Tours and Tickets by Arahura Greenstone Tours
Overview
Our Maori guides will share ancient legends and help you find New Zealand's most coveted treasure, Greenstone, on a guided walk along the sacred Arahura river.
Your local guides have a unique connection to the Arahura river known as one of the richest sources of Pounamu and the local area that goes back many generations, and enjoy sharing their knowledge and love of Te tai o Poutini (West Coast) and the Arahura river.
You will be able to find small pieces of Pounamu (greenstone) on our 2-hour tour, and learn to carve this precious stone into a taonga (treasure) to cherish forever.
Our Arahura Greenstone tours operate all year round, weather permitting.
Your local guides have a unique connection to the Arahura river known as one of the richest sources of Pounamu and the local area that goes back many generations, and enjoy sharing their knowledge and love of Te tai o Poutini (West Coast) and the Arahura river.
You will be able to find small pieces of Pounamu (greenstone) on our 2-hour tour, and learn to carve this precious stone into a taonga (treasure) to cherish forever.
Our Arahura Greenstone tours operate all year round, weather permitting.
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Review of: Greenstone Tour on the Saced Arahura River
Yesterday, I had the good fortune to go on a walk with a guide, called Tangi along the Ahahura river mouth. The walk, for about 4 hours sped past as we discussed the lockdown, and how it affected his hapu, the ownership of the Arahura river (the only river owned by a people in NZ) the stories of greenstone, and how the different types came to be in the river according to Maori legend, and, when we weren’t chatting about all this we had our heads down and were looking for greenstone! Or, as the legends have it, the greenstone was looking for us. It’s a wonderful, meditative way to spend an afternoon, and gradually, I got my “eye” in. So much of the stone in the riverbed is colourful, and some of it is precious, but the art of it is in relaxing enough to let the stone make itself known. I found several lovely pieces of Serpentine, a fairly common greenstone, which I was then shown how to make into Pounamu pendants. And then, when I was ready, this piece found me: it’s a cobble of Arahura flower jade, and weighs about 2kg. Normally, this would be the property of the Kati Waewae Hapu, but Tangi decided that this was my “family stone” and so it is coming with us. The whole occasion was deeply moving to me. The stories, the human contact, the atmosphere of a place I was privileged to be allowed to visit, the beauty of the place and the meditation of rock fossicking. I’ll not forget it!…
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Date of experience: July 2020
1 Helpful vote
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Response from Tangi W, Owner at Arahura Greenstone Tours
Responded 27 Aug 2020
I enjoy teaching about pounamu and how it's a healing stone.
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Review of: Greenstone Tour on the Saced Arahura River
Having toured 50+ countries this would have to be up there with my top 10 experiences. Not because it's polished or exciting. But because it's real and in my mind gives you the truest insight into maori tikanga that a tourist is likely to gain. I am maori from NZ but most ppl are unlikely to realise that our stories are different across the country. Tangi taught me about the legends of the birth of Pounamu, stories of tohunga in the southern Alps, the whakapapa of the local hapu, their views of the treaty and Ngai Tahu settlement, the wairua of the Pounamu and his life living and dying free in the bush of his ancestors pa site. Was a special morning and I highly recommend his tour to anyone in the area. Dont expect a polished tour just roll with it and keep an open mind.…
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Date of experience: March 2020
1 Helpful vote
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Response from Tangi W, Owner at Arahura Greenstone Tours
Responded 28 Aug 2020
I love the life I live cause its all mine and I can choose to shear it with anyone I like
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Review of: Greenstone Tour on the Saced Arahura River
Fascinating one-on-one tour of the privately owned Arahura river, learning about local Maori traditions and history. Then search the river mouth for your own pounamu (greenstone/jade) to make into a pendant. Really enjoyed an afternoon in the sun, beach-combing for greenstone and chatting.…
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2 Helpful votes
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Review of: Greenstone Tour on the Saced Arahura River
We booked at the I site in Hokitika and met Tangi at the prearranged time. He took us through his tribes history with the river. We proceeded to the river talking along the way and found pieces of greenstone. The smaller pieces we made necklaces on the river bank while enjoying a coffee and biscuit. The two hour tour ended up being closer to four hours, was thoroughly enjoyable and special. Thank you Tangi.…
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Date of experience: February 2020
2 Helpful votes
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Response from Tangi W, Owner at Arahura Greenstone Tours
Responded 28 Aug 2020
Sorry I took so long some days I'm a bit slow and you weren't in a hurry that day so I enjoy that day thanks
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Review of: Greenstone Tour on the Saced Arahura River
* I have attached my last letter to Tangi as my review. It is being forwarded to other tourist promoting businesses including Qualmark. To Tangi (Tour Operator Arahura Greenstone Tours) I am finally at our next destination and still have no phone service, only wifi at accomodation. Your last correspondence asking me for my phone number to talk was unhelpful as you knew i had no phone access (the NZ mobile carrier has yet to work on the South Island, North Island was fine), and we had been communicating through emails, including the evening of the 17th of November. I am disappointed with your approach to my booked tour, and your deliberate misrepresentation of the facts you relayed to the BookIt service. As stated in my email correspondence, I am happy to participate in outdoor activities in the rain. Both my partner and I spent 5 hours at the Waimangu Volcanic Valley in rainy weather, Hobbiton Tour with some rain, and Cape Reinga (rainy and very windy)…. all on the North Island. We have come prepared for rain on our 25 day holiday, and have pre-booked and paid approx. $3000 in tours and activities. However, none of these days were under any sort of ‘weather warning’ issued by the Gov. weather dept. As stated in my email to you, early Monday morning (18th Nov), the weather was exceptionally bad and it prompted me to investigate further on the actual weather website. A severe weather warning had been put in place the evening before, and I sent this information to you (screen shot too), stating I believed you would be cancelling because of the weather, and that I was disappointed. I received no response from you. However, despite our email correspondences, you contacted BookIt after 10am to inform them that you had been waiting for an hour for me, I was a ’no show’ and that you had been trying to ring me but to no avail. This was completely dishonest, and BookIt were surprised when I informed them that we had been corresponding through email, and that I had sent you an email early that morning about the severe weather warning and the screen shot of this info. Your subsequent email, displaying a payment receipt for 2 people for a 2pm tour that afternoon (I paid mine months ago), does not have any relevance to my 10am booked tour. Throughout the morning the weather was unpredictable with bouts of blue sky passing over later morning, but then rain coming again and being blown at 180 degree angle in the gale winds. After 2pm, when the weather had settled, we drove out to Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki…..along with a large number of tourists getting out for the 1st time that day. Shop owners also were talking about, ‘what is up with this weather?, and how crazy it has been.’ Clearly the rainy event (Severe Weather Warning posted) was more then the usual rain. As you run private tours, you could have asked the people if they’d minded a 3rd person. The weather warnings had been updated late Monday morning, and another was in place, but forecast for to pass through the area later. You did not do this. Yours was not the only tour we had booked either. Our Tuesday 2 hour outdoor, was cancelled because of the Severe Weather Warning…and we were given notice of this possibility on the Sunday because they could see what weather was heading in. They were waiting to see and yes, it was cancelled definitely on the morning of the booking. Furthermore, you clearly state on your website, “Arahura Greenstone Tours operate all year round, weather permitting.” I don’t accept, and neither did the tour operator who cancelled our Tuesday activity, that Severe Weather Warnings in place, are ‘permissible weather conditions’ to continue a 4 hour outdoor activity. Nor is it acceptable for a tour operator to take your money and say if you don’t go out while there is a Severe Weather Warning then I’m keeping your money regardless. That is not your call to make, to chance it, to take the risk on behalf of a paying customer. I am expecting a full refund. I did not choose to not attend because of rain (i was prepared for that). I am not prepared, nor should be expected, to continue outdoor activities whilst a Severe Weather Warning has been issued. I sent you information about this early Monday morning (6:43am). You should have checked for incoming weather, or at the very least, for Severe Weather Warnings in place, as the tour operator. You clearly were negligent here and are trying to shift the blame to me as a ’no show’, and deliberately gave misinformation to BookIt (booking company) in an effort to support your story of me as a ’no show’. I am very disappointed about those particular weather conditions over a couple of days, but despite some current and upcoming rainy weather on the way, our other activities haven’t been adversely effected. If we only loose 2 in 25 days…. then that’s ok. Being ‘ripped off’ by a tour operator, is not ok. And having to spend my holiday time having this ‘back and forth’ correspondence with you, is ridiculous. I will be taking this further if I do not get a full refund. Regards Pia…
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Date of experience: November 2019
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