My husband and I have traveled internationally on a small cruise ship (Azamara), small group tours and trips that we planned on our own both in the US and internationally. My husband is motor disabled (uses
a cane and has difficulty walking stairs and moving his legs at a normal pace) and he is hearing impaired (sensory-neural loss so sounds he hears are often muffled and hard to understand even with hearing aids). I was worried that Gary would not understand our private tour guide for Waiheke Island, Grant Kidd of Waivino Tours. Grant’s voice was understandable because he spoke clearly and with good pacing so headsets were not needed. He drove a comfortable van that was easy for my husband to enter and exit and he adjusted the pacing of the trip so my husband could enjoy all the planned activities without getting too fatigued. Grant listened to what our goals were for our tour of Waiheke Island and he far exceeded our expectations. We not only went to two wineries, tasted outstanding wines and had a delicious lunch, Grant took us to a brewery for a tasting and located a polo shirt that we were looking for as a souvenir!
Grant was one of the best tour guides we had in all our travels. In addition to being charming as well as friendly, he greeted us at the ferry on time. He was observant of our needs knew when we needed to take a break or adjust the tour schedule to meet our needs. The most important characteristic of Grant was his ability to share his knowledge of the wineries, beaches, history and geography of Waiheke in an engaging and entertaining manner that made the island come alive during our tour! Grant had a good sense of timing as he added humor at just the right moment and provided anecdotes about his experiences. We definitely recommend Grant Kidd at Waivino Tours as a guide for Waiheke Island
