Thanks Pip, really glad that you enjoyed it. Whakaipo Bay is such a special place.

Thank you so much for the lovely review. Glad you guys got to enjoy the lake over the long weekend. See you next time!

Thanks for your review - the Lake is perfect for paddle-boarding so I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Thanks for choosing to come with us.

Hi there, Firstly thank you for using our SUP hire service and then taking the time to provide the feedback. I believe that 95% of the issues you faced were due to miscommunication and inexperience with SUP boards, rather than a systematic error, but thank you for taking the time to provide the feedback because without it we cannot improve. Please let me explain: Our kayaking tours are extremely popular and during peak season, all of the spaces can fill up (81 spaces available per day). If you had booked earlier there would not have been an issue. To save disappointment, we offered you an alternative which was Stand Up Paddle Board Hire. A lot of people love SUPing and find it so easy that when they return from their hireage they purchase SUP boards. I’m sorry that you didn’t find it easy or enjoyable. You're right there are several waterfront hireage operators in Taupo, who allow you to rent a kayak or SUP and paddle in front of their stand. We are the only operator who allows you take the SUPs to the Maori Carvings (which is where you wanted to go). We are also the cheapest at $49 for 4 hours, as opposed to $20 per hour. The Carvings are over 20km out of Taupo, so driving is essential and therefore so are inflatable SUPs because solid SUP boards or kayaks would require roof racks which most campervans or rental cars do not have. That is great that you found a drybag for $8 elsewhere, I hope you bought it!  However I am positive that it would not be of the same high quality as our $29 drybags (not $50). To ensure our customers are safe, our organisation complies with Outdoors Mark Safety Audit standards. To pass this audit, external auditors have scrutinized our systems and been extremely satisfied that our safety standards surpass NZ hireage standards. My husband helped with your hireage and he apologies if you did not completely understand all of the briefing, but he did follow our safety procedure by talking you through our ‘‘briefing checklist’’ which includes how to use the equipment, safety procedures, rescue equipment, emergency contact numbers and how to be helped by Coastguard in an emergency. It is a real shame that you did not enjoy your paddle boarding experience, and I hope that if you come back to Taupo we can take you on a kayak tour to the carvings because you would absolutely LOVE it! The kayaks are stable and easy to use plus we provide a qualified guide who looks after all of the logistics, safety, refreshments and entertainment throughout your kayaking journey. This is an excellent option for beginners and I think if you had reserved a spot on a kayaking trip in the first place, then you would have really enjoyed yourself. If you would like to discuss this further then I would be happy to talk. Please email me at Laura@canoeandkayak.co.nz Kind regards, Laura Duncan Owner/Operator