New Zealand's best tourist operators up for an award

Real Journeys in Milford Sound.

At next month's New Zealand Tourism Awards 2017, six operators are up for the two Business Excellence Awards (there's an award for those with an annual turnover under $6m and one forthose over $6m). We think they're all winners.

1 Auckland Sea planes
The cool de Havilland Beaver float plane you see buzzing over Waitemata Harbour. Travel writer Elisabeth Easther went fishing from the plane and described sea planes as "the height of aviation romance". She sa luted "the pleasure of sitting in the sun on the side of a seaplane in a part of the world that's as close to paradise as you could hope to find, with my son. A decent haul of fish had dinner sorted and as for the memories,we'll treasure them for as long as we live."

2 Dive! Tutukaka
This Northland classic has been sending travellers into the clear waters of the Pacific for years. Herald writer Donna McIntyre took the plunge."On parade are snapper, trevally, mao mao, lobsters and even, if you're lucky (we're not), seals and tropical fish at the same time, thanks toawarm current bringing sea life all the way from Australia."

3 Taupo DeBretts Spa Resort
One of New Zealand's finest thermal spots has long been a favourite of Aucklanders on the long weekend beat. Says Easther: "For two days and nights we swam, soaked and slid ourselves senseless and, even though itrained a fair bit - the heavens were open more often than closed - there are few more epic places to seek refuge from rain than in a thermally heated pool."

4 Haka Tourism Group
Operating in the "aimed at the high end of the backpacker market", Haka Tours has been sending visitors on coach tours, down rivers and all over mountainsides forthe best part ofadecade.

5 Real Journeys, Queenstown
A booming success story of the Kiwi tourism trade, Real Journeys are doing terrific things with their recent purchase of the Cardrona skifield, but they started out 60 years ago with boat tours in Milford Sound. Herald writer John Roughan was impressed:"The water was so clear it was like watching fish in an aquarium, and we could see the sheerrock faces above and how the trees clung to them. The rock has a coat of organic matter 30cm thick, accumulated over an unimaginably long time."

6 Skyline Queenstown
The low-slung cart that thunders down a steep hillside from a cliff top perch overlooking Queenstown has been bringing in the tourists for decades, most recently members of the Lions rugby squad.