea, coffee, hot chocolate) so that was nice. I really can't describe how cool it is to swim with 100% wild dolphins, and if you're lucky enough to be in NZ, then you shouldn't pass up the experience.

Our skipper Paul and guide Jack really made this a great trip…read more With their expertise, we found a pod of Dusky Dolphins quite quickly, and got some great info about them while watching their hunting and frolicking in the sea. When it was time to go into the water, we were well prepared about what to expect, and how to attract the dolphins (by singing!). The result was certainly a once-in a lifetime experience, with quite a few dolphins coming within arms-length, and both man and dolphin obviously enjoying their time spent together. Compared to the dolphin swim experience at Kaikoura, Picton is certainly the lesser known, but because of that less crowded, much more personal. You also get the distinct feeling that with this tour, people really care for the animals, making sure not to disturb them, and to only send tourists into the water when the dolphins would like it.

For $79 pp we purchased a wine tour wristband @ were given a map.. Vans stopped at 26 wineries &…read moreliquor themed venues. Vans came every :30. It took :20 minutes to get to Blenheim for our first winery. A wine museum, gift shop, gin distillery, confectionery, vine village, beer garden ... we drove through magnificent wine country with rolling hills, sheep & of course vineyards. Our driver was knowledgeable sharing info about the area, wines & stops. There were people running to the van @ he was frequently running late. We had time to stop at two wineries for :30 and one for an hour lunch. At the end of the day they checked that everyone made it back to the port. We were told that we shouldn't have an issue getting lunch at any stop. We wouldn't need reservations today. However, there were cruise ships tours & Viacor tours that tied up many kitchens & wine tastings. We would have like to make more stops.

We spent a fantastic day visiting wineries, amazing lunch, and chocolate factory with Cam and his…read moreteam on our private tour arranged by Hop 'n Grape. We were picked up in a great coach at the port (shore excursion) and taken to several wineries in Blenheim and the Marlborough area. We had an amazing lunch and tasting at one local vineyard they put together for us. Additionally, we had many great tastings throughout the day, learned about New Zealand's wine making industry and living in this beautiful part of the country. Cam made this visit so personal and tailored it to our group. We met with winemakers and a local brewmaster. If you go to wine country, Hop n Grape will not disappoint. It was one of the highlights of our trip to New Zealand

"Explore Marlborough Wineries By Bike" was a ship tour offered to us while in the Port of Picton…read more We tend to opt for a small group tour while in port, but this caught our eye. It would be a bit physical, scenic and at the same time some fun comparing New Zealand's wine country to our own here in California. This tour had to be one of the best wine tours we've been on. Our guide, Andy picked us up at the ship in a comfortable small van, and narrated along the way as we drove inland to where "Explore Marlborough Wine Tours" has their gear and office. When we arrived we were all able to outfit ourselves with the correct height bicycle, set the correct seat height, get situated with correct helmets, learn the gears, and given safety vests. The bicycles were like new and top notch with a basket for your belongings and a bottle of water & a treat. We went over all safety instructions, and tested our bicycles prior to commencing our ride. We had three really nice winery stops and really enjoyed the ride. The narrative by Andrew when we stopped in the vineyards was so great and super informative with the field harvesting process. Our last stop on the bike ride was at Mahi Winery, which was our favorite. Beautiful grounds, beautiful architecture, beautiful wines! Unbelievably hospitable and generous with their wine, and the fantastic lunch that was prepared by their fabulous chef "Marcia". I'm still trying to replicate the potato green bean dish, the corn with cucumber salad, and the recipe used for the salmon. Oh my gosh it was incredible! After the fantastic lunch, we all jumped in the van and drove back to our starting point for anyone that wanted to purchase wine before driving back to the ship. Sometimes you wonder about your choices of excursions, but at the end this was a no brainer and one of our favorite excursions. We highly recommend this tour, and would probably do it again if it was in our backyard.

From the owner: Explore Marlborough Wine Tours runs guided biking and driving wine tours of the Marlborough wine…read moreregion.

After floundering around trying to begin planning our trip, we went to a New Zealand planning site…read moreand made a couple of inquiries stating our budget. One of them flat out rejected us because our budget was apparently too small for them to work. Rachel Strahl of Experience New Zealand responded soon after. Even though our budget wasn't in the millions, it WAS in the small thousands, a considerable amount in OUR eyes, and that was definitely enough for her to plan the most fabulous honeymoon on the South Island. We gave her our parameters in terms of what we wanted to see and in what activities we wanted to participate. What she gave us was a fully detailed itinerary with directions to all the places we wanted to go, beautiful accommodations that were reasonably priced, car rental, activities with descriptions and what to bring and what the operators suplied, suggestions for additional activities if we had time, dining recommendations, AND exactly who to call and when to call to confirm our upcoming reservations. In addition, when we arrived, she had a package of travel documents that included all the vouchers for everything for which we paid. The confirmation reminders were quite useful, as the river rafting group needed to place us in a different time slot as the one we booked originally didn't have enough participants. The river rafting company did not bother to contact us, so it was a good thing Rachel strongly recommended we get in touch with them. She made our honeymoon incredible and memorable without one hitch. It was as if she knew exactly what type of accommodations would suit us. We can't recommend her and Experience New Zealand highly enough. We want to go back and can't wait to use them again. I truly believe she saved us lots of time AND money!!! I would suggest that if you submit payment using a credit card to use one that doesn't charge foreign transaciton fees, as they do charge in NZ dollars.