Peter and Xiaoli Tours

Soon I will be away on tour most of the summer season, and I will miss all this.

Our farmyard, well part of it. Missed the Alpacas and pigs. A lot of rabbits (wild) around to but the cell I was using was not close enough to capture the rabbits. Should have used the drone.

I will miss my animals when the tours start next month. The odd times I get home there will not be enough time to involve myself in the farmyard. That I will miss.

Now it’s the time all the young are hatching. Its great to see them pecking around with their mothers.

Xiaoli has separated the Goslings from their 3 mothers. The mothers are destined for new homes and by separating the young when still small its easier to teach them this is home, otherwise geese can have a tendency to wander further afield.

Hoping I have sourced some peacock young that are just hatching in the top of the Sout Island. Hoping I can bring home after my tour that finishes December 1 in Christchurch. It will take me 30 hours to get back home with our tour vehicle so a few livestock in the back I need feed and water will help keep me alert and ensure I do make stops.

This time last year I collected 23 geese that were going to be exterminated just outside Christchurch. I had a truck to collect for a friend so rescued the geese. Made make shift cages on the back. The men at the ferry terminal certainly knew I had arrived 1am in the morning as the geese alerted them. That was to my advantage as I managed to get on the overnight freight ferry leaving at 2am. Off in Wellington before the peak hour rush began. The progeny of those geese you see in the video.

I will miss my animals. Obviously the dogs who to Xiaoli and I are our children. But I will also miss seeing all the young emerge from their breeding areas. The process has only just started

http://www.peterandxiaoli.com

Statistics/numbers – where do the boffins draw them from?

I have just viewed the just released Northland tourism figures for July. Now July was the period the British and Irish Lions rugby team were here. One game even played in Northland, although memory says that may have fallen in June, not July. But with the Lions in the country tourism figures were meant to show huge growth as their supporters descended upon us, but this was not the case in Northland.

I started by saying where do the research boffins draw their figures from? I am guessing a select sample of accommodation providers. Not us obviously but I guess in the accommodation market we are considered minor players.

Far North New Zealand stats show bed nights were down. Not significantly. About 4% by memory. Those figures do not surprise us as our own July figures remained on par with the previous year so 4% is neither here or there. But obviously we did not encourage enough of the ardent Lions supporters to spend enough time in the far north. A shame we missed on those potential customers.

Our own accommodation business we have not pushed for a long time. Probably should, in particular off season, but Xiaoli and I are just so stretched peak season we enjoy our quiet times. One day our property will sell beach front Ninety Mile Beach then the buyer should see huge growth off season if they promote.

Today I received our new transport licensing cards for display on our vehicles. Laws changed as of 1^st October closing loop holes some used to try use. It didn’t really affect us except now we hold 2 licenses verses 1 to cover us for small and large passenger vehicles. The ‘P’ driving licenses we also hold for any size vehicle and as per a recent blog, first aid certification is up to date. I just hope we never have a call to use it.

Our DOC (Department of Conservation) license is all paid up. They gave us a 3 yearly reviewed and some rates have changed but we are good to go. Still I believe only 1 of 2 operators with the license for private 4wd tours up Ninety Mile Beach/Te Paki Stream to Cape Reinga. We had thought of cancelling that part of our DOC licensing as it is one of the most expensive areas for operation for people like us. But as long as we retain our accommodation this part of New Zealand we will retain the license.

For those overseas that are coming to New Zealand and want a tour up the very far north, the bus companies offer good tours up the beach but ours is superior only because it is just you or your group and we can travel at our own pace stopping as often as you like. We tell people to allow 5 hours but once we leave our time is yours so if we are away 7 hours, so be it. If you are happy with the beach bus, on booking do ask how much of the beach they travel. A very important question as only one company regularly travel the full length from Waipapakauri Ramp to Te Paki Stream at the top. And that is because all their buses are 4wd built specifically for the beach. So just be aware of that if booking a beach bus.

If you want a private tour then there is us and maybe one other. I have not heard if they renewed their license. I have already spelt out the benefit of a private tour versus the bus. You need choose which is best for you. I am unlikely to be our driver often through the summer season as I have multi day tours down country but we have a highly experienced local that drives for us in my absence. A great character and full of knowledge.

Our 12 seat van I booked in today for yet another new windscreen. It already had 3 significant chips but yesterday on a return trip to Auckland it scored a crack which was very rapidly growing. That’s 6 new windscreens in 18 months. The insurance company must love us! Yeah right!

I started this blog on stats so will finish on stats. Our website hits for September just gone almost reached a new high for us. They didn’t miss our record month by much but that record had been achieved when we marketed aggressively. This time of year our marketing activity is greatly reduced as by now those that are going to enquire about utilising our services through summer I believe we should have already reached. And our booking diary for tours and accommodation is looking good.

We hope you will visit us soon. ‘Peter and Xiaoli Tours’ a boutique tourism company steadily growing its own niche in the New Zealand market.

http://www.peterandxiaoli.com

December 2 is our departure date if you are coming

It’s the mad season for tourism. For me some shorter tours of 3 to 5 days just to get me in the frame. Must remember to talk over the microphone. A bit rusty after a winter relaxed with just the odd Northland tour.

My first of 3 long tours I have booked starts in Auckland on November 12. 18 days later ending in Christchurch. A long but relatively relaxed tour. Most days not over long and its not a walking tour which suits me. Tramps on route of up to 10km a day are now starting to tax this aging body. I still enjoy them but recovery time now seems a lot longer than it used to be.

18 days to get to Christchurch is fine. I have not checked the kilometres but guessing its around 2300. An easy drive.

My issue is I finish December 1 in Christchurch. On this occasion we are using our own 12 seater versus renting which leaves me seeing customers off then facing a 2 day very long drive home. Not helped by the Kaikoura earthquake a year or so ago that closed the number 1 highway. So the long route around to get to the ferry at Picton to cross to the North Island. Then the long drag from the bottom of the North Island to the top.

So I have 2 solutions for myself. Try find people wanting a discounted South Island tour starting Christchurch December 2 and ending Auckland 10 or 11 days later. A great route. Some long days but any that know my style of touring, its very relaxed with many stops. Great photo opportunities and for me chance to play more with my drone that finally I have worked out how to fly smoothly.

Doing a tour like that still gives me 8 days at home before I start on a 24 day tour. Time to relax. Let the body recover and weather permitting, go fishing. Love my fishing.

Or option B is not tour but slowly drive home. Maybe have a friend fly down for company. Try a little fishing on route starting with salmon in the Tekapo Canals. I have often talked about it but never had the opportunity to do it. Easy enough to make sure my rods and reels are already loaded in the van.

The boss, Xiaoli may not be happy but given I have just completed a long tour with another booked I think she will be understanding (or not!).

So anybody want to join me for 10 days starting Christchurch December 2.

http://www.peterandxiaoli.com

Public holidays, I work on them

For so long I have been self employed and certainly since entering tourism in 2009, holidays that others enjoy just became another work day. And even worse for my boss (Xiaoli – the wife) holidays means the accommodation will be busy.

After immense pressure from a consultant we met on our recent trip to China I have prepared 3 unique tours for him to New Zealand. Similar routes to others but all with unique features. They have pushed hard to get these from us despite the fact in our presentation we presented them with 4 tour options. Anyway, today with Xiaoli’s sons help with translating into Chinese I finished and sent by wechat. I was proud of myself as no easy feat doing art in Chinese yet understanding none. But I did have De Hou double check I had it correct before I sent the PDF files off.

Well it turns out it’s an 8 day public holiday in China. I could have taken another week to complete but I had promised I would get done by today and duly produced the goods. But they negated to tell me I actually had another week up my sleeve as they unlike me do not work on a public holiday.

This Christmas coming I work right through with a tour starting December 20^th in Auckland and not finishing until January 10.  I have not checked where I will be Christmas day but its certainly not with family. But then I took this tour knowing a lot of others would not do and I don’t observe Christmas. Both Xiaoli and I loosely follow Buddhism.

New Years day its Xiaoli’s birthday. That generally means I am doing a 4wd tour up Ninety Mile Beach and she is making beds. Well since we haven’t sold the accommodation yet, she will still be making beds unfortunately with staff help. But I will be somewhere in the South Island. So this year we will not celebrate together.

Today is not a good day weather wise in the far north although without checking I am guessing we are missing the brunt of the storm our Aussie neighbours have sent across the Tasman to us. But up to 7 metre swells on Ninety Mile Beach so certainly no fishing today.

Another goose had 5 young hatch during the night. Unfortunately one has not survived but that is nature. Our male goose is sex mad with the 2 mother geese which would infer they intend to lay another clutch of eggs and sit again. So now 9 little Goslings running around. We cant get close as their normally docile mums are hissing to get away. Another 2 geese still sitting so I guess numbers of geese on our farm have this spring dramatically increased.

Chickens are abundant. Ducklings are yet to be sighted except for a couple of wild ducks that we probably raised as orphan ducklings last year have come back to have their own babies and are now waddling around with up to 10 each following behind.

Tomorrow its back to swatting material I have been presented with for a forthcoming tour. Checking I am up with everywhere on route. I should be but sometimes a refresher is needed

http://www.peterandxiaoli.com

Today I gained my first aid certification

I made a mistake and let my first aid certification expire. How stupid was that but its not law to have one for the tours I do. But certain consultants request it so the last 2 days have been taken up re-doing something I should never have let expire. If I renewed before the 27 months is up each time then it’s a very simple CPU test. I guess I learnt my lesson and wont let it expire again.

Sometimes though in saying that a refresher never hurts. You always hope you never need use but the last 2 days did bring things back I had forgotten and you never know, it could be the difference between saving a life and not. I just sincerely hope I never need put it to the test.

I do make a habit of always carrying a very good first aid kit. I am surprised on occasions where I have driven for others there is a kit, but not complete or up to date. If I remove items and I know more are needed I diary it and make sure the kit is ready for every tour.

Now I need do some tests for an overseas consultant who likes to know every tour guide that works for them knows their background and their standards. This I am not excited about and have told the agent in New Zealand that it was not part of the contract. A lot of it is pedantic and I believe should be covered by the local agent prior me meeting the incoming party.

I will do the test in fact 25% already completed with a 100% pass rate. But now is our busy time for our own tours. I have our own drivers to arrange and I am full on preparing tour routes and pricing for travel consultants we met on our recent China trip. To me they are priority over spending a day studying someone else’s company and their guidelines for their guides. The particular company prides themselves on only hiring the best which I guess is the reason my services were sought or why did they contract me.

I enjoy in driving the odd tour for others. It allows me to see how others do it. The accommodation and routes they do. And with all that knowledge it allows me to make sure our own tours are as good if not better than others. I never take on tours competing for the markets we specialise in as I have my own ethics. If I do tours for others I give them my best and hope what I did for them will grow their own business. I have drivers on call that can do our own tours if I am not involved and because our tours are often from the Asia market, employing drivers with the language required avoids me finding an interpreter to help me.

On conclusion of our own tours we always try to get feedback from those that toured with ‘Peter and Xiaoli Tours’ to ensure they had a great tours and for us to check our drivers are up to scratch. We set our standards high and find that most that work for us live up to what we expect. We never want them to be puppets obeying orders, we expect them to add their own personalities. But do maintain our high standards.

I have a hatred on tour when I see other tour operators herd their people like sheep, or that is what I call it. Each individual on tour has their own unique personality and because we only do tours 5 days plus I expect our drivers after day one is up to be starting to get to learn the traits of all sitting behind them and not just those that end to be the most prominent in coming forward.

For me I use my camera a lot on tour. Through the lens I pick up a lot about the group with me as each day I try capture each doing as they do on a tour. My objective is to give each a USB stick capturing their tour with me. Reality is you give each couple but I capture them on my tour plus they key sights. It gives them a story of their tour as I saw them enjoy the tour. Through my lens I can tell a story of each person with me and the way they themselves enjoyed that tour. And we all see things different. The way I look at scenery and the things I see in that scenery are different to what you would see. Being a tour guide has taught me that.

So today another certificate to put on my wall. It should have been there but I let it slip. Wont do that again. The law does not dictate we should have but my own standards do, and I let it slip. But even the tutor agreed, mentally it was still al there, just somewhat rusty. But interestingly the medical ways or beliefs on how to treat different medical events do change so a refresher has done no harm.

So next time you tour with us I am up to scratch with first aid but I really hope I don’t need to prove it to you through a medical emergency for both of us.

www.peterandxiaoli.com

I now mentor bipolar sufferers

It annoys me how many people shut off when you mention mental illness or suicide. It’s a disease and no one is safe from it. Just a fact.

Suicide is not a weakness. Its often caused by mental state of mind. I tried fortunately unsuccessfully, 5 times.

I conquered bipolar. It will never completely go away but I own it, it no longer owns me. I beat it with a lot of medication but I always say the real key was the counselling. I paid for the best I could get at the time as then I had the finances. I hated those sessions. My partner at the time couldn’t get over how angry I came home each time yet I was determined to go back. Then one day I realised he had got through to me.

From those many sessions I learnt ‘me’. I learnt where in all probability it all started. I learnt the triggers. But most important I turned from a personality I considered negative, to a positive one.

I never understood why the only job I ever applied for was my very first one and after that I was head hunted from one advertising agency to another to become one of the top in my time in my profession. Yet here I was the man that left school at just 15 with no qualifications. Couldn’t pass exams except art. But I never understood why.

I remember teachers would be baffled. If asked questions I was always the first to answer and correctly. Yet on a piece of paper I failed.

The medication I took for bipolar started with minimal doses but at my height I was on extremely powerful doses to level the old brain out. But the counselling was key. Now I take no medications but I avoid stress like a plague. I left the big city. I left the profession I was among the top and earning huge money. I went bush for a while then I re-emerged and firing on all cylinders.

I have the greatest wife in the world. Getting on 10 years now. I made her research bipolar early on. We never argue and she knows when I may be stressing and unwinds me.

I started in tourism 9 years ago with Xiaoli. A small homestay far north of New Zealand we grew to be the fastest growing tourism business in our region.

I have become a professional tour guide but only do 5 plus day tours and smaller groups. I like the one on one relationships that develop on multi day tours and now I have friends all over the world that have toured with me and stay in contact. Other operators with boutique tours like ours ask me to drive for them at exceptionally good rates. It means I need employ more drivers for our own business but generally it means I am dealing with different nationalities to those we attract.

With the bipolar I have a growing number of people around the world that write to me when they are struggling. Occasionally when in good head space to which is great. I call an ace an ace. I work with them and advise only. Tell them they must rid the stress. If a partner is the main cause ten sit them down in a quiet space and talk to them. Ask them to research your disease. Turn them from being a stress factor to a support factor you can lean on.

Xiaoli considering our different upbringings and cultures is fantastic for me. It was not an overnight thing though. We as people are different.

I was one of 6 children and none of my siblings talk to me. We still meet 6 monthly or so but I am known as te rogue in the family because I am different and did go my own way. But funny enough in old age they finally seem to realise that compared to a lot, I am a very happy positive person.

I have a great wife. 4 beautiful dogs who are our children to us as our own are grown up. We have a successful boutique business I love being part of. I love going to work now!

The friends I have now are the true ones that hung in when times were rough. They never understood Xiaoli and I as to how we met and married but now see 2 blissfully happy people.

Mental illness is a disease. Often a disease that can be conquered. If you know someone struggling, give them some quality time. But do not pressure them.

And if you want to join me on tour in New Zealand then visit our website. Next year I may yet add a tour to see temples in China. I am fascinated with buddhism. I love seeing temples and towns built centuries ago. And I think time is coming I need lead a tour over there. But a very laid back tour that is an enjoyment where everyone gets to enjoy what they see, but time to get to know others.

http://www.peterandxiaoli.com