KEY POINTS:
A man who used to appear on TV shows with his musical family now thrills thousands of holidaymakers with his unique cruises - on a boat once used in a high-seas rescue.
Whitianga's Rob Reilly and his six brothers used to feature on the small screen with Ray Columbus and it was his family's musical background that inspired Mr Reilly, now 42, to turn his Cave Cruzer adventure tours off the Coromandel Peninsula into something a little less ordinary.
His cruises take in some off Mercury Bay's most scenic attractions but have a big musical flavour.
He plays the didgeridoo plus half a dozen other instruments, from African drums, to the Irish flute and even a shell.
Tourists are encouraged to try them, especially just outside the Waitaia Cave at Waitaia Bay.
"We us them to break the ice. It gets them talking and excited and isn't something you would expect," he said.
"It's good to get them [instruments] going on a day there's a little bit less of a swell. The acoustics are amazing," he said.
He has been taking the trips for 10 years and is something he'd always intended on doing.
"Ever since Dad played the violin in the [Waitaia] Cave I've wanted to do it. I have had that memory ever since, so it's been in the back of my mind to do something along those lines."
His father even took a piano into the cave 35 years ago, something Mr Reilly replicated for his 40th birthday two years ago.
Even the boat he uses has a colourful history having been used by a New Zealand frigate during a rescue mission in the Tasman Sea.
