Habitat Tours Customer Stories & Testimonials


Hello Pamela and Tristan,
I have finally settled down from a whirlwind of a trip in New Zealand, and I found myself reflecting on so many wonderful memories. One of the best highlights of our trip was spending the day at Waitakere range with Tristan. He was simply the most amazing tour guide we have ever had! He was an expert in identifying plants and talking about their medicinal value, which is something I appreciate immensely since my area of specialty is plant nutrition. I loved listening to him talk about the Maori people and some of their customs. It makes such a difference to have a guide who cares about what he's talking about. We loved all the spots he took us to. Tristan was an amazing introduction to New Zealand and we felt very lucky to have someone who knew the land, the geography, the history so well. And that lunch you made for us was so unexpected! The mango & coconut salad was outstanding and so was the meat pie. I never would have expected a treat like that! Making hot tea for us at the end of our tour was a great surprise too. 
Thank you both for such an outstanding first day in New Zealand! 
 
Lydia 
 
 
 
My wife and I were on our honeymoon and we did the Waitakere Ranges day tour from Auckland, and it was incredible. The scenery was absolutely beautiful, and Tristan was an excellent guide. Very knowledgeable, and kept each spot interesting. The homecooked lunch was delicious, and the cookies were so good that I will be emailing Tristan for the recipe! 
 
New Jersey
 

My husband and I were visiting NZ for the first time and only had one day in Auckland. We are ever so thankful we decided to spend the entire day at Waitakere Range with one of the most amazing tour guides we have ever had!...
Making hot tea for us from the locally grown kawakawa leaf at the end of our tour was such a crowning touch.
Tristan, our superb guide, is VERY knowledgeable of the local fauna and history. While the highlight of the night was seeing 2 Kiwi in their natural habitat, we enjoyed the awesome home cooked dinner and conversations
Charlie, Tennessee
We went to the beautiful Waitekare Ranges plus so much more and Tristan was a fantastic tour guide with a great sense of humour. We were also spoilt by the yummy homemade picnic lunch and Tristan also treated us to cookies & cappuchinos along the way A really memorable day. Thanks Tristan
 
Baxter, Perth
 
 
Tristan is a knowledgeable, fun tour guide who packed a lot of great value into half a day. The sites were spectacular. The pace wasn't rushed so we could enjoy ourselves but we still got a lot done. Thanks to him for making our quick Auckland trip memorable.
Waters, San Francisco
 
 
 
The day/night tour with Habitat tours was one of the highlights on my travel to NZ, actually the sight of a wild Kiwi was the highlight. A fantastic experience with our very capable and enthusiastic guide Tristan being able to find the Kiwi in the dark rainforest. And all the way we got the impression of Tristan’s huge knowledge into New Zealand’s wildlife, animals, trees and plants.
Ari, Denmark
 
I would highly recommend this tour. We had a lot of fun and learned so much. Tristan's passion for his work really made our day. Pamela, the food was amazing. Actually seeing a Kiwi in the wild was the highlight of the tour. Thank you for an amazing day I will never forget. Brenda Hatcher, Newmarket, Ontario.
 
 
We had a Fantastic day tour with our guide Tristan. Very knowledgeable and he made us feel very welcome throughout the entire day. 
Highlight for us was seeing the gannet colonies and the rainforest oh and the home made lunch was excellent !!
Highly recommend this group. 
Dan and Sal
 
 
An amazing and well run tour I did the dsy night. Easy no worries no fuss. Small group with home cooked food . After 20 days touting was nice to gave hone cooking. Tristan is wonderful and so knowledgeable . I saw the big 4 including a wild kiwi. Seriously this tour was my most amazing experience of my 20 day visit from Australia and i did a lot..  Jack O’Connor

Wonderful day/night tour with Tristan to Tawharanui. Saw many plants and animals by day and night. After a delicious picnic, as a highlight we saw a wild Kiwi along our way through the nightly rainforest. Beat Merz
 
 
We had an amazing day/night tour with Tristan to Tawharanui--such a unique opportunity to discover the North Island's habitat and wildlife with such a knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide. Highly recommend! – Julie Tereshchuk
 
 
 
 
I was lucky enough to go on the day tour with Tristan and Harry at the beginning of June to Tawharanui. It was a fabulous day, Tristan is extremely knowledgeable and easily imparts that knowledge, I learnt a lot. Tawharanui is a fabulous place the scenery is spectacular the birdlife was brilliant, and we had an enjoyable walk through the Forest, I can't speak highly enough of this tour.
John Mills
 
 




“Absolutely would do it again!”
HT took a colleague and I out on a day tour of Tawharanui Regional Park. We were picked up on time at our hotel in downtown Auckland. The guide was charming and knowledgeable. The tour included a lot of variety. The lunch was delicious. And we rode comfortably there and back in the company's minivan. Don't worry about the price - it's worth every penny. A+++.
Drew, Shenyang, China.

“One of my favorite days in NZ”
I had such a lovely time on my day tour to the Waitakeres! Every place we went was absolutely gorgeous; I don't think I could choose a favorite if I tried. The places we went were a great variety of different types of scenery, and I got to learn a ton about New Zealand plants and wild life. Tristan was such a great guide - super knowledgeable and also really laidback and easy to chat with. And he made a totally delicious lunch! One of the nicest days I spent on my trip.
Anne Wellington, Madison, Wisconsin.

“Amazing experience”
Me and my gf have been on a day tour to the waitakeres. Its been an amazing trip with a great tourguide, a delicious homemade lunch, lots of fun on the sand dunes, beautiful views on the beach and a nice walk through NZ's native bush! Thanks Habitat Tours for this amazing experience!!!!!!!!!
Dominic, Switzerland.

 “New Zealand Nirvana”
What a wonderful and full day I had hiking in the rainforest, strolling along the beach, climbing a giant sand dune and scaling along a mountain up to an amazing view. Tristan was knowledgeable, entertaining, and a gracious host. The curbside service was reassuring to someone who hasn't traveled much. The picnic lunch was delicious! I so enjoyed my tour with Habitat Tours and Tristan that I recommended it to some others who were in NZ at the same conference I was. Their experience was as wonderful as I had promised. Thanks for the best side trip I took while I was in Auckland!
Vicky, Tennessee

We consider the day spent with you on the Ranges the highlight of our two week holiday in New Zealand. I am delighted to share with every Canadian I meet how we were able to tramp through the Rain Forest, discover a hidden lake amidst the largest black sand dunes I have ever seen and visit what I believe to be the prettiest beach in all of New Zealand, Bethel Beach. The insights you provided us about each of these special places helped us to better understand their significance and your welcoming nature made the whole day that much more enjoyable.
Thank you and we will be back to enjoy your magnificent corner of paradise again with, of course, Habitat Tours!
Clyde & Rose, Canada


“Finest Day Tour in New Zealand”
The very finest day tour that we encountered during our month in New Zealand was that provided by Habitat Tours from Aukland to Tawharanui. Our guide, Pamela Cullen, had great personal experience of volunteer work with native New Zealand habitats and bird and she was extraordinarily knowledgeable and enthusiastic. We saw and identified a remarkable variety of native plant and bird life, and her commentary and explanations considerably enhanced our understanding of the complexities of this New Zealand native forest, so different from ours. The entire month that we spent in New Zealand was truly wonderful, and Habitat Tours provided a fitting conclusion to a remarkable and unforgettable experience. We recommend Habitat Tours as one of the very best New Zealand has to offer.
Dr RedDohrenwend
Michigan

“Fantastic tour”
This is a fabulous tour. I did the day/ night tour. Well worth the money. Tristan is extremely knowledgeable and easy to get along with. He was able to answer all my questions. Very comfortable transport and Tristan is a careful and considerate driver. Beautiful beach - virtually empty - and views. I didn't have a swim but don't forget your swimming things in case you want to take a dip. and a great walk through the bush. The sound of all the birds was amazing. We saw several threatened species and even saw a Kiwi during the night walk which was a stroke of luck as this is certainly not guaranteed. Great, healthy home-cooked food into the bargain which we had picnic style. Again, all comforts provided in terms of chairs, rugs and tents in case of rain or wind. Altogether a lovely day. I would recommend this tour to anyone wanting to experience the nature and wildlife of the North island.
Hilary, Woking, UK.

“Fabulous Nature Tour”
Tristan took me on a full day habitats tour. I was the only one who signed up for the day (he never takes more than his 7 passenger van can hold), so it was a private tour. Tristan is exceptionally knowledgeable about the plants and animals of the area and is obviously passionate about New Zealand's environment. We had a beautiful and tasty picnic overlooking the water within a nature reserve and saw and heard many birds.

This tour is not for people who aren't able to hike a bit, but it's completely worth it!
Professor Melissa, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

“Unforgettable Day”
I have participated in many Auckland activities and tours but this one tops it all. 

Transport: Comfortable, spacious and not a slow old bus like other tours.
Food: Outstanding! Restaurant quality packed full of energy for the day.
Location: Breathtaking views of the Hauraki Gulf and surrounding islands, stunning white sandy beaches, plentiful forest perfect for the bush walk.
Guide: Tristan is amazing! So knowledgeable and willing to be flexible with any requests. 

I would definitely recommend Tristan and Habitat Tours to anyone, it beats all the other similar tours and activities hands down. 

Keep it up Tristan!


"Tawharanui had amazing flora and lots of native birds.  I’d recommend this to anyone who wants to see real New Zealand bush on the North Island.  We had a limited time in Auckland, so we wanted to see as much of the natural ecosystem diversity as possible. We had been to Tiritiri Matangi, so to see just as many birds, including several new species, was a real delight. Tristan's knowledge of the native habitat was impressive, the gourmet picnic overlooking the beach was delicious, and our walk was perfectly paced to what we wanted to see and learn about. In addition, Habitat Tours makes a stop at a small kauri remnant forest with impressive large trees and natural understory, where we also made the choice to take an extended walk to see more of this unique habitat. The combined explorations of different natural, protected areas was perfect for us."
Leni – Yakima, Washington.


"A NZ experience from beginning till end.  Loved the homemade lunch.
AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE, would totally recommend to see and experience NZ's beautiful regional native forest.
I saw 10 endemic birds which is pretty cool!
Beverley Tulie

“I didn’t think it was possible that I would be so interested in birds, they were awesome.  Tristan was so Knowledgeable, I learnt so much”  
Hamish & Selika
“Our group had just finished exams so decided to take a tour with Habitat, it was so very relaxing and refreshing.  Time passed so quickly! I would highly recommend this tour.
The food was delicious!  Habitat were very accommodating to our individual dietary requirements.  Loved the use of fresh NZ produce and Pam’s baking is AMAZING.
Tristan is very knowledgeable, this tour has given me a whole new appreciation for NZ wildlife.
I liked the way Tristan had a portfolio of birds we might see along the way so we could identify the birds.
5 out of 5 stars!  “ 
Rawinia Buchanan

“This was a really good tour, so good to be in the bush and see a beautiful part of the country.  Good seeing lots of birds.” 
Kerri

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