Testimonals
Some images courtesy of www.darryltorckler.com
Excerpts form the “Visitors Book”
“Amazing kiwi experience, great & warm staff-team, delicious luxury food. Thank you 2″ – Rafaela & Nartin(?) – Austria
“Fantastic experience, wonderful scenery, great food, marvellous company” – Bob & Elcie Jones – York, UK
“Great Hospitality, crew and food! Have to come again.”
- Darryl Torckler – Warkworth NZ
“Very special experience! Scenery, food, fishing and our hosts, Richard & Mandy.”
- Don & Leigh McMullan Opotiki & Vancouver Isl, Canada
“Beautiful! What a lovely time! Certainly a highlight of my NZ trip – highly recomend it to others. Thanks for everything.”
- Leah Gangl – Portland, Oregon, USA
“This was amazing! From the moment I stepped on – to the boat I knew I was going to have a wonderful time. Now I just need to fast! A HUGE highlight of our trip!”
- Phebe Myers – Woodstok, VT, USA
“Absolutely wonderful journey. Loved it all. Getting ready to diet. If buddy (crew) doesn’t make it back, call me… I’m in!”
- Jim Arata – Stamford, CT USA.
“Fabulous food, waterfalls & kayaking,. Nothing like a personal tour with great people + hosts.”
- Janna & Austin Rennich – Eden Prarie, Minesota, USA
“Fabulous!! Great company, great food, outstanding scenery. Keep up the great service. Was one to repeat.”
- Vaughan & Steph Whitelock – Dunedin
“Fantastic trip!! Lots of natural scenery, good food, unbelievable fishing, fabulous crayfish, playful dolphins. Gotta come back for a longer cruise. Thank you so much.”
- Wendy & Essam Radwan – Orlando
“Outstanding trip… thanky ou so much. Food superb and fab seeing the dolphins so close. (yummy apple crumble)”
- Lucy & Chloe – London
“Thanks for the phenomenal time, for the familiar life here on-board. I’ll never forget it.”
- Amanda Pfouth – Munich
“Amazing time for all. Thanks so much. Food, comforts, company, scenery, hospitality!”
- Liz Payne – Tuscon, Arizona
“Great trip thanks. Have to have ribs attended to from laughing!”
- Mark Dowling – Te Anau
“The best Fiordland experience possible. Lookout when the world hears about it!!”
- Dawn Dowling – Te Anau
Testimonials – September 2007
Hi Richard,
We had a great time! Our family trip was a highlight of our adventures. We have been telling our friends all the tales of the fabulous crew, fresh crayfish for dinner, the beauty of the Sound, and kayaking during the still morning. The great write up about your trip in the Fodor’s Guidebook for New Zealand was right on. Thank you!
All the best,
Ingrid Woods and Steve Cummings
August 2007
Hi Richard
Just a short email to thank you for the wonderful experience I had last week.
The Fiords showed us all their moods, the fishing was brilliant, and the scenery/isolation out of this world. Showed some photos to a few mates over a couple of rums last night and from their comments I know I’ll be back with a different bunch of fellas in the future.
That brother of yours was a great skipper, told some great yarns but couldn’t play cards. You will certainly miss him I’m sure when he becomes a “bus driver” on the Milford Sound.
A plug for that young fella Lea is also warranted. He went out of his way to please and his cooking was superb. In my opinion you would do well to consider him for a more permanent position if your future plans permit. Regardless he an Roger did your Company proud on our trip.
Well that is about it. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!
Cheers and kind regards
Brian Leith
Hi Richard
Many thanks for your tremendous hospitality. Please also pass on our thanks to Roger. You guys did a fantastic job with looking after us.
We have spoken to many of our friend and we will be back for another trip. Please pass on on thanks also to Mandy for the soup and Muffins.
Hope all went well with the purchase of the new boat and maybe we can experience it performance and your hospitality (again) soon.
Thanks
Murray Brooks
May 2007
HOT OFF THE PRESS!! Mark and I have just had the most amazing two days in Doubtful Sound as guests of Richard from Fiordland Expeditions. Now if you are thinking Doubtful Sound and overnighting do have a look at his website Fiordlandexpeditions.com as this is truly the best experience possible.
On boarding the Tutoko we were given a glass of champagne and then it was off down the Sound to a secret spot where Richard and Roger (his brother and crew) doned wetsuits and tanks and within minutes had our dinner of crayfish in the bag. We headed out to the Tasman to catch a blue cod to add to the barbeque and then cruised up Bradshaw Sound to Gaer Arm and dropped the anchor for the night.
We were fortunate also to have Joss Wilson from Josswood Restaurant with us who had prepared rack of lamb and venison as entree which was the perfect compliment to crayfish and Roger’s salad and potatoes.
Richard and Roger both have a great sense of humour and after an evening of non stop jokes and laughter Mark was thinking he would have to make an appointment with the physio on return to check out his dislocated ribs. After a great nights sleep we had all recovered and were up and ready for breakfast, which was to say the least another gourmet occasion.
Roger took us for a short ride up the Camelot River in the tender boat (unbelievable scenery) and then we started back down the Sound for Deep Cove. A large pod of bottlenose dolphins entertained us with their acrobatic swimming abilities and some penguins and various other birdlife flew in to check us out but failing them we felt like Captain Cook as there was no-one else to be seen.
Unfortunately, it was over all too quickly but I am hopeful that we might get invited again and I will have my bag packed without hesitation as this is truly one of the most amazing experiences you could imagine.
Courtesy dockbaylodge.co.nz
April 2007
Dear Richard, Mandy and the entire Fiordland Expeditions Team
This is a letter of gratitude to you all, from me and my family.
We had our adventure on the Tutoko in April 2007.
This was a second experience to Fiordland for me and my Father in law on the Tutoko since you bought the business. However it was a first experience for us with you. In addition to ourselves, we had my son (Ben) and my Mum and Dad plus four other people unknown to us at the start of the trip. It was everyone else’s first time to Fiordland.
I am writing to thank you immensely for the time, effort and energy you put into all of us whilst we were experiencing the wonderful Fiordland area. The level of customer focus and awareness that you and your team showed was far beyond any experience I have had to date. From the initial enquiry about the trip right through to the helicopter hanger at the end, your positive focus on us getting the most enjoyment out of the trip was of your upmost concern.
Congratulations on a job well done!!!!!!!
The organizational skills and the logistics for getting everyone together were exceptional. The transfers were easy, the Tutoko boat was very well presented, very clean, very warm and very spacious with the whole crew extremely anxious to show us a good time.
The food, oh the food!!!!!!!!!! What can I say? The photos on your website are real, and the meals cooked to perfection!
We also appreciated your keenness to show us the vast history of an area that not many people get to experience. You have many books, photos and drawings and knowledge easily accessible, stories just waiting to be read, shown or told. You provided information about the area which would quench the thirst of the novice to the historian.
I would like to congratulate you on your views in regards to the eco-management of the area; you are on the right path to protecting this valuable region for future generations. Our hunting, diving and fishing activities were exciting with a plentiful amount each time without pillaging the stocks.
We have made some wonderful friendships with the others in on board the Tutoko and look forward to catching up with them in the future.
On a personal note, I would like to add that I am truly grateful for your care and consideration and time you afforded me and my family whilst we were with you. My son has had an experience that will live with him for his life and I am lucky that you were a part of it.
Again, many thanks and may your business be as successful as you all are.
Kind Regards
Sam Knudsen
Christchurch New Zealand