Elm Wildlife Tour, Otago, NZ...Ladies, how did you manage?
Jan 21st, 2007, 02:36 PM
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Elm Wildlife Tour, Otago, NZ...Ladies, how did you manage?
Hello fellow famale fodorites! We are off to New Zealand in early February 2007 to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.
Looking at booking the Elm Wildlife Otago peninsula encounter tour...I am in my early 50's...fit enough for my age...but ladies, what did you do about:
TOILET STOPS: Toilet stops on the 5- to 6-hour Elm Wildlife Standard Peninsula tour? How long did you have to "hold it in"?! [-o< (This question is for ladies only!) I understand there is a toilet at the Albatross Centre but have no idea how far that is from the tour areas where you walk.
SHOES: I have done day-hikes in Costa Rica and Ireland in my good old white Nike walking shoes. Okay for Elm Wildlife standard peninsula tour? I don't care if they get all wet and muddy...I just don't want to slip. I plan on bringing an extra pair of shoes.
RAIN: I know it could rain on this tour...Did you wear waterproof pants or just the waterproof jacket? Were you happy with your choice of clothing? Were you too cold or too hot? I bought a waterproof jacket but NOT waterproof pants.
HILLS: I have done a 3 1/2 hour hike through the Monteverde cloud forest in Costa Rica, although that was at my own pace...not with a tour group. I could rest whenever I wanted. I assume the Elm Wildlife tour is okay for me, in my early 50's and moderately fit? I am used to nature walks with biologist husband. We only do half-day hikes normally, with rest stops.
Thanks, ladies! This is embarassing but maybe some other poor soul will want to know these same answers but was afraid to ask!
Looking at booking the Elm Wildlife Otago peninsula encounter tour...I am in my early 50's...fit enough for my age...but ladies, what did you do about:
TOILET STOPS: Toilet stops on the 5- to 6-hour Elm Wildlife Standard Peninsula tour? How long did you have to "hold it in"?! [-o< (This question is for ladies only!) I understand there is a toilet at the Albatross Centre but have no idea how far that is from the tour areas where you walk.
SHOES: I have done day-hikes in Costa Rica and Ireland in my good old white Nike walking shoes. Okay for Elm Wildlife standard peninsula tour? I don't care if they get all wet and muddy...I just don't want to slip. I plan on bringing an extra pair of shoes.
RAIN: I know it could rain on this tour...Did you wear waterproof pants or just the waterproof jacket? Were you happy with your choice of clothing? Were you too cold or too hot? I bought a waterproof jacket but NOT waterproof pants.
HILLS: I have done a 3 1/2 hour hike through the Monteverde cloud forest in Costa Rica, although that was at my own pace...not with a tour group. I could rest whenever I wanted. I assume the Elm Wildlife tour is okay for me, in my early 50's and moderately fit? I am used to nature walks with biologist husband. We only do half-day hikes normally, with rest stops.
Thanks, ladies! This is embarassing but maybe some other poor soul will want to know these same answers but was afraid to ask!
Jan 21st, 2007, 03:25 PM
#2
We had terrifically bad weather (which didn't start out that way). I wish I had worn my rain pants, which I didn't because it was sunny when we left. Elm has extra jackets which are fairly long. I was warm enough thanks to my fleece jacket, and walking up hill.
PS On the south island, especially near the coast, always bring your fleece and windproof jacket with you if you are leaving the car. The cold wind from the ocean is really incredible, even if it is not raining.
I saw one lady doing the walk in strappy sandals, I kid you not. She was young though. The hill(s) have some steep sections and you are walking on grass and sheep poo, plus some steps. If the grass is wet just go slowly downhill, in the Nikes.
I don't remember any rest stops, once we went out to the farm.
If you need to rest half way up, just do it. It won't really slow the group down to any significant degree since the steep sections are short.
PS On the south island, especially near the coast, always bring your fleece and windproof jacket with you if you are leaving the car. The cold wind from the ocean is really incredible, even if it is not raining.
I saw one lady doing the walk in strappy sandals, I kid you not. She was young though. The hill(s) have some steep sections and you are walking on grass and sheep poo, plus some steps. If the grass is wet just go slowly downhill, in the Nikes.
I don't remember any rest stops, once we went out to the farm.
If you need to rest half way up, just do it. It won't really slow the group down to any significant degree since the steep sections are short.
Jan 21st, 2007, 05:15 PM
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We had absolutely horrible weather. I wore a rain jacket, jeans, and Nikes. I don't recall having to go to the bathroom. The hills are really really tough. I was 25 and in shape and I was worn out (wind and torrential rain). I don't mean to be dramatic.... but the truth is I actually threw my Nikes in the trash afterwards. The hills you are walking down/up are covered in sheep, um... dung?... and my shoes were disgusting. Honestly, I think it would be doable but rather tough for someone in her 50's. But then again, we had weird bad weather. All in all, it was worth it!
Liz
Liz
Jan 21st, 2007, 08:02 PM
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Melissa5 you have posed an interesting and always pertinent question. I always think that anywhere you travel outside your 'comfort zone' involves a continuous search for amenities! I haven't been on the Elm tour, but I'm sure there will at the very least be a suitable bush which your husband can stand guard in front of! As for the white Nikes I would wear them and clean them off if they get muddy - I've done that heaps of times.
Jan 21st, 2007, 09:37 PM
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mlgb, we are so old but I guess we are the last to realize it! 
Thanks for the details of your Elm tour, sheep poo and all. In Ireland my husband and I got out of the car and trekked through sheep poo to see a fabulous view...which was all fogged in...while our 2 daughters sat in the car and laughed their headphones off at us!! 
I really think that travel and travel-planning keeps you young because it expands your view of what is aging...
The man who inspired me to plan so many independent trips was in his 70's and still traveling independently with his wife...I figured if he could do it, I could do it!
mlgb, I don't have any rain pants yet but I still have more shopping to do. Can't remember what I am supposed to wear under them... Shorts? Long underwear? What if it gets too hot with rain pants on?
Tim and Liz, I appreciate everything you have shared the whole time I've planned this trip! You've been great. Well, if the hills were tough on a 25-year-old I guess it will be all up hill for me! I love the idea of throwing my shoes away. I think sheep poo cleans off of shoes easier if the field isn't too wet. In Ireland, I got it off my white Nikes easily...but it was only just starting to mist lightly...the sheep poo was fairly dry... Ah, memories!!!
ishki, yes, I travel about the world searching for...umm...facilities! Men have got it easy! I LOVE nature reserves with toilet facilities...
Well, ladies, it has been fun! There's nothing better than getting the real inside story, grueling hills, sheep poo, rain, and all! I like to know what to expect.
I am determined to see those yellow-eyed penguins. I have to decide soon between the Elm Wildlife tour or the Penguin reserve...my husband would prefer the Elm Wildlife tour.
I owe you all a juicy trip report!
Thanks for the details of your Elm tour, sheep poo and all. In Ireland my husband and I got out of the car and trekked through sheep poo to see a fabulous view...which was all fogged in...while our 2 daughters sat in the car and laughed their headphones off at us!! I really think that travel and travel-planning keeps you young because it expands your view of what is aging...The man who inspired me to plan so many independent trips was in his 70's and still traveling independently with his wife...I figured if he could do it, I could do it!
mlgb, I don't have any rain pants yet but I still have more shopping to do. Can't remember what I am supposed to wear under them... Shorts? Long underwear? What if it gets too hot with rain pants on?
Tim and Liz, I appreciate everything you have shared the whole time I've planned this trip! You've been great. Well, if the hills were tough on a 25-year-old I guess it will be all up hill for me! I love the idea of throwing my shoes away. I think sheep poo cleans off of shoes easier if the field isn't too wet. In Ireland, I got it off my white Nikes easily...but it was only just starting to mist lightly...the sheep poo was fairly dry... Ah, memories!!!
ishki, yes, I travel about the world searching for...umm...facilities! Men have got it easy! I LOVE nature reserves with toilet facilities...
Well, ladies, it has been fun! There's nothing better than getting the real inside story, grueling hills, sheep poo, rain, and all! I like to know what to expect.
I am determined to see those yellow-eyed penguins. I have to decide soon between the Elm Wildlife tour or the Penguin reserve...my husband would prefer the Elm Wildlife tour.
I owe you all a juicy trip report!
Jan 22nd, 2007, 01:18 AM
#7
Rainpants: shorts if it is warm and might clear up, long underwear if it is cold and/or you don't care who sees you in the long underwear, or all three, which is what I do when it is cool but might clear up and or get warm. Think "four seasons in a day" and you get the picture. One morning in Dunedin I left all bundled up, took the Cadbury tour, and had to go back to the hotel to take all my clothes off and put on the shorts and t-shirt. And back to bundled up later on in the day. I'm sure it rained, too.
Jan 22nd, 2007, 11:14 AM
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mlgb, thanks! I get the picture. I guess you really had 4 seasons in one day. I'm not sure if I want to start the fashion trend of running around in long underwear! 
I can't believe we're leaving in early February... Yikes! I am juggling laundry, shopping for clothes/shoes, and internet trip research. STILL unsure about Penguin Place vs. Elm Wildlife. There are other choices as well but those are the ones most traveller's mention on fodors.
I can't believe we're leaving in early February... Yikes! I am juggling laundry, shopping for clothes/shoes, and internet trip research. STILL unsure about Penguin Place vs. Elm Wildlife. There are other choices as well but those are the ones most traveller's mention on fodors.
Jan 25th, 2007, 01:12 AM
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MLGB: Help! You have been to both Penguin Place and Elm Wildlife. And you have given me so much informative advice and support.
We are stuck on this one question about how to see the Yellow-eyed penguins on Otago Peninsula! We can't agree. My husband would prefer the Elm Wildlife tour, because he is a biologist and he would get to see a variety of different types of wildlife on this tour as well as the Yellow-eyed penguins. He prefers nature to be as unspoiled as possible.
For me, while the Elm Wildlife tour looks excellent, it is not my preferred style. I prefer my nature experiences with facilities...a toilet, maybe a nice little cafe, perhaps a little gift shop... So for me, 2 hours without facilities would be okay, but 5 or 6 hours is really stretching what I think I could enjoy...
For you, which was better? Did you prefer either the Penguin Place or the Elm Wildlife tour? Sometimes it helps to hear someone else's preferences. It can give some perspective.
My husband and I have been married 25 years now and we usually have become good at meshing our differing styles on vacation. But this penguin problem is vexing...Still no decision, no reservation, and we are leaving in early February!
My husband says I should just book the Elm Wildlife and he will...ummm...escort me to a convenient bush when necessary. He says I will hardly notice the lack of facilities since I will have to trudge through the mud and sheep poo and up and down hills. (Hardly comforting!!!)
I consulted my 19-year-old daughter, who is very wise actually, and who knows me well, and she says, Mom, the Penguin Place is better for you, let's face it, you're just not a go-in-the-bush kind of person...every 10 minutes for you!
I consulted my elderly mother and father just for fun. (They consider themselves elderly.) My father said, what no toilet, no way would he go. My mother said...it sounds like a wonderful opportunity...and if she had gotten herself all the way to New Zealand, then she would do the Elm Wildlife tour!
What do you say, mlgb?! I am sure tired of this one question, and would like to move onto getting a fun list of more places to eat!
We didn't have this problem in Costa Rica, as I chose rainforests and cloud forests which were national parks, so they always had facilities at the entrance, nicely combining the styles of my husband and I. (the national parks were very natural and protected, yet with facilities at the entrance!)
We are stuck on this one question about how to see the Yellow-eyed penguins on Otago Peninsula! We can't agree. My husband would prefer the Elm Wildlife tour, because he is a biologist and he would get to see a variety of different types of wildlife on this tour as well as the Yellow-eyed penguins. He prefers nature to be as unspoiled as possible.
For me, while the Elm Wildlife tour looks excellent, it is not my preferred style. I prefer my nature experiences with facilities...a toilet, maybe a nice little cafe, perhaps a little gift shop... So for me, 2 hours without facilities would be okay, but 5 or 6 hours is really stretching what I think I could enjoy...
For you, which was better? Did you prefer either the Penguin Place or the Elm Wildlife tour? Sometimes it helps to hear someone else's preferences. It can give some perspective.
My husband and I have been married 25 years now and we usually have become good at meshing our differing styles on vacation. But this penguin problem is vexing...Still no decision, no reservation, and we are leaving in early February!
My husband says I should just book the Elm Wildlife and he will...ummm...escort me to a convenient bush when necessary. He says I will hardly notice the lack of facilities since I will have to trudge through the mud and sheep poo and up and down hills. (Hardly comforting!!!)
I consulted my 19-year-old daughter, who is very wise actually, and who knows me well, and she says, Mom, the Penguin Place is better for you, let's face it, you're just not a go-in-the-bush kind of person...every 10 minutes for you!
I consulted my elderly mother and father just for fun. (They consider themselves elderly.) My father said, what no toilet, no way would he go. My mother said...it sounds like a wonderful opportunity...and if she had gotten herself all the way to New Zealand, then she would do the Elm Wildlife tour!
What do you say, mlgb?! I am sure tired of this one question, and would like to move onto getting a fun list of more places to eat!
We didn't have this problem in Costa Rica, as I chose rainforests and cloud forests which were national parks, so they always had facilities at the entrance, nicely combining the styles of my husband and I. (the national parks were very natural and protected, yet with facilities at the entrance!)
Jan 25th, 2007, 07:06 AM
#10
Dear Melissa, you might like to do the Monarch Cruise, Albatross Center and Penguin Place. At the Albatross Center there is a lookout over a fur seal colony. The only thing you are possibly missing is a chance to see a Hooker's Sea Lion on the beach. On the other hand, it sounds like a lot of people really enjoy the Elm tour and the guides are excellent. I don't think it would be 5 or 6 hours without a pit stip, though. Part of the time is spent travelling to the Otago Peninsula and then a stop at the Albatross Center. Hard to remember but maybe 4 hours with just a bush?
Jan 25th, 2007, 10:54 AM
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mlgb: 4 hours with just a bush sounds fine...really...it does...
amp; NOT! Oh, mlgb, I appreciate your patience with me. I like to solve everything by talking & researching. I pretty much researched my way through life! I also love talking and writing. You and Melnq8 have been especially nice. Thank you!
So it looks like I have 2 choices:
Choice #1 Book the Albatross Centre, Penguin Place, and visit the beaches which have public access...touring at our own pace.
Choice #2 Book the Elm Wildlife tour for my husband to enjoy and for me to "endure"!
That's what it comes down to. For me it would have to be awfully amazing for me not to care about the discomforts. No discomforts for my lucky husband. He would probably happily spend the night on the beach there with Elm Wildlife if they let him.
Well I'm going shopping and let all the info and opinions settle in!
amp; NOT! Oh, mlgb, I appreciate your patience with me. I like to solve everything by talking & researching. I pretty much researched my way through life! I also love talking and writing. You and Melnq8 have been especially nice. Thank you! So it looks like I have 2 choices:
Choice #1 Book the Albatross Centre, Penguin Place, and visit the beaches which have public access...touring at our own pace.
Choice #2 Book the Elm Wildlife tour for my husband to enjoy and for me to "endure"!
That's what it comes down to. For me it would have to be awfully amazing for me not to care about the discomforts. No discomforts for my lucky husband. He would probably happily spend the night on the beach there with Elm Wildlife if they let him.
Well I'm going shopping and let all the info and opinions settle in!
Jan 25th, 2007, 01:32 PM
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3 years ago we did a tour on Bushy beach in Oamaru. The guide, Jim was really passionate and we spent about 2 hours observing 3 or 4 yellow-eyed penguins. We got really close - so close we could have touched them in fact! There were only about 8 of us in the group, we had to book the tour at the information centre. We also went to the Penguin Place, much more touristy, we saw more penguins - no so close, it was good too but between the 2 tours we preferred the fist one.
Jan 25th, 2007, 08:16 PM
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MietteMeg: Thanks! Your tour on Bushy Beach in Oamaru sounds very memorable. Which information centre did you book it from? Do you mean an information center in Oamaru or in Dunedin maybe? I'm surprised the guide let you get so close. I keep hearing how shy the yellow-eyed penguins are. Sounds like you had a great time!
Also, did you book that tour on the spot...or did you pre-book ahead of the day you arrived? Many thanks.
Also, did you book that tour on the spot...or did you pre-book ahead of the day you arrived? Many thanks.
Jan 27th, 2007, 03:33 PM
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Melissa: I highly recommend the Elm Wildlife tour. The guides are exceptional and the wildlife viewing was one of the highlights of our three-month New Zealand trip.
Yes, it's a vigorous hike, but if you're reasonably fit you should be fine. (My husband is early 60s and didn't have a problem.) The stop at the Albatross Centre was sufficient for bathroom break. And there's lots of opportunity to pause and take in the scenery both down to the beach and back up.
Do wear sturdy walking shoes. We had waterproof jackets but not pants and the weather was fine in April.
I'm not the roughing it kind either, but this was a one-of-a-kind, exhilarating experience I will always remember.
Take the plunge and have a great time!
cheers.
Yes, it's a vigorous hike, but if you're reasonably fit you should be fine. (My husband is early 60s and didn't have a problem.) The stop at the Albatross Centre was sufficient for bathroom break. And there's lots of opportunity to pause and take in the scenery both down to the beach and back up.
Do wear sturdy walking shoes. We had waterproof jackets but not pants and the weather was fine in April.
I'm not the roughing it kind either, but this was a one-of-a-kind, exhilarating experience I will always remember.
Take the plunge and have a great time!
cheers.
Jan 29th, 2007, 12:10 AM
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Thanks wonderful fodorite ladies! An unexpected opportunity came up, and I booked a very interesting tour of the Otago Peninsula for my husband and I. Look for my trip report when I return...I owe you all a big thank-you. Everyone has been so good with tips, advice, and encouragement. I still have a few days to stuff my suitcase and gather my details. 
Thanks for sticking with me, mlgb, Melnq8, Tim & Liz, SenohDH1, and too many wondeful fodorites, all of you.
Thanks for sticking with me, mlgb, Melnq8, Tim & Liz, SenohDH1, and too many wondeful fodorites, all of you.
Jan 30th, 2007, 01:47 PM
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Sorry Melissa5, I didn't check the forum for a while. We booked the tour in Oamaru visitors centre (you may want to email them to see if they still do it). We were lucky as we got the last places. We all really enjoyed the tour, including our son who was 8 at the time! If you are interested I can email you some photos we took on the tour.
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