Surfsup Whenuakura - Donut - Island Tours — Local services in North Island

I booked for 10 people on the 29th of December, I confirmed the day before of our booking the guy on the phone kept telling us that the wind was too strong & that we should just head out today (28th dec) I explained that we don't live close and that we've booked for 29th for a reason. Again he kept saying that we might have to rebook. I continue and state "alright if I have to confirm on the actual day of the booking then I will meet you at the meet up point and 11am"

On the 29th I called the phone number again at 9am I called 3 times & they didn't response, just 30 mins until our booking they called up stating that it was too "windy" and that they didn't couldn't go ahead with our booking and we should reschedule

Again I told them that the issue is we are already there and we were ready to go and now they've told us that they can't go on with the booking.

Honestly don't waste your time with these guys.

We ended up going around cathedral cove with another kayak company the same day.

I get that the wind/weather can be situational BUT we were advised on the website that IF the weather was not great then we would be upgraded to a guided tour for an extra $20pp

But that wasnt even offered.

I am sure you're nice guys but this was our experience and it wasn't great to be told to meet at the meeting point and get a call 30mins before our booking and said we can't go, we drove pretty early as well.

It's done and we hope that everyone had a...

This is a must do experience, and I highly recommend it. Parking is at Island View Rd alongside Whangamata Beach. Decent sized car park. It's around $40pp to hire a kayak for 2 hours to do the self guided tour, or you can pay more for a guided tour. They give you all you need to know kayak paddles and dry bag to keep your belongings dry and safe if you tip over out on the water. Start off by pulling your kayak (solo kayak or can do it tandem 2 people) into water and getting on and paddling to the right side of Whenuakura/Donut Island as that's the side the cave entrance is on. It's best to go when the tide is high, as it's easier to get in and out of the cave. When you go through the cave to the hidden lagoon, it's like you've gone into a whole new world and the scenery is amazing sun shining on through the water with high cliffs surrounding. Once again highly...

Super helpful staff. They were very responsive to emails as we were planning our trip.

They are easy to find and they were very knowledgeable. We chose to do the “self-guided” tour which was really fun. I would recommend having 2 people in a kayak unless your really experienced. That way you can help each other steer and manage the kayak.

We did the donut island (whenuakura) kayak and the views were unreal. It’s a small space so try and be there with only one other kayak or just yourself as it’s a beautiful place.

The other islands you kayak too are also pretty cool. You can hike to the top of one (10 minutes tops) and it’s super pretty and gives a great view of the coast.

I would definitely recommend having surfsup as your kayak expert for the...