Who Are we?

About Wicked Wanders

History

About

“Wicked” A New Zealand colloquialism meaning ‘Amazing’, ‘Fantastic’ or ‘Astonishing’. Established in 2015 Wicked Wanders is a boutique tour operator specialising in providing personalised history and tasting tours of the greater Tauranga area. We are a Silver rated Qualmark sustainable tourism awarded business, which is an assurance from Tourism New Zealand that we offer quality tours and deliver a quality visitor experience. Russell Christian is the owner/operator of Wicked Wanders Tours. He has lived and worked in Tauranga for ten years and is passionate about the history and culture New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty region has to offer. Having spent twenty years working in the hospitality industry both here and overseas Russell provides a high level of customer service. He is also a member of the Tauranga Land Search and Rescue team and is very comfortable working in the outdoors. Through his experiences and training as part of Tauranga LandSAR Russell is confident in managing risk in the outdoors and providing a safe experience for those in his care. You can rest assured that your safety is of the utmost importance to us.
Russell Christian

Russell Christian

owner/operator
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Why Choose Us?

At Wicked Wanders our promise to you is to create an experience that will enable you to immerse yourself in the magic of the diverse landscape, culture, heritage, flora and fauna right here in our backyard. We take pride in the uniqueness of New Zealand and strive to create an experience that visitors will share and talk about with friends, family and other visitors. To do this we work with other like minded people that share a passion for New Zealand, its people, culture and heritage. Our tours are not rushed and are in groups of no more than 11 people. If our planned tours are not for you we can tailor an itinerary that is specific to your needs. If you are looking for worry free leisure time whether it be for a tour, guided walks or private hire then give Russell a call and he will work with you to make it happen.
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Our Mission Statement

To provide a safe and fun environment that encourages as many people as possible to explore the uniqueness of New Zealand’s diverse landscape, history, culture, flora and fauna.

Our Conservation & Cultural Promise

We take pride in the uniqueness of the New Zealand outdoors and strive to educate as many people as possible from all over the world to appreciate and share their experiences about the environment and our culture. To do this we will ensure the stories we share about our history and conservation are based on fact and respect the cultures and traditions of New Zealand.

Reviews

Our Happy Customers

  • star rating  Russell was our knowledgable guide who took us in our mini van round all the points in the tour. He was informative and entertaining. We enjoyed learning about the kiwi... read more

    Viv451
    March 8, 2020

    star rating  Very worthwhile tour for cruise passengers. Carol is very informative and friendly. Had a lovely time and still had time for a walk round.

    Brian T
    February 13, 2019

    star rating  Four of us got off the cruise ship at Tauranga and started looking for a small van tour for several hours. We found Carol of Wicked Wanders right at the... read more

    tunebug
    February 27, 2016
  • star rating  Our guide, Nicolle was excellent: professional, friendly, and knowledgeable. She kept us on track to ensure we didn't miss our ship. The tour was terrific: entertaining, educational, and beautiful.

    ivettefaltoheck
    February 5, 2023

    star rating  Small bus was lovely. Very informative and flexible. Enjoyed by all of us including the teenagers. Need ot be able to walk on uneven ground but we are not particularly... read more

    lyndalS9302EU
    January 9, 2023

    star rating  Could not find a tour that suited us with the cruise line, so found Wicked Wanders online. really enjoyed the small group, the well thought out tour, the super tour... read more

    _davidandjoanmay
    February 24, 2017
  • star rating  What a fantastic tour guide Carol was can't fault her, very informative and also has a sense of humor which can be hard to come by these days

    Taneika S
    February 20, 2016

    star rating  The sites are lovely. Russell knew his history. Disappointed about the tea stop being closed but the elms were fascinating

    758debbier
    December 28, 2022

    star rating  Cruising New Zealand on Celebrity and booked the trip with Wicked Wanders on line before we arrived - though you could book on the day.. Meet and greet well organised... read more

    Ian M
    February 20, 2017
  • star rating  We really enjoyed our 4-hour tour. Interesting and fun. The town is very near the port so you can walk in or take the ship shuttle. We were met at... read more

    barbarasimon1
    March 3, 2020

    star rating  We booked our trip through Viator, but you may be able to book w/ Wicked Wanders directly online. Wonderful tour around Tauranga with stops for local Tea & Kiwi... read more

    Dr_JayL
    November 22, 2022

    star rating  This was a terrific way to see Tauranga and the surrounding area. Russell was extremely knowledgeable and lots of fun too. All the stops were great and so was the... read more

    emB5262RV
    February 21, 2020
  • star rating  If you arrive by cruise ship with no plans for Tauranga, check out Russell Christian's Wicked Wanders tours. He's on the Pier (when his small group, mini van... read more

    AnnArborMHT
    January 22, 2023

    star rating  Easy to book, quick confirmation, showed up on time as planned, good service. Very happy overall. Thank you.

    Anita H
    February 8, 2023

    star rating  When cruising it is easy to book excursions directly from the ship. We have found these can be very expensive and very impersonal. You have 50 on the coach and... read more

    Barbara N
    March 24, 2019
  • star rating  Had a tour with Russell and it was fantastic!

    Saw lots of interesting stuff, learned plenty of cool facts about what we were seeing, and had a great... read more

    DR0PB34R
    December 28, 2022

    star rating  Russell from Wicked Wanderers met our cruise ship on time for the 4hr scenic tour of Tauranga. Small group, very comfortable air conditioned van. Tour commentary was excellent & well... read more

    V933YZsueb
    January 6, 2023

    star rating  All the trip was fantastic couldn’t fault it. Love Russell he was tops with everything would recommend this tour to anyone who wants a relaxing and interesting tour on Tauranga.... read more

    nataliebL644KB
    February 6, 2023
  • star rating  The views was so amazing & our guide who was with us was very informative about the many locations we went to! Such a beautiful trip & highly recommend

    Saphire T
    April 16, 2023

    star rating  I enjoyed this tour quite a bit. Russel was very well informed and professional. The stop at the Elms was great. The history of Tauranga was very informative and the... read more

    Sharyn C
    January 7, 2023

    star rating  Had a fantastic tour in Tauranga, Russell was superb on the tour and I would recommend this tour over the excursions offered by the cruise lines. He takes you to... read more

    Jk K
    December 28, 2022
  • star rating  We had beautiful weather. This is a must to be able to experience the best views. Our guide was good and informative. Downside for anyone unable to walk unaided, not... read more

    NZcitz
    March 25, 2021

    star rating  This was a veryinformative tour. Our guide was wonderful! We found out a lot about Tauranga and it's surroundings!

    DebbieMcKinley
    October 26, 2022

    star rating  What a wealth of information Russell was. We learnt so much about New Zealand history and especially liked the avocado and kiwi fruit tasting. Would highly recommend this tour.

    merlin076
    March 24, 2023
  • star rating  My wife and I have been lucky enough to do a tour with carol today around Tauranga this lady is fantastic her knowledge of the area and itinerary is great... read more

    markbN2432WO
    January 19, 2017

    star rating  This trip is well worth it, especially if you want to quickly learn more about the history of NZ. We've tried a few other cultural experiences here but they felt... read more

    piccapii
    December 27, 2022

    star rating  We were looking for an affordable excursion getting off the cruise ship. We found Wicked Wanders which offered a four hour tour provided by Carol and was very affordable.... read more

    Wendi B
    March 9, 2016
  • star rating  This is a wonderful tour of Tauranga in a small coach with a local guide. Russell was exceptional. He took us to all the best places and told us so... read more

    Peachie57
    March 18, 2023

    star rating  Fantastic and very informative time we had with Russell. He was casual but very well informed on lots of general life, history, commerce and found interesting New Zealand focused... read more

    Dragonboating
    April 21, 2023

    star rating  Russel was a lovely welcoming guide who took great care of us. Very informative and relaxed. Highly recommend it

    H845DHannes
    October 18, 2022