Guided Small Group Walking Tour in Wellington

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.

We really enjoyed the walk around Wellington with a local. We had lots of questions and he had nothing else going so gave us extra time. Tour ends at an incredible museum that you need to spend a good amount of time.

A very informative and interesting tour. Louie was easy to talk to and seemed to know what he was talking about. Many interesting stories!

Great guide. Tailored the route to our needs. I was surprised that the railway train was not part on the tour despite the picture on the site.

We were fortunate to have Louie all to ourselves for 3 hours to have a wonderful walk in and around Wellington. He shared great information on the history, culture, and architecture, brought us up and through the beautiful Botanic Gardens, and all around several interesting neighborhoods and sites we never would have seen on our own. Louie is quite a character as well with a keen sense of humor and a voice made for theatre. He also pointed out some great bars and restaurants for us to check out. We highly recommend this tour!

+1

A great introduction to Wellington capturing the history, culture and politics of the capital. Louis is a great guide, very knowledgeable and entertaining.

This was a great walking tour of Wellington. It was very informative and gave us a great overview and history of the city. Louis was an amazing guide and made the tour fun and interesting.

What a great way to see Wellington!! Louis (who goes by Louie) was so friendly and knowledgeable. There was no question that he loved the area and wanted us to love it too. He knew about the history, the buildings, the people, and even more. It almost became a game trying to think of questions that he didn't know the answer to. Louis took us through all sorts of neighborhoods and the garden was amazingly beautiful. We highly recommend this interesting walking tour of Wellington.

We had an essentially private tour with Louie because we were the only two people who showed up. It was great! Not only did we learn some history and see the beautiful botanic park, we had interesting conversations about life in the US vs. life in New Zealand.

+2

Our guide, Louie, was absolutely terrific! A wealth of knowledge. Very personable. Extremely informative on everything Wellington. The tour itself covered approx 2.5 hrs. Louie led us through many areas of Wellington, all of which were very interesting. We had an ongoing conversation throughout the and the time just flew by. It was obvious that Louie loved being a guide and loved Wellington even more. If you choose just one tour thing to do in Wellington, this should be the one! Well worth every minute. Thanks Louie!