This is a really. Long. Great. Tour. If you have a toddler, rent your own car, control your own destiny, and let the rest of us enjoy the wonderful day. My five year old, for example, had a fun time. The folks from the States who were clearly lying about how much their screaming 18 mos. old loved the long journey to New Zealand should have known that if your kid needs a car seat, it’s the wrong activity for you.
That being said, our driver handled the situation with incredible grace. He was informative, talked a great deal about the amazing flora, fauna, and geology, and clearly had a love for the area. He could answer our many questions. It was nice to have multiple stops in the National Park to both stretch our legs and get some fantastic photographs. Our guide was helpful in spotting wildlife. Arriving at the port for the boat, we got great reserved seats and a tasty lunch. There was some sort of food for everyone, and extras for purchase.
The sound was not rough, and we were only in the sea for a few minutes. The views are incredible as you’d expect. Wisely on the drive back, our guide popped in both a really interesting documentary and an appropriate movie. Wi-Fi was incredibly helpful for my three children to tolerate almost hours of driving. There is a nice stop at a café with plenty of food options and bathrooms. If you can’t make it two hours without a bathroom, reconsider. Overall we found it to be one of the more informative, scenic tours we have taken in New Zealand.