Yeti Tours

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 :)

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!!

A group of 6 of us did the Whanganui River Journey (3 days) with Gavin at Yeti Tours in Jan '23. Gavin and his team were incredibly friendly and flexible from the start. I would highly recommend booking with them. Not only is the quality - price ratio unbelievably good, but Gavin also created the conditions that allowed us all (4 adults in their mid-twenties/early thirties and two adults in their 50s) to feel safe and excited for the adventure. A few examples:- We had booked accommodation with him for the night before the trip but could not get there because the road was flooded - Gavin just told us to come in next morning and cancelled the accommodation with charging anything.- We finished packing in the morning of the first day at Gavin's garage and Gavin wanted us to leave for the river asap, so he said to do the payment when we're back and 'instead focus on what is really important'- We got really clear instructions how to avoid hazards on the river. (Although we managed to still find one, hence next point)- One pair of us hit a submerged rock and capsized (nothing happened), they got jetboated out of there (shoutout to the amazing 'bridge to nowhere' jet boat operators), and had to leave the canoe behind. Upon our return to Gavin's base, he learned of this mishap and reacted only with empathy and kindness. When we told him that he could most certainly still retrieve the (undamaged) boat after the river level had lowered a bit, he did not even want us to file an incident report or charge us any extra for the additional effort that would be necessary to get the boat back.5 out 5, would book again.

Great location for the start of the Whanganui River journey. We did four days. Gavin and his team were amazing in getting us mixed group of people organized: with information and gear etc. Very knowledgable and experienced! And staying at Paul just down the road was a great start into the trip too.Highly recommend Yeti Tours!

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.

Gavin was very helpful with friendly relaxed vibes. He gave us great tips for the river and with timings etc. He gave us a locator beacon, cooler box and 2 additional dry boxes for our phones and cameras which were really useful and something the other tour groups didn't have. He even let us stay in our van at his workshop the night before our trip and use all the facilities. Would definitely recommend!

Gavin offered great service and helped us out when we needed ! Thanks to him we had a great experience on the Whanganui River Journey !

Gavin and Paul have a sense of great Kiwi hospitality and make you feel right at home. They have good quality gear for hire - everything you need for the outdoors. Gavin gave good advice regarding a potential storm and helped us tailor the trip accordingly. Also gave us a good safety briefing before heading on the river which kept us from tipping the boats.Coming back to the do the full river journey at some point and definitely booking with these guys.

Great experience! We did the 2 days of the top of the Whanganui River, 1 kayak and 1 canoe. The views are amazing and the rapids add the fun. They give you the waterproof barrels and a chilly bin, and you can take plenty of stuff in your canoe.

Gavin is an amazing guy! He really makes sure that everything is alright and is always ready to help you out when you get stuck. Definitely best experience so far in new Zealand!