Backyard Tours

Booked for 6am and 5 minutes before departure we got told that we had to wait until the 7am shuttle. No walking poles, no drinks, as it was advertised.Nice driver though, explaining about the park and the volcanos on the way to the start of the trail.

Great experience with Backyard Tours - they were prompt and well organised. They picked us up from the car park, showed us how to get back to our car and got us to the hike start without any fuss.Appreciated the karakia and explanation of the area we were walking through.

Very good service and nice team. They pick you up from your motel and take you right up to the very top of the ski-field car park. Ideal if you have kids and so convenient for everyone else. Totally recommended, perfect service.Tom Rosentreter >>>>> SportsCarRental.co.nz <<<<<

Terrible service! We booked for transfer from National Park to Whakapapa and they canceled on us 40 minutes past the the appointed time and we waited for 2hrs!!! Very poor communication and disappointing customer service! They wouldn't even offer alternative options, just fend for for yourselves after trusting their service. Smh.

We run a small AirBnb in Turangi and have had some of our guests book with Brendan and Gloria at Backyard Tours, because they offer a unique local experience that the other providers don’t offer. We had the opportunity today to go on the shuttle to the start of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and enjoy the same experience that our guests have talked about. Gloria arrived right on time and we were soon whisked off to pick up others guests for the trip. Local knowledge was shared along the way to the start of the Crossing and the group was given a traditional Maori blessing for safe travels for the trip. Once finished the walk a cold drink was offered and it went down very nicely indeed! A great trip and we will definitely recommend Backyard Tours to many more of our guests. Thanks again Gloria and Brendan.

A great service provided that allowed me to park in the Ketetahi Car Park. We left 15 minutes earlier (I believe because everyone had checked in on time). This was great as it meant no waiting around and I was able to start the trek sooner.

We had an awesome experience with Backyardtours. They brought us to the Start of Tongarrio Alpine Crossing and picked us up at the end. The pickup was arranged perfectly so that we didn’t have to wait which was great due to the cold weather! Further we got a drink at the end and a nice chat as they dropped us off at our location! We would highly recommend them! ☺️

We were so happy to find Backyard Tours last-minute on our trip to Tongariro National Park. Gloria & Brendan picked us up from our accommodation in Taupo, telling us the history of the park and Maori people along the way, dropping us at the start of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing walk. They then picked us up at the end, offered us a celebratory beer before taking us back to our hotel. I highly recommend them for anyone wanting to do the crossing, parking can be very difficult and this door-to-door personalized service is so worth it, especially after 7 hours of hiking!

Very happy with this service; the only company we could find accepting mid-week online bookings at the moment. Check-in was really easy and our driver very friendly. Only thing to be aware of with the one-way shuttle is it adds an additional 1km on to the hike. You have to walk from the main public carpark at the end of the track across to a private carpark to retrieve your car (which we weren't aware of when we booked). But the upside is this private carpark is safe and the one-way shuttle gives you the flexibility to spend as much time as you want in the park; no stress to get to the end at a set time which was great!

Can’t rave enough about what an awesome service Backyard Tours provide. Due to weather we had to change our booking serval times and they were flexible, friendly and accommodating. When we did manage to actually use their services the driver arrived on time, he was friendly, helpful and sent us on our way with a Karakia to give us safe passage over the Tongariro Crossing. The collection process was easy, “text when you reach this point on the crossing and we’ll meet you at the bottom with a cold beverage and smile”We took a little longer than normal to reach the meeting point so the driver came looking for us and texted to see if we were ok.Highly recommend Backyard Tours!!