Reviews of Yeti Tours. (Travel Agency) in Ohakune (Manawatu Whanganui).

Yeti Tours

65 Reviews

61 Comments

Travel Agency

Canoe & kayak tour agency

3 Burns Street, Ohakune 4625, New Zealand

Description

Information of Yeti Tours, Travel Agency in Ohakune (Manawatu Whanganui)

Here you can see the location, open hours, popular times, contact, photos and real reviews done by the users.

This place has good reviews, this means that they treat their customers well and you’ll feel great with their services, recommended 100%!

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Reviews of Yeti Tours

D.

Gavin and the team at Yeti tours were amazing. Great knowledge of the river and provided us with everything we needed for an awesome trip. Laid back but very informative for a rookie like me. Bonus if you’re staying with Paul just down the road from where you leave in the morning. Great host with a beautiful home to be enjoyed. 100% recommend both!!

K.

Had a great time. Gavin is super relaxed and gives good tips for your time on the river. I like that Yeti is based in Ohakune. Great price - well worth it. Would recommend :)

T.

Gavin and Yeti are amazing. Super relaxed, nothing a problem. For a really cheap price Gavin put us up for the night prior to our trip, hired us canoes AND all the other stuff you might need or we'd forgotten) as it was a last minute decision to canoe The Whanganui Journey), from tents to cutlery, cookers to self inflating mattresses AND on top of that he and his family let our golden retriever stay for 3 days. After dropping us in to the river and picking us back up. Incredible. Highly recommend. And can't imagine why the rating is 4.6 and not 5.0. I mean, if you want to pay thousands and be driven in a limo maybe Yeti isn't for you, but for everyone else Yeti are just great. Thanks again Gavin.

S.

Awesome experience. Did 2 trips with these guys and they're great! Laid back and they give good briefings and make sure you have a good time. Also the only company we saw that provide chilly bins in the canoes so our meat and beer were still cold on the last day, much to the envy of other groups.

D.

Such a great experience. Gavin did a great briefing of what to expect and kept it fun whilst doing so. We stayed down the road from Yeti tours at Pauls house the night before - so only a 2 min drive in the morning to load our barrels into the canoes. Paul also works for Yeti tours and has an amazing view of the mountain 🏔 and a river in his back yard to swim in. He got the ol 90s bat n ball out for us 🏓 and put music on for us by the bbq and we had a relaxed night before our trip the next morning. Gavin explained to us how to do everything in the canoe/ kayaks and what to watch out for and gave us a beacon to notify him of our arrival at each campsite at night. He was on time to pick us up and happily stopped over on the way there to let us get coffee and breakfast before the big adventure. We LOVED the river and trees and mountains and totally recommend this trip to everyone! Thanks Paul & Gavin and Yeti tours for keeping things safe and easy and fun. A wonderful life long memory made 💫

T.

Amazing trip and the team were so helpful. We left it to last minute as we had our own kayak, rang a couple of places but no one would help with info or transport that is until we phoned the amazing Diane- friendly, informative and helpful, she restored our faith! On her instruction we arrived in the morning to be greeted by Gavin who helped with tents, wet bags and everything we would need, as we were short of time he suggested the best section of the trip so we could experience the Whanganui. Loaded on we then were driven by Paul, wicked sense of humour and wonderful smiley eyes. He dropped us off with further instruction all of which enabled us to complete the 50/50 and feel really chuffed with our paddle! Follow the bubbles, find the V and paddle paddle paddle! I can’t thank the team enough and if you need to choose a team to do a self guided trip this is the team who will be honest, helpful and patient. Thankyou everyone at Yeti!!!

B.

Epic river adventure! Really great DIY canoeing, everything you need, gear, info, tips and super friendly service. Thanks Gavin! Couldn’t have asked for more.

J.

What an epic three days. Great team at yeti tours, loved everyone on our trip and the staff. We did the freedom trip on the canoe but you meet lots of people along the way and everyone is always looking out for each other on the river. Would highly recommend and so affordable. Looking at other canoes from other companies which were more expensive, I would say yeti’s boats are better with solid straps to hold down gear etc. Thanks guys! Love Skye and Joe.

C.

Gavin was awesome throughout the process of planning the trip and getting us on the river. We were considering rescheduling due to weather, and had several conversations about possibly changing dates, but wound up going with our original schedule. He was very helpful and friendly the entire time. Definitely book through Yeti!

S.

My partner and I hired canoes and gear for a 3 day canoe trip on the Whanganui at the beginning of April (2021) and couldn’t have been happier with the setup! There were quite a few people on the river who were jealous of us - we had more tubs and double ended paddles! As Gavin says, this is glamping! We took frozen chocolate eclairs to enjoy on the river which were kept cold in the chilly bin (also provided by Yeti!). Gavin’s a really nice bloke who runs it and I’ll be recommending Yeti to all!

A.

We had a wonderful trip using Canadian canoes as a family of five. The staff were helpful and friendly (and even photo bombed us) and the equipment was in great condition. Definitely doing this again and will use Yeti for sure!

M.

My girlfriend and I rented a double kayak for five days from Taumarunui to Pipiriki with this company and choose first of all them above all the other hiring companies because Ohakune is reachable with Manabus / Nakedbus which is cheaper than Intercity. Since the prices are all more or less the same between all the companies for the five day duration it didn't really matter. You can't compare the equipment anyways.But what we noticed was that Yeti tours seems to be a rare one in terms of having double Kajaks. Most people take a double canoe, some single canoes and some single Kajaks. But we heard from others on the river that their company didn't offer double Kajaks. Major advantage with these boats are that they are much more stable and faster as well as better to paddle for the case that the front person wants to rest and only the back person paddles. The boat itself was aged, the neoprene cover on the back had a hole, the spray scirts made out of non waterproof material which means they prevent huge (rapid) waves coming in, but a little lake remains which drops through over time... The paddles have been heavy aluminium ones. The owner of the company provide an SOS locator and emergency GPS beacon, which is good in case you or someone you pass one get into trouble. Luckily we only sent ''we are okay'' messages with it. Ohakune is in my eyes more charming than Taumarunui which speaks for this location in terms of pre and after stay. Lots of hostels around, campground in town instead of far away like in Taumarunui. Reservation process was fine and the introduction short and uncomplicated. Overall we liked the trip and can recommend the hiring.

V.

Gavin and yeti tours are amazing , thank you very much for amazing experience!

J.

I loved this trip so much... I really liked how the crew at Yeti didn't seem like they were rushing us through, they took heaps of time to explain everything to us, gave us lots of time to sort out our gear and pack, and were really friendly and fun to work with the whole time. Highly recommended. And the river trip itself is just unbelievable, I can't imagine anyone not enjoying it. <3

L.

I can highly recommend this tour! Such lovely people working in this cute small company. Therefore they make it very personal and even help you finding accommodation before and after your trip. Before we started the trip he gave us a great briefing so that we felt save in our kayaks. They can organise everything for you. They give you all the equipment you need, bring you to your starting point and pick you up again and they book all the campsites (or huts) for you if you want so. thanks for that awesome adventure it was great fun!

M.

Great experience. Gavin received us the day before and briefed us about the 3 days we would spend at the river. It was very reassuring to know what to expect and that everything was ready for us to start the following morning. The canoes, barrels, chilly bin, paddles and other stuff were all OK, everything worked as expected. Yeti tours feels like a family ran business and overall we were very happy with the service provided.

L.

I can't speak highly enough of Yeti tours. The small and friendly team went above and beyond to make our trip as smooth and memorable as possible, including organising last minute accommodation following the tour. We did the 5 day guided tour. Our guide, Michael, shared his strong passion and connection to the river with us, which was truly special. We were Michael's main priority the entire trip, including staying safe (and happy) during exceptionally heavy rain and a rapidly rising river. No amount of rain could dampen our wonderful experience with Yeti tours. An experience to remember.

C.

Gavin at Yeti Tours took really good care of us. We arrived in late evening on a Sunday, and he met us at the office. We felt safe and prepared for our three day canoe trip down the river, and they even gave us a satellite beacon for emergencies. Pickup was prompt. I just felt like they genuinely appreciated our business.

L.

Yeti Tours was an amazing experience for myself and my friend. I was thoroughly impressed with the communication pre trip, they were very quick to answer all my emails and questions. Setting up was made simple and easy. They picked us up from the train station and dropped us off again afterwards. We chose the 5 day guided tour and were so happy with our guide Michael, he made us feel safe and in good spirits at all times! We ran into some issues weather wise that could not be predicted and the team ensured our safety the entire time. Would highly recommend Yeti Tours to everyone! It was an adventure I will never forget.

L.

If you are looking to have a once in a lifetime journey down the Whanganui River, look no further than Yeti tours for your canoe or kayak hire. You won't be getting just a canoe, you'll be getting excellent caring customer service and support from Gavin and his team, really knowledgeable advice about preparation for the journey and a beautiful homestay accommodation in Ohakune for the night before the trip begins that has everything you possibly need, a very handy Spot beacon GPS for your group incase you have any trouble on the water (other tour groups do not give these out!), and really solid waterproof barrels and really great canoe that held up against the river and a big storm. I was so grateful to have been adopted onto a guided Yeti Tour with the incredible local guide Michael, who gave us an experience like no other. He was so kind to share his home with us, navigating us through the Maori culture and history and inviting us to join in the experience of the marae at Tieke. We had a blast! We were on our journey when the river flooded, but we were always safe and looked after by each other under Michael's leadership. My respect for Yeti Tours really grew when I learned that they were the only operator not putting people out on the water the day after the flood, playing it safe and making sure all of their groups on the water were accounted for. We entered the river as strangers and ending at Pipriki we were family. I've never had a more positive experience with a tour group anywhere in the entire world. Thank you Gavin, Michael, and everyone at Yeti who makes these excellent trips possible.

A.

Wow just wow...... Just spent the last 3 days on the beautiful Whanganui River with a local Maori guide. Learnt so much about the history of the places we visited. Yeti tours provide us with safe reliable river gear, Sleeping mats tents and life jackets. Our meals were well prepared by the guides. Our pick and drop off was very good. Considering the river had been really high a few days before hand making drop off of the canoes a little bit harder. Overall an awesome business to take us on this adventure. Nice one Gavin and Them Team

B.

Had the greatest time on this trip and it was largely due to hiring through Yeti Tours. The guides were very competent and gave great information about the water and days ahead. We did a freedom hire and it included free camping at a beautiful farm stay just down the road from the rental shop. We thought the price was more than fair, camping for 2 with full amenities plus 3 day canoe and equipment hire, plus drop off and pick up and best of all excitement levels from the staff the whole time. Further more an extra star goes to the pick up person who had to wait an extra 1.5 hours due to our strong head wind. She didn’t complain or even mention having to wait, it was all smiles. A+++ to this company. I will definitely be recommending it to my friends and family!

v.

Great trip, hired a sea kayak for the 3 day Whanganui trip. Nice boat, they supplied all the equipment we needed. Staff are very helpful and provided some good info for our self guided tour. Can leave luggage at the base. Good value. Highly recommended.

T.

Awesome experience a bucket list must do .I highly recommend Yeti Tours very very helpful .Staff do there best at all times actually go above and beyond .Awesome accommodation they provided .i will recommend them to friends and family .

C.

Had our own kayak, but these lovely guys loaned us dry bags, barrels, rope and let us practise getting everything packed etc in their workshop. Charged $50 for transport both ways which was vastly cheaper than anywhere else and let us park our van there during our trip. Did everything they could to help us out, brilliant service THANK YOU!

C.

What an awesome trip I had yesterday. A paddle from Pipiriki to Jerusalem. Our guide Michael was great he had us all join together floating down river while eating fresh strawberries all the while explaining the heritage on the river. A great trip for ages and abilities would highly recommend and have an overnight trip on the bucket list. Thanks Gavin and your team would use you guys again.

K.

We decided to go for the whole trip from Tamarunui to Whanganui ( which I highley recommend, it took us 8 days) but would have probably gone with another tour operator. Our boat was in extremely bad condition with a huge dent on the underside in the back, making the boat really tippy and hard to control. Considering how much we paid, and the unused new boats sitting in the storage area, I was quite dissapointed when I saw what boat they had loaded for us. I guess the shiney new boats were only for looking at. The accommodation offered was quite nice and homey,with lots of room for us to spread everything out and pack properly. The drive to Tamarunui was quite painful with Gavin's ill behaved children screaming the whole way. During our instruction, Gavin was so distracted by the children running around, he didn't really tell us much of what to expect along the river. After a few days, and we got used to compensating for the massive dent in the boat it was quite enjoyable. When we arrived in Whanganui it was very stress free. Gavin was there instantly to drop off our bags and help us unload our equiptment. If you plan on going with Yeti, I recommend being vocal about which boat you want, and pray that the children are with their mother.

G.

My wife and I had a fantastic trip with Gavin. We chose a 3 day Whanganui River Canoe trip which had about 30 people on it plus 3 in kayaks. Jan my wife ended up getting sick and Gavin quickly arranged a jet boat to get her of the river and back to our accomodation in Ohakune where she could rest and get well. Apart from that, the trip was excellent, the scenery is beautiful and the large group all had a great time. All the boats in the float were new and all the colour blue which looked cool as we rafted up together. Definitely would do it again and can highly recommend Yeti Tours for a trip on the Whanganui River,

j.

Great kayak outfit. Gavin was super helpful and arranged everything seamlessly at very late notice. Fantastic couple of days spent on the river, and he was waiting for us at the end for pickup with a smile, and we were a bit late.

M.

Gavin & Dianne provide superb service for the whanganui river journey, highly recommended. Many thanks for an Xmas day pick up

E.

I did a solo canoe for 4 days and I was warned about these kind of people back in Auckland: watch out for them rural folks: they're awfully nice! Yeti tours is a prime example of that: kind, hospitable, accomodatin and knowledgeable. Call them and find out

R.

We were one of the lucky first to enjoy the complete new 2017 fleet of boats and gear. What an amazing trip we had, 32 people on the river. The scenery is beautiful and the guide are good guys with a sense of humour. Highly recommended.

A.

I had such a unique experience on the Whanganui River and with Yeti Tours. I'm used to being treated like a dollar bill from tour companies - as soon as they have their payment and their gear back, you no longer exist. The opposite was the case with Yeti, where we were made to feel practically like family on and off the river. From the beginning, with the prompt, personalized email response to my questions, to the end, I felt taken care of, regardless of the $dollar bills$ attached. If you need any more reasons to go with Yeti, look to Ohakune. You'll likely be staying overnight at least one night before or after your trip, and Ohakune is a fantastic place to do so, with great accommodations and beautiful forest creek trails winding through town.

J.

Great experience on the whanganui journey with Yeti Tours. We rent a canoe fully equipped with cooler and waterproof containers. They transported us to the start point and pick us up down the river after three days! Staff is awesome! We recommend!

R.

We went by bus to Whakahoro then by canoe for three days to Pipiriki on the Wanganui River. It was the best trip ever!! Yeti staff are so organised, experienced and friendly and go out of their way to help. I will absolutely recommend to anyone. Scenery is spectacular and even though we had rain during the night, the waterfalls on the river the next morning were gorgeous!!

R.

Great service, good quality kayaks and the owner is a really nice guy!!! I got to sleep in a bunk bed at the workshop the day before my kayak trip for free, drop off and pick up went smooth and the owner arranged a food drop off for my friend who was low on food half way through his kayak trip. Thank you very much!

K.

Had a fantastic time, Yeti were very accommodating to all of our last minute changes and ensured we had an excellent time on the river! Would definately use again. THANKS AGAIN GAVIN AND TEAM, all of our group had a HILAIRIOUSLY awesome time!

V.

I did a 4-days trip, it was definitely one of my best experiences in NZ! Gavin and his team are very nice and professionnal.

J.

Yeti Tours set me up with everything I needed including a free night accommodation in their bunk room. Lovely people facilitating a great journey down the river. Thank you!

B.

Friendly staff and even gave us a free campsite the night before heading out. Also we're able to arrange an early pickup on our last day so it could fit in our busy schedule. Would happily go down the river with them again!

J.

Amazing experience! One of the highlights of my NZ trip. The staff is professional and friendly. Don't hesitate!

N.

They were so kind and helpful, would definitely use them again. They helped us to feel safe and looked after. It was lots of fun and would not have managed to do it with out the help and assistance of 'Yeti Tours'

J.

Have used these guys twice. Excellent on both occasions. Gavin is a legend - extremely flexible and helpful. Gear seemed decent!

A.

Hiring the gear and canoes was fine the organisation and guidance down the river was less than adequate at times. I was in a group and the safety of the whole group didn't seem to be Paramount at all times

C.

Awesome trips, thanks all. Great equipment and great service, can't believe how affordable it is given how much work Yeti clearly puts in. Thanks for dealing with our crazy group of 12!

M.

Great Company, Friendly staff, Amazing expereince

L.

The whole team are really friendly and experienced - they know the river well and their gear's also solid

V.

Highly recommend. Gavin was great and informed us of everything we needed to know, very relaxed and friendly.

m.

Love working with these guys . Cheers Gav. another top day on the river buddy. Bring on the summer and more fantastic days on the river

L.

Friendly and good value for money. Good trip

B.

These guys exceeded expectations - reasonably priced, but pulled out all the stops in a relaxed, very kiwi way.

L.

Thank you Yeti team for a great experience.

A.

Helpful nice good people. Good price

G.

Wowww!!! Gavin made the experience for us! The Journey itself is amazing but the help that Gavin gave us was incredible! After having an accident on the river the first day, Gavin was immediately to our aid and encouraged us to continue. His knowledge of the river is amazing and it helped us so so much! We can't thank him enough for our journey!

R.

(Translated) Everything is ticking - getting the equipment, explanations for using the equipment. The owner has a very friendly and efficient place. The equipment is excellent - anything that should be waterproof, sealed. (Original) הכל מתקתק - קבלת הציוד, הסברים על השימוש בציוד. בעל המקום חביב ויעיל מאד. הציוד מצוין - כל מה שאמור להיות אטום למים, אכח אטום.

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