Unique Vision Tours - Oratia

Bret has tremendous knowledge not only about photography as he is a professional photographer but of new Zealand history biology and geography. Great way to spend the day exploring the mountains and concentrating on the western beach area. Friendly service with small tour feeling. The lunch is simple but filling and nice atmosphere. He designs it around its group ability and interest.

I only had one day in Auckland after flying in on an early morning flight. After seeing the Unique Visions tour website and the positive reviews I decided to book both the Half Day Wild West tour and the night photography tour. I am so very glad I did. These tours were one of the highlights of my trip to New Zealand. Both tours were absolutely Incredible. We walked and hiked up to various spots to get incredible views and Brett took time to point out great viewing and photo spots for these sights while talking about the history of the area and providing cultural information about the areas we traveled to and through. Brett also took time to talk about the history of the area and point out some of the special plants and flowers in the area. The information and the experience were outstanding. Be prepared that there are several hills and sometimes steep and rocky areas you traverse during these tours. It is totally worth it! Brett takes time to ensure folks on the tour make the journey safely. When he saw me struggling with my admittedly overpacked backpack as we were walking around Piha Brach and climbing to see the views, he actually offered to wear my backpack to make that part easier for me. For the night time photography tour, I happened to be the only one booked the night I went and he still conducted the tour just for me. I love photography, however, I am a total novice who has always stuck to auto mode. Without getting frustrated or missing a beat, he showed me how to make the leap to manual and taught me tips and tricks that will lead to a lifetime of better photos. I was blown away by his patience and guidance. I will be forever grateful for the time he spent showing me some incredible night scenes and teaching me how to properly memorialize these beautiful scenes in photos that I will cherish. I will will say that as someone who is admittedly out of shape, these tours were physically challenging but incredibly worthwhile. You should wear good footwear like boots or sneakers with good traction. The tour leader, Brett appears to be a genuinely nice guy and incredibly talented photographer who clearly loves his beautiful country and that shows in the thoughtfulness behind the locations he takes you to and the overall tour experience. I feel it is important to note that I felt comfortable on these tours which is important to me as I was a solo female traveler and his patience and kindness put me at ease. I will Forever be grateful for these experiences and would highly recommend this tour to anyone.