FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do I Need Travel Insurance?

Yes! We strongly recommend travel insurance for the Bucket List Walk. We do everything we can to make sure our tours run smoothly. You’ve also put a lot of effort into organising your busy life to head off on holiday. Despite best laid plans things can still go awry, that’s when travel insurance comes in really handy. We prepared a helpful blog post on travel insurance for your New Zealand guided walk – take a look, we hope you find it really valuable. We’re not travel insurance brokers or agents, just hikers, so this is simply a combination of the advice we’ve received from many walkers over our 20-years of experience.

It’s a good idea to take a browse through our full Terms and Conditions as well, if you have any queries please get in touch with our friendly reservations team and we’ll provide as much advice as we can.

How Do I Get To Great Barrier Island?

The best thing to do is fly! Aotea/Great Barrier Island is only a 30 minute, scenic flight from Auckland Domestic Airport in Mangere to Claris Aerodrome. You can also go via North Shore Airport if that’s easier, although the flight schedule is reduced and may require you to arrive the day before the trip starts, so it’s best to check the flight schedule with Barrier Air first.

Our helpful reservations team can book return flights on your behalf with Barrier Air that are well-timed with the trip. Just select this option in the online booking form. Flights are additional and will be charged at the correct rate at the time of booking and added to your reservation. Our complimentary flight booking service is free for our guests. The cost of flights must be paid for in advance, so we’ll add this to the deposit sum we take at the time of booking. You’re very welcome to book your own flights if you prefer.

We normally book everyone on the 10.00am GB103 service from Auckland Domestic which lands at Claris Airport where your Walking Legends guide will meet you. On the final day of the trip we leave the island in the late afternoon or early evening on the GB110 service. If you’re booking your own flights, it’s okay to arrive earlier than 10.00am on Day 1, and depart after 5.00pm on Day 4.

Transit Through Auckland International Airport

If you’re arriving on an international flight and connecting with a domestic flight to Aotea/Great Barrier Island, we recommend you leave a generous window of time. Auckland Airport recommends leaving 3 hours allowance for a transfer between the International and Domestic Terminals. The two terminals are not far apart but clearing Customs is known to take significant time due to New Zealands’ strict biosecurity rules.

Can We Arrive Early Or Stay On After The Tour?

Absolutely! For pre-tour or post-tour accommodation on the island we highly recommend the Currach Irish Pub in Tryphena. They’re a one-stop-shop for rooms, meals, rental cars and airport transfers. Just give Orla a call on 021 174 1537 to arrange.

What About The Ferry?

There is also a SeaLink ferry service that leaves from downtown Auckland and arrives at Tryphena. The journey takes 4 hours and in times of inclement weather the sailing may be cancelled. We recommend that you travel by air instead. If you would like to go by ferry, please ensure your travel insurance provider covers cancelled ferry sailings. We strongly recommend travel insurance to cover unforeseen changes to flight and/or schedules and inclement weather. Check out our detailed blog for everything you need to know about travel insurance for guided hiking tours in New Zealand.

Accommodation

The peaceful, private Great Barrier Lodge is located in stunning Whangaparapara Harbour. There are wide, sunny decks to relax on with beautiful views of the harbour. Rooms are double or twin share, with ensuites. A single supplement fee is available for solo travelers who’d rather not share a room. We share our morning and evening meals in the lodge dining room. There is a bar on-site and a small convenience store for essential items. The lodge has both EFTPOS and credit card facilities so cash is not essential.

Some rooms sleep more than 2 guests and family rooms can be arranged on request, subject to availability. Please enquire with our friendly reservations team for more information or check out our in depth blog post on the facilities at our accommodation on Great Barrier Island.

Power & Wi-Fi

The lodge is fed by a solar-power system and back-up generator making this the perfect option for sustainability-conscious, low-impact travelers. Refrigerators and tea and coffee making facilities are available in all rooms. Hair-dryers and hair straighteners are best left at home as these can overwhelm the system very quickly. If you travel with a CPAP machine, please let us know and we’ll make sure you’re allocated to a room where power points are conveniently located.

Wi-fi is available on-site and in your room. At peak times service speeds can be affected so we recommend you download any important documents or files on the mainland before you arrive.

Laundry

There are no laundry facilities available for guests at Great Barrier Lodge. There are plenty of wide, covered verandas for drying wet gear.

Air-Conditioning

Air-conditioning is not available in your room at Great Barrier Lodge. The island climate is very mild and air-conditioning is hardly ever required.

Refrigeration

You’ll have a well-equipped kitchenette in your room with a small refrigerator. If you carry medication that requires refrigeration you’ll be able to take care of this in your room.

Meals

On the Great Barrier Island Escape guided hiking tour, all meals, snacks and nibbles are included in your walk package.

We’ll enjoy fresh, continental breakfasts with plenty of tea and strong coffee. Packed lunches are made fresh daily with a variety of nutritious options to fuel you for the days’ walking and our evening meals are 2-course, Kiwi style events with plenty of fresh seasonal produce and lots of nutrition packed veggies and salads.

Meals are served in the spacious lodge dining room, overlooking Whangaparapara Bay, or outside on the covered deck if the weather is nice.

We offer complimentary drinks with dinner and additional drinks will be available for purchase from the lodges’ on-site bar. You are most welcome to bring your own beverages if you wish.

Specialty Diets – Can You Cater For Me?

Absolutely, we are happy to accommodate guests with specialty diets on the Great Barrier Island Escape walk. We appreciate as much advance notice as possible. A lot of the fresh food we eat is ordered from the mainland, so our lodge hosts like to have everything planned in advance so that they are ready for us. Advanced notice of dietary requirements allows them to plan their food orders and negotiate delivery timeframes around the cargo ferry timetables. There are no supermarket chains or major food distribution warehouses or wholesalers on the island, most of the food stuffs are shipped over from Auckland.

If we don’t receive adequate advanced notice, we may not be able to fully cater for dietary needs as we sometimes operate in an extremely isolated environment and it is not always possible to access specialty foods. Please ensure you advise us as early as possible if you have dietary requirements. You are very welcome to bring any particular food items that you’d like to have or those which may be hard to find on an island such as Great Barrier.

Fitness

Moderate fitness is required for the Great Barrier Island Escape guided walk. This is one of our gentler North Island itineraries. The walking trails are of easy or moderate difficulty and the biggest day is the climb over Mt. Hobson where we make the most elevation gain and encounter a lot of stairs. Anyone who doesn’t feel up to completing the Mt. Hobson track is most welcome to enjoy a day relaxing at the lodge, there’s no pressure to complete all of the walks on the itinerary.

In general, the trails range from well-formed paths to tracks broken with tree roots, rocks, mud etc. Some of the walks can be varied to provide easier options. Walking times can vary between 3 to 7 hours per day. You will need to carry a daypack with your lunch, water, raincoat and jersey which usually weighs around 3 – 6kgs depending on your gear and how much water you like to carry.

For more in-depth information take a nosy at our blog post ‘How Fit Do I Need To Be?’ to help judge if this is something you’ll be capable of doing. If you have any additional queries regarding fitness just have a quick word with our friendly team on +64 7 533 3157 (International), 0800 925 569 (NZ Freephone) or 1800 646 584 (AUS Freephone).

I’m Travelling Solo – Who Will I Be Sharing a Room With?

The accommodation on the Great Barrier Island Escape guided walk is based on twin share, so two walkers to a room. If you’d prefer to have your own room, please select the single supplement option in the online booking form. Single supplement on the Great Barrier Island Escape is $300 NZD per person, this is for the whole trip, not per night. This will ensure you have a room to yourself. If you’re happy to share, you will be placed in a twin share room with another adventure-buddy of the same gender in separate beds.

For more in depth information on our accommodation on Great Barrier Island check out our informative blog post on where we stay.

What Happens If There’s No-One To Share With?

If we don’t have another solo walker to share with you, you’ll receive a private room upgrade at no extra cost.

What Should I Pack?

We’ll send you through a full packing list with your formal booking confirmation email within 24 hours after you book online. This will cover what to bring for the days, and nights, that you’ll be in the great New Zealand outdoors. Here in the beautiful North Island, the climate is much friendlier than in the South Island. You won’t need to buy a lot of expensive gear that you’ll only use once. Just a few good quality items should stand you in good stead.

Do I Need Something Nice To Wear In The Evenings?

You’re on holiday after all, so why not!? Evening meals are not super formal occasions, so you could say the dress code is smart casual. Gents – no ties or dinner jackets required, but covered shoes are a good idea. Ladies – comfortable footwear and covered shoulders are advisable, evenings can cool off quickly.

Will I Need Hiking Boots Or Are Trail Runners Okay?

We recommend you bring hiking boots. Trail runners or running shoes would probably be okay on a few of the walks we do, but it’s best to bring one pair of shoes that will serve you well on all the types of terrain we’ll visit on the Great Barrier Island Escape walk. After periods of rain certain sections of trail can be muddy, so hiking boots will be best to tackle this. On the day where we do the Hirakimata/Mt. Hobson track hiking boots are a must-have.

Can I Borrow Gear From You?

Yes! We have raincoats, day packs and pairs of hiking poles that you are welcome to borrow for the trip. Some companies charge you extra for this, but we offer it as a complimentary addition. We ask that you let us know in advance what you’d like to borrow and we’ll have it ready for you on Day 1. We don’t carry all of our hire equipment with us on each tour, we’ll only bring what has been requested, so it’s imperative that you request this before departure.

What’s My Luggage Limit?

For the flight from Auckland Airport to Claris Airport with Barrier Air, you’ll have a carry-on luggage limit of 7kg per person. If we’ve booked your flights for you, we’ll have a Premium ticket and this comes with a 20kg luggage limit for checked-in bags (excess baggage fees apply). Once you land at Claris Airport, we’ll stow your gear in our vehicles and it’ll be waiting for you at the end of the day when we get back to the lodge. We’ll be staying at the same lodge for 3 nights, so you’ll only need to carry your day pack while we’re out on the trails. The rest of your gear can stay safely at the lodge until we head home again.

Most walkers bring a big suitcase or a duffel bag for the majority of their gear, plus a day pack to hold the days essentials while we’re out walking.

Auckland Airport Luggage Storage

If you’d like to leave luggage at Auckland Airport until you return, please see Auckland Airport Baggage Services for more information.

Do I Need Travel Insurance?

Yes! Travel insurance is essential for all of our guided walks in New Zealand. It is particularly important for the Great Barrier Island Escape walk as, in the case of inclement weather, flights between Auckland Domestic Airport and Claris Airport may be delayed or cancelled, requiring an additional night, or more, spent in either in Auckland City or on Aotea/Great Barrier Island. These kinds of disruptions could come with additional, unforeseen costs for transport, accommodation and meals and these costs are best covered by travel insurance.

We encourage you to review our full Terms & Conditions and our more in-depth blog post on travel insurance for guided hiking tours in New Zealand. We can’t claim to be insurance experts, we just run awesome hiking tours, but we can share with you the expertise our regular travelers have imparted to us in our 20 years of tourism industry experience in New Zealand.

Our friendly team is available and happy to chat further regarding any travel insurance queries you might have, so just give us a call on 0800 925 569 (WALK NZ) or 1800 646 584 (AUS Freephone).

Do I Need To Bring Cash?

The Great Barrier Island Escape walk is an all-inclusive package tour. Cash is not essential on Great Barrier Island, but we recommend that you bring a small amount just in case. The local currency on Great Barrier Island is the New Zealand Dollar. There are currently no ATMs or banks on Aotea/Great Barrier Island and no currency exchanges, so the best place to obtain currency is at Auckland Airport before you depart.

There is a small museum, art gallery and a cafe on the island where you might find something nice to take home. These places have EFTPOS and credit card facilities, but cash is a good idea in case these systems aren’t working on the day we visit.

Accommodation

On the Taranaki Discovery Tour we’ll spend 3 nights in beautiful, boutique accommodation in a lush greenbelt on the outskirts of New Plymouth township. The lodge is set high on a ridge looking down over a gentle meandering river surrounded by gorgeous grounds and native plantings. We spend each night of the tour here, so once we’ve arrived you’ll be able to unpack and fully settle in.

Each room is a generous size with an ensuite bathroom, heating, air conditioning, a kitchenette with tea and coffee making facilities and a television.

Accommodation is based on double or twin share, so if you’re travelling solo and you’re happy to share a room we’ll place you in a room with another walker, of the same gender, in separate beds. If you’d prefer to have a room to yourself, we offer a single supplement private room upgrade for an additional $300 NZD, that’s for the whole trip not per night! If you’re interested in the single supplement option, please tick that box in the online booking form or just get in touch with our friendly team.

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