By making a booking with Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours), you accept the following terms and conditions:
1.1 Safety: Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours) is committed to delivering the best possible experience. We are also committed to your personal safety and pleasure. We therefore reserve the right to cancel or amend tours due to adverse weather and/or road conditions or any other circumstances beyond our control that could likely compromise the safety or level of enjoyment of you, the customer, or our staff. In the unlikely event of a cancellation, we will refund any paid money in full, less an administration fee of NZ$20. If a tour is terminated early, we will refund a proportion of the total fee in relation to the time/distance actually travelled. If a tour includes third party services with costs, such as a boat cruise, which cannot be joined as a result of the cancellation or early termination or amendment of the tour, the amount to be refunded depends on the cancellation terms of that third party service provider.
1.2 All passengers must comply with Health and Safety requirements and take all practicable steps to ensure their own safety. This includes the wearing of seatbelts (see section 3.2) and informing us of any child restraint requirements (see 3.1)
1.3 It is the customer's responsibility to inform us about the accurate number of passengers when making a booking, and to inform us about any changes regarding number of passengers and/or number and/or age of children travelling as part of the booked group. Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours) will not exceed the number of passengers the vehicles are licensed to carry at any time.
1.4 We will look after you and your personal belongings, but will not be held liable for any loss or damage to either. We highly recommend you never leave any valuables in the vehicle while it is unattended.
1.5 For security reasons, particularly in remote places, the driver may stay with the vehicle rather than joining the group for activities, such as bush or beach walks, or free time to explore a certain area. This is to avoid inconveniences caused by possible vehicle break-ins, a crime which sadly has experienced an alarmingly high increase on remote car parks throughout the country in recent years.
1.6 In the unlikely event of an accident, Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours) can not be held responsible for any medical or rehabilitation cost.
2.1 Pickup from your accommodation in Whitianga is available at no surcharge (for tours starting in Whitianga). Pickup from addresses outside Whitianga township can often be arranged on request, but may incur an additional fee. You need to email us the desired pickup address at least 24 hours prior to the departure of the tour. Unless arranged otherwise, at the end of the tour you will be dropped off at the same location as you were picked up at the start.
3.1 Children should be properly restrained in an approved child restraint. Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours) has a limited number of those available. Please let us know in advance about their age, so we can have an appropriate seat ready for you.
3.2 All passengers aged 15 years and over are responsible for themselves to wear a seatbelt, no matter where they are seated, unless an official stop is taken and the vehicle has stopped and its engine turned off. For passengers aged 14 years and under, their legal guardian is responsible for them to ensure a seatbelt is worn. If no legal guardian is present, the driver shall be responsible and act as their legal guardian. In case of non-compliance, the driver reserves the right to refuse or discontinue the transportation of that non-complying passenger. In case of discontinuation, an alternative transport will be organised by the driver, if necessary, at that passengers own cost (e.g. a taxi). All paid fees to Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours) will be forfeited. The driver will announce before every departure that seatbelts must be fastened. He can therefore not be held responsible by the passengers, e.g. in case of a police control where fines are being issued.
4.1 Prices for our regular tours promoted on our website: please refer to each individual tour description for price examples. Should your group constellation not be represented, please ask us for the price. Generally children aged 10 and older are counted as adults. However, on some tours children up to a higher age may travel at a discounted rate. This is specifically mentioned on such tour pages. Prices are shown in NZ$ and include GST (currently 15%). For bookings on public holidays, a 10% surcharge may be applied.
4.2.1 Payment: (for general tours from our tour programme, including family tours, and transport only options ("private hire"), including private airport transfers, but not Whitianga taxi service zones A, B, C): Full payment is required within 3 working days after receipt of the invoice, unless alternative arrangements have been made. Any alternative payment arrangements will be shown on the invoice and overwrite any other payment conditions mentioned in these terms and conditions.
4.2.2 If your tour or transport starts within 7 days or less from the time of booking, immediate payment is required.
4.2.3 Your booking is not confirmed until we have received full payment. Should we not receive your payment, or should we not hear from you in relation to your booking within 3 working days after sending you the invoice, we may cancel your booking and sell your seats on.
4.3 Current NZ legislation requires all tour or transport related fees to be received by Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours) prior to departure or commencement of the service booked. This however is not the case for Whitianga Taxi Service (zones A, B, C).
4.4.1 Payment for all other tours not covered by section 4.2.1 (e.g. private charter tours, custom tours, group tours etc.), unless other agreements have been made: A 10% deposit must be received within 5 working days after the invoice has been provided to the customer (10 working days for international bank transfer), and the balance no later than 10 business days before the tour starts.
4.4.2 While we are happy to send you up to two quotes free of charge, we do require a non-refundable deposit payment of about 10% of the quoted total or NZ$ 400, whichever is the lower amount, for any subsequent quote. This is not only to cover our own cost, but also to comply with third party providers whose services may be part of your tour, and who may charge us a non-refundable deposit as well. Unless stated otherwise, quotes are valid for a maximum of 4 weeks (28 days).
4.4.3 Due to third party provider's cancellation terms, we are often unable to confirm a custom or group tour until we have received a security deposit from you, the customer. We reserve the right to cancel any third party service, or the entire tour, if full payment is not received within reasonable time of booking. In most cases, we will cancel if payment has not been received 10 business days before the start of the tour. When a tour or transport is booked less than 14 days in advance, immediate full payment is required and our cancellation terms apply. On very short notice we may request proof of payment, such as a screenshot of the successful bank transfer.
4.4.4 Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours) may reject a quote request if they believe it is unrealistic to organise and carry out a tour as requested by the customer. This could be, as an example, due to lack of time (short notice) or unrealistic expectations of the customer (due to driving times, for example).
4.5 If your private charter tour starts within 7 days or less, immediate payment of the full quoted final fees is required.
4.6 We reserve the right to cancel any tour or transport booking if payment obligations are not met as required, as outlined in Section 4.2.1 - 4.2.3. If a customer's booking is cancelled and they wish to book again, a new booking request must be sent to us. The price / fare current at the time when the new booking is made will apply to the new booking, which is subject to availability.
4.7 Prices are in New Zealand Dollars, and include GST (sales tax, 15% at the time of writing).
4.8 Methods of payment: In order to keep our prices low, we do not currently accept payments by credit, debit cards or paypal. Payments must be made in advance to our bank account. This can be done either using cash in any NZ Post Shop, by internet banking, or through any major transfer service, such as Wise. Any bank fees, if applicable, are to be paid for by you the customer.
5.1.1 Cancellations by you the customer (for general tours from our tour programme, including family tours, and transport only ("private hire"), including private airport transfers, but excluding Whitianga taxi service zones A, B, C bookings), unless specified differently on your quote or invoice:
Cancellation from date of booking until 90 days prior to booked departure - 100% of the paid fare* will be refunded.
Cancellation from 89 days to 60 days prior to booked date: 95% of the paid fare* will be refunded.
Cancellation from 59 days to 14 days prior to booked date: 90% of the paid fare* will be refunded.
Cancellation within 13 days and 48 hours prior to booked departure - 75% of the paid fare* will be refunded.
Cancellation within 48 hours and 24 hours prior to booked departure - 50% of the paid fare* will be refunded.
Cancellation within 24 hours prior to booked departure and no-show: no refund of fees.
(*less any bank fees, if applicable)
Please note our Covid-19 specific cancellation rules in Section 6.
5.1.2 Family Tours: Provided the booking was made at least 7 days in advance, family tours (F301 and F302) may be cancelled free of charge within 24 hours of booking, if no suitable accommodation can be found, or if the ferry does not have sufficient seats available for the return trip from Auckland or Waiheke to Coromandel. If your booking was made less than 7 days prior to the tour date, please ask us to allow for free cancellation exemption.
5.2 For private charter tours, these cancellation terms may be different, and will be specifically outlined in your Private Charter Tour Offer and/or Confirmation.
5.3 Cancellations for taxi bookings: our normal cancellation fees apply as shown in section 6.1.
5.4 Any communication related to existing bookings must be made in writing directly with Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours).
5.5 Cancellations by us (Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours)):
5.5.1 "Bad Weather" cancellations: The term "bad weather" is hard to be defined, as every individual has their own perception and definition. However, it is important to note that New Zealand's island climate is well known for its changeability, no matter what time of year. We therefore will not cancel a tour because the weather forecast is for rain and/or wind. Likewise, our cancellation terms will remain in place, should the customer decide to cancel. Instead, we generally recommend to be prepared by carrying or wearing appropriate clothes. Rain protection belongs into every day pack just as well as sun protection. As a matter of fact, rain can create a very special atmosphere, and days with sun and rain often result in the most amazing photographs (with double rainbows) and unforgettable experiences. If it is foreseeable however that the weather conditions for your booked tour are likely to be unfavourable to such an extent that enjoyment of the tour is unlikely (e.g. the tour involves mainly outdoor activities and the forecast is for torrential rain), we will get in touch with you as soon as we practically can and discuss your options with you, such as whether or not to cancel the tour, or, if reasonable, postpone it by a day or two (if suitable for you). A full refund may not always possible though, as we may still get charged for some services that form part of the tour.
5.5.2 As we are committed to your personal safety and pleasure, we reserve the right to cancel or amend tours due to "Force Majeure" or "Act of God events. In the unlikely event of such a cancellation prior to departure, we will refund any paid money in full. No refund will be offered when a tour, which has already commenced, needs to be amended or cancelled due to a "Force Majeure" or "Act of God" event (see also 8.1)
5.5.3 Insolvency, liquidation and closure of the business (Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours)): should we be forced to cancel your confirmed booking due to any such reason, we will refund any paid fees to you as soon as possible. No other claims may be made against us. We will however do our best to accommodate you and move your booking to another provider, if available.
5.5.4 Cancellation by third party: If a third party (e.g. accommodation or activity provider, rental vehicle company, transport service provider etc)cancels on us for whatever reason, we will do our best to replace the cancelled service by a suitable alternative. If we are unable to find an alternative, the booked tour will need to be adjusted accordingly, or, in some cases, fully cancelled. We will pass on any refunds received by that third party to you, the customer, or refund the full tour, in case of a cancellation of the entire tour. We endeavour to communicate any such situation or changes to you in a timely manner.
5.9 Transport to connect with public transport (including, but not limited to airport transfer, ferry transfer, transport to bus stops): it is solely the responsibility of the passenger to ensure they are meeting the requirements set out by the public transport provider (e.g. airline, ferry company, coach line) to be accepted for transport. Should a passenger be rejected for whatever reason (for example due to unacceptable amount and/or size of luggage, inability to show ticket or reservation or boarding document, failure to comply with other regulations, such as legal requirement to wear a face mask), Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours) has no obligation to transport them further or transport them back to their original departure point. It is also the passenger's responsibility to supply accurate dates and times for such transport. It is the driver's discretion to decide whether or not to assist the passenger by transporting them further, and if so, provided other passengers are not negatively impacted by this, a surcharge applies (currently, as of April 2023, this surcharge is equal to $1.00 per kilometer), and must be paid directly by the passenger to the driver in cash.
6. Special COVID-19 Cancellation Policy. These Special COVID-19 Cancellation Terms as outlined in section 6.1 apply ONLY to a cancellation caused directly by “COVID-19 Government Travel restrictions” e.g. border closure and/or domestic NZ travel restrictions (as in case of lockdown). If cancelling due to any other reason/s (except the legal requirement to self-isolate, see below) our standard cancellation policy applies.
6.1 Cancellation by you, the customer, up to 14 days prior to the booked departure: 100% of the paid fare will be refunded.
Cancellation by you, the customer, from 13 days to 24 hours prior to booked departure: if the reason for the cancellation is “COVID-19 Government Travel restrictions” being imposed, 100% of the paid fare will be refunded. However, if the reason is "self isolation" preventing you from travelling with us (as you would be self-isolating when infected with COVID-19), Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours) will either issue a credit to be used for any of our products or services within 12 months post original departure date, or alternatively refund you all paid fees less an administration fee of $50 or 20% of the paid fare, whichever is lower.
Cancellation by you, the customer, less than 24 hours prior to booked departure: no refund will be given, unless the reason for the short notice is due to “COVID-19 Government Travel restrictions” being implied less than 48 hours prior your booked departure, in which case Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours) will issue a credit to be used for any of our products or services within 12 months post original departure date.
6.2 Cancellations by us (Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours)) due to COVID-19 related events: As we are committed to your personal safety and pleasure, and adhere to Government regulations and legislation, we may be required to cancel or amend tours due to COVID-19. These include, but are not limited to any of our staff being in self-isolation and therefore unable to carry out their duty, no matter the reason for their self-isolating (i.e. whether they actually are knowingly infected with the virus or have to self-isolate because they have been a close contact of an infected person, or are awaiting a test result). We will inform you, the customer, as soon as we possibly can about the situation and cancellation, and will refund 100% of prepaid fees. No other claims may be made by the customer.
7.0 If a tour has not been paid for in time, and we are unable to reach the customer, we reserve the right to cancel a tour fully, from as early as 7 days prior to the planned start of the tour, depending on the situation.
7.1 Luggage and passenger restrictions for Airport and City Transfers: unless pre-arranged with us otherwise, we will transport a maximum of three (3) passengers, Each passenger is allowed to take one piece of standard sized check-in luggage (i.e. a suitcase, with a maximum weight of 30kg. Its dimensions L+W+H must not exceed 158cm (62 in), as well as one piece of hand luggage plus one additional small piece, with a combined weight of no more than 20kg. Anything additional is deemed excess luggage and needs to be pre-approved by us. A maximum of four (4) passengers is possible under certain conditions in our own vehicle. Larger groups may be transported on request. Excess luggage must be pre-booked and confirmed by us. We will not transport unconfirmed excess luggage if it is deemed unsafe to do so. Please note that your airline may have different luggage restrictions in place. It is your own responsibility to ensure you meet them.
8.1 Force Majeure and Act of God: Force Majeure and Act of God events are occurrences beyond our reasonable control and which could not have been reasonably prevented by us, which include, but are not limited to: (a) war, armed conflict, criminal damage, riot, civil strife, industrial dispute, terrorist activity or the threat of any such acts; (b) natural disaster (including but not limited to storm, flooding, fire, earthquake, landslide), adverse weather conditions, high or low water levels; (c) nuclear or other industrial accident causing environmental pollution or contamination; or (d) change in law, amendment (including repeal) in the law or administration of any law in New Zealand, which includes changes in statute, regulation, determination, by-law, declaration, license and the common law as applicable from time to time.
8.2 Delays caused by unexpected traffic disruptions, such as traffic jams, unplanned road closures, unplanned detours etc: Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours) is not liable to you for any costs associated with such a delay, in particular when such a delay results in the customer missing another connection, such as a ferry, flight or similar, or being unable to attend an event, such as a wedding, concert or festival, for which they have booked our transport. We recommend to take out travel insurance which covers such travel disruptions and related expenses.
8.3 Price adjustments/increases and other changes of confirmed bookings due to unexpected events and/or force majeure events, such as but not limited to sudden significant price increases for fuel/petrol/diesel, unexpected introduction of road tolls or taxes, short- or long-term or permanent road closures leading to longer travel times and distances: Whenever any such unexpected event, that could not be foreseen at the time when the customer's booking was confirmed by us, is likely to affect the booked service, we reserve the right to adjust the price/fare accordingly to cover our increased expenses, as long as the date for which our service is booked and confirmed for lies at least one week (7 days) in the future. If a customer does not accept the updated price/fare, they may cancel their booking free of charge, which must be done in writing within 5 working days of receipt of the amended booking. No other claims may be made by the customer.
8.4 Changes to bookings and rebookings by you, the customer, after receipt of final confirmation: an administrative fee of no more than NZ$50 per transaction may be added to the total price of your booking for each change to the booking if requested by you, the customer, after the final confirmation has been sent. These changes include but are not limited to name changes, date changes and changes in the programme.
9.1 Smoking and Vaping: For other passengers’ comfort smoking and vaping is not allowed inside our vehicles.
10. Limitation of Liability:
10.1. Some of our tours include the services of independent third party providers, such as hoteliers, airlines, cruise companies and other operators, who are not agents, servants or employees of Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours). Although we select these independent service providers carefully, Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours) is not responsible for the conduct of the independent service providers, their servants and agents or for any ramifications of that conduct. Tours and excursions may, depending on your tour, include activities such as climbing, exploring, hiking, swimming and snorkelling. You accept and assume the risk involved with these activities.
10.2. If, in the opinion of any representative of Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours), your mental or physical condition is such as to affect your own health and safety, render you incapable to care for yourself, cause you to became a hazard to yourself or other passengers or result in you becoming objectionable to other passengers or staff, you will not be permitted to embark or continue on the whole or any part of the tour. Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours) is not liable to you for any costs associated with such a decision and you will not be refunded for any part of the tour.
10.3. Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours) accepts no responsibility for any death, injury, illness, loss (including loss of enjoyment), damage, detention, delay (including mechanical breakdown).
10.4. Any term, condition or warranty expressed or implied by statute or otherwise in respect of the tour contained on this website or in brochures are excluded to the full extent permitted by law. Nothing in these booking conditions excludes, restricts or modifies the application of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) as amended, consolidated, supplemented or replaced.
10.5. To the full extent permitted by law, Whitianga Tours and Taxi (aka Coromandel Nature Tours)’s liability arising in or under connection with these booking conditions: (a) is limited to the re-supply of the products or services or the payment of the cost of re-supply of the products or services to you; and (b) excludes liability for any indirect or consequential losses suffered by you or any third party, howsoever caused, including but not limited to pure economic loss or any special, extraordinary or punitive damage to you or any other party.
11. Privacy Policy Your privacy is very important to us. Accordingly, we have developed this Policy in order for you to understand how we collect, use, communicate and disclose and make use of personal information. Please click on the link at the bottom of the page to view our privacy policy.