Went for a famil trip with auckland and beyond it was such a great and inspiring experience. Mai and Peter are super warm and friendly people who are very knowledgeable about their product and are passionate about what they do. Most of the places we went to are places I have never been before, it was an awesome trip learning new things, discovering places, meeting new people and just having fun. Plus they gave a cute little souvenir of a printed photo to each one of us which gave an even more lovely and personal touch to end our trip.
The tour is great; interesting, varied things to do. The company is top-notch to work with.
I was going to Auckland for work; as a solo traveler in the off season, I was having difficulty finding anything touristy to do. I took a long weekend, as this was my first time to NZ.
Ahead of time, I contacted Auckland & Beyond ahead of time, by phone. The friendly person on the other side explained many tours don't run in the off season and that she'd gladly wait-list me for those that were. Pretty much, it was Hobbiton, Glow Worms... She then recommended contacting pretty much any company I felt comfortable with and getting on a list, as a way of ensuring I'd get something. Already, service focused on me, even at their expense.
Fast forward; I'm in NZ and I receive an email. They can accommodate me on the Hobbiton, but also have another option: Makatana day trip. It is relatively close to Auckland, so the entire tour - while still a day - is a little less intense than some of the other day activities. This option is new for them, and I participated in one of the "trial runs". This is worth emphasizing: they included me on a trial run - not for 'general' customers - because the woman I spoke with was concerned I would have a lack of things to see and do in their country. She really looked out for me! I was floored. Great service, and I hadn't even done anything yet!
We started with the farmer's market in Matakana Village. It was really nice; small, and of course a lot of fresh things don't translate to tourist. However, there were lots of fresh bites and very good coffee on the chilly morning. I did pick up a few things to bring home.
Then we were onward: chocolate tasting (quality and very interesting), then off to the Sculptureum, which is a private indoor/outdoor gallery with an emphasis on (you guessed it!) sculpture. Nice collection; great grounds. Part was self-directed, part was with a docent. This was followed by a wine tasting and lunch on the grounds - very top notch. The wine was informative and interesting, and a bit different than what one would expect from a New Zealand vineyard.
This was followed by another small-production vineyard and another chocolate tasting. The second vineyard was really great, especially chatting with the owner. The second chocolate tasting was so-so, though at this time we'd been wined/lunched/chocolated quite a bit already. Final stop was a gourmet ice cream shop in Auckland that was probably some of the best I've had on the planet (and I returned there every single day I had left in Auckland).
There were a couple of rough edges on the tour as they were working out the kinks, but this made it fun and wasn't challenging at all. It was especially nice to see how the staff genuinely cared that everyone was individually taken care of. One of the places we stopped had a full bar, and mentioned it was some kind of special gin week. The owner referenced a local New Zealand rhubarb gin. I really like gin; the travel guide made a special stop at a store in town so that I could run in and grab a bottle to bring home. Again: lot's of individual, special attention was paid to each member to ensure they were enjoying it, questions were answered, and all around a laid-back, informative, great time... and I got to do some stuff many people don't think to do, as it's off the beaten path.
You should go. You should also book these folks for other tours. I will definitely look them up when I return.