Customer feedback

And Another One!

We enjoy creating experiences for clients. Not special soap in a qualmarked lodge. We're talking experiences.

Up north we have been working for years with Hone Mihaka of Taiamai. www.taiamaitours.co.nz

Hone shares a passion for the authentic and also delights in creating. We had some clients earlier this month who were the owners of a top outbound US agency dealing in South Africa. They knew travel and had briefed my that they liked surprises. (rub hands with glee) Hone and I got together on the phone and put together something which blew them away.

We selected an area far from tourists. I briefed my clients on Maori protocol and led them down a shaded path into a large piece of native bush. Suddenly in the distance we heard a horn. We approached slowly. A warrior appeared.

In the distance behind him, illuminated by a shaft of light we could see two ladies and a child. There was a hiss from the bush to our right. I told our clients to keep looking ahead. Don't be distracted.

You can guess the rest - a wonderful welcome, fierce visages in the bush, a great display of warrior prowess, meaningful songs (waiata). And they had done this all for us at 9am on a Sunday, Anzac Day, a very special day for warriors. After a talk with the warriors we dropped into a couple of historic sites - one where Maori invented trench warfare and another where they bathed their wounds after the battle. Then lunch at the chief's home. A traditional lunch of course.

We didn't see any tourists, any visitor centres, any i-sites, any brochures, any marketing strategies. We saw Maori warriors on Anzac Day.

Thank you Hone.
Ahipara Luxury Travel

From: Luana Abbott [mailto:luana@newzealand.com.au]
Sent: Friday, 1 June 2007 5:07 p.m.
To: Waka Taia-mai Heritage Journeys
Subject: RE: Thank you from Waka Taiamai Heritage Journeys

Kia ora Hone, Judy & Tani

I arrived home on Wednesday evening after a very busy yet enjoyable 12 days in New Zealand, the highlight of my trip being my evening Cultural Encounter with you (Waka Tai-a-mai Tours).
You gave me the most authentic & passionate Maori encounter i have ever experienced and would like to thankyou so very much for sharing your culture, your home & your family with me. It was truly memorable.
I look forward very much to hopefully meeting with you all again in the future, hopefully with my family as well next time. In the meantime i hope to be able to promote your tours successfully and look forward to doing so.

Take Care, Luana

Luana Abbott
NZ PRODUCT CO-ORDINATOR
GO NEW ZEALAND
172 CAMPBELL ST
BELMONT WA 6104
PH 618 9479 4200
FAX 618 9478 3422
luana@newzealand.com.au