I booked this walking tour on April 30 for our visit to Wellington on July 11, but unfortunately the tour never took place. Just over an hour before the scheduled start time, the tour operator sent me the following message: "I've just realized we have this tour today. The weather is not looking good and I have a few things to do (don't usually get bookings this time of year). Could we possibly reschedule till tomorrow?" Unfortunately, we were flying out the next day, so rescheduling wasn't an option. When I asked whether the tour was being canceled, the operator confirmed that it was and said they would issue a refund. I understand that walking tours are weather-dependent, and the tour's policy clearly states that if a tour is canceled due to poor weather, guests will be offered an alternative date or a full refund. My issue is not with the refund policy or the fact that the weather was less than ideal. My concern is the reason given for the cancellation and the way it was handled. The operator's message did not say the tour was being canceled because conditions were unsafe or that it was impossible to conduct the tour. Instead, the message said the weather "is not looking good" and that they "have a few things to do" because they "don't usually get bookings this time of year." Based on that explanation, it appeared that the cancellation was made because proceeding with the tour was inconvenient for the operator rather than because the weather made the tour impossible. In fact, we participated in another walking tour that same morning with a different tour company, and the weather did not prevent that tour from operating. I booked this tour more than two months in advance. The weather had been poor for several days leading up to our scheduled tour, and the forecast had shown that well in advance. As a local operator familiar with Wellington's weather, they had ample opportunity to monitor the forecast and notify customers that the tour might not proceed. Instead, they waited until just over an hour before the scheduled start time to cancel. By then, it was far too late to book another tour or make alternative plans for our last day in Wellington. Most tours require advance reservations, so we were left with very limited options after carefully planning this day months in advance. It's also worth noting that customers are expected to honor the tour company's cancellation policy. I believe that same level of consideration should be extended to customers. If the operator had already determined that the combination of the weather and their schedule meant the tour was unlikely to proceed, they should have made that decision much earlier rather than leaving us with virtually no notice. To make matters worse, although the operator said they would refund my payment, they never actually processed the refund. I had to contact them afterward to request the refund that should have been issued immediately. Considering the cancellation was initiated by the tour company (not by me) I would have expected the refund to be processed promptly without requiring me to follow up. Between the last-minute cancellation, the lack of proactive communication, and the failure to issue the promised refund until I requested it, I cannot recommend this tour company. If you're planning a visit to Wellington, choose a company that respects your time, honors your reservation, communicates professionally, and follows through on its commitments. Based on my experience, this company did not.














