Cheeky Kea Tours — Local services in North Island

1 Day Christchurch to Arthur's Pass with TranzAlpine return - 08/03/25

I would like to start by saying a huge thank you to the three - yes, three - drivers that we had on this day trip. They were all doing their utmost in what seemed to be a company's logistical nightmare.

12 of us were driven by Mark in a decent van through the first part of this tour to Arthur's Pass. Mark was friendly and approachable with lots of interesting knowledge about the areas we passed through. The picnic lunch provided by Cheeky Kea and the team at the Alpine Jet Boat was lovely, and we had a beautiful spot to enjoy it when we got to Castle Hill.

The first confusion came when we stopped in Arthur's Pass Village to swap vans (unclear why), however the new van could only accommodate 11 passengers. Thankfully the other van driver (I'm sorry I've forgotten their name) agreed to take my partner and I up to the final road stop which was the Viaduct 5 mins out. On return back to the Village, the logistics became even more confusing.

Mark was on a tight schedule to get his van to Franz Joseph by the end of the day, so would not be able to wait and see our group safely onto the TranzAlpine train back to Christchurch. 2 members of our group (myself as one of them) were given the reference number for all 12 of our train tickets, which we were told to give to the train staff. This meant our last 30-40 mins in the Village were more stressful than they might have been, as we were suddenly taking responsibility for all 12 people making it onto the train. There were no staff waiting on the platform, but thankfully when the train arrived a lady in high vis stepped off the train and traded our reference number for our tickets and seat reservations.

Mark had informed us that a driver named Diego would be waiting for us at Christchurch station to take us back to our respective hotel drop offs. On arriving at the station, we initially couldn't find Diego or see any signs/people in Cheeky Kea merch. After asking around people waiting in the station, we found Diego who informed us he had been waiting for an hour and had been asking head office for ways to contact us as he had no way to do so. Our train did arrive 20 minutes late, however it seemed Diego had not been informed about when to expect the train or how to find us on disembarking. I would like to again appreciate Diego's patience and commitment to picking us up, as well as his professionalism when facing some very rude fellow passengers on this tour.

Overall we enjoyed the day and again are very grateful to our three drivers, however the coordination and organisation of this tour felt very much like a company trying to squeeze as much as possible out of it's drivers with customer experience falling slightly by...

Did the Mt Cook from Christchurch tour on Apr 7, 2025 with driver named Grant. The van was packed. At the first stop at Fairlie Bakehouse, I asked Grant if I (a brown guy) could sit up front since it was empty. Grant told me no since he needed that space to keep his stuff and all the lunch packets for later since there was no space at the back of the van. Fair enough. But imagine my surprise when leaving 10 mins later, a white american woman from the group gets up and sits up front and stays there the next 10 hours!

What was that about Grant? And when a few hours later the lunch packs were served, guess where they came from - the back of the van!

Now having traveled to over 80 countries, I am fairly used to such casual discrimination but never had to pay for it. It was always free. Imagine paying almost USD200 for this tour and getting casual racist vibes from the driver. Woah!! Didnt realize I had to be a specific color and gender to sit up front.

Coming to the tour itself, it’s a long day and long drives. The stops at the 2 lakes are about 10 mins each and at the Mt Cook Alpine Centre about an hour. The rest of the day is spent in the van. Not worth in my opinion and defo not worth with such a driver. This tour is ideally done via own transport and having longer stops.

Edit on 14Apr after response from the business

Wow. Your response is not only defensive but outright dishonest and frankly, quite telling.

Let’s be clear: the driver, Grant, told me directly that the front seat was unavailable because he needed the space for his stuff and lunch packets, neither of which turned out to be true. The lunch came from the back of the van, and the front seat remained empty until the white American woman decided to move up and sit there. It’s not a “serious accusation” when it’s exactly what happened. It’s an observation, one I paid nearly $200 to make.

So when you say he “promised” the seat to her in advance, what you’re really saying is he lied to me. Glad we cleared that up. While English is not my first language, I am fairly certain that I can comprehend the words ‘reserved, promised, another passenger’ spoken in any order!

Feel free to look up my short history on Google, TripAdvisor etc. Being fairly well traveled, these instances are not new, however I haven’t exactly gone around lambasting every time I have a bad experience. But this crossed a line. This was casual racism dressed up as logistics.

You’re not just deflecting criticism, you are gaslighting a paying customer who dared to speak up.

This...

I cannot recommend Cheeky Kea Tours enough. If you’re reading this review, you’re probably already aware of how beautiful the South Island is going to be, and this tour will absolutely take you to the must-see destinations. But here’s why Cheeky Kea Tours will be the best choice for your South Island adventure:

Cheeky Kea Tours takes out only small tour groups. Not being on a huge bus with dozens of people allowed us to be more flexible with our time. Every day didn’t have to start at 7 am and every stop didn’t have to be made. The small group size also made it easier to build relationships within our tour. Within a few days, I didn’t feel that I was exploring the island with other tourists, but rather with really close friends.

Cheeky Kea Tours knowledge of the South Island is staggering. Being run by locals, you’re taken to places that they went to while growing up and where they made their favorite memories; off the beaten track places that no large tour company could take you on or tell you stories about. When a place becomes more than just a sight, when it’s personal to those around you, it gives you a much higher appreciation for being at the location.

Cheeky Kea Tours loves their home and cares about protecting it. I was particularly impressed with their waste minimization and management. Their goal of being as eco friendly as possible became a personal life goal after this trip, and it makes my heart happy knowing that all future participants will observe and appreciate nature’s beauty while minimizing negative impacts on the environment.

It’s evident that every moment of our trip had been thoroughly thought out. It’s a tour you absolutely need to take.

Collette December 2018 15 day...