Planning our NZ South Island holiday, we scheduled the Pelorus Eco Tours, because of the promoted Hobbit Kayak Tour- "enjoy kayaking the famous filming location of "Hobbit" movies"-we kayak a fair amount at home, so initially the high price for the short route was a bit meh feeling, but as LOTR fans, we were willing, and excited, for the opportunity to visit some film locations-learning about the area, and local experiences during filming.
We did have a good time navigating the shallow rapids, observing the river's ambiance, but overall, we found the tour lacking compared to our expectation & prior experiences.
Traveling all across the North & South Island, we blended our itinerary with NZ Culture & LOTR nerdom. This particular tour was meant to be boost LOTR, but the tour guide barely spoke to the filming, and when he did it felt forced, disconnected to a 'tourist' feeling-it was more of an afterthought, for how much it was promoted as a specific LOTR moment.
Also, during the tour, while Shane was a fantastic guy to socialize with, he was training a friend on river guiding, so we found ourselves 'backseat' to the training, often waiting on him chatting with staff while we sat in open water mingling amongst ourselves.
Overall, a lazy river experience, only entertaining for the few rapids we were able to ride down- we honestly had more fun on the LOTR set, once we knew where it was and went back later to complete our own hike-
If going for the LOTR experience, research the waypoint, park at the camp, and take a leisure hike saving time/money.
(but do take time to eat in Havelock, because the local dining was delicious) read more
