At Forgotten World Adventures we strive to ensure that all our tours are delivered at the highest level of safety, while also being fun and adventurous. Please read our T & C's below to ensure you understand the key points, including some do's and don'ts while in the railway corridor and/or on the Whanganui River. Please contact us if you have any questions, we are always here to help.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Once the Operators, Forgotten World Adventures Ltd & Forgotten World Jetboats Ltd, (hereinafter referred to as "the Operator"), confirm your booking, a contract is made between you and the Operator under the terms and conditions set out below. Your statutory rights are not affected. In a booking with more than one passenger the "lead passenger" will be deemed to have accepted the terms and conditions on behalf of all passengers within the booking. The "lead passenger" is the passenger who makes the booking on behalf of all passengers in a multi-passenger booking.
The Operator runs both Rail Cart, Jet Boat day tours and multi-day tours as well as various Bespoke tours. These tours are operated on the condition that the Operator shall not be liable for any sickness, injury, damage, loss, accident, delay or irregularity which may be occasioned, either directly or indirectly, by reason of any defect in any Rail Cart, vehicle or vessel, by weather, by any other cause, or through acts of default of a company or person engaged in conveying the passengers, or in carrying out arrangements for these activities.
RESERVATIONS AND PAYMENTS
Deposits
A 10% deposit or full amount is required for all tours.
Full payment due: 30 days prior to tour departure.
Lifetime Deposits
If for any reason you cancel your tour, while we can't refund the deposit, we will keep it on file so you can use it again if you book another date with us or you can transfer it to another tour.
Payments
Payment is preferred by direct credit into our bank account but we accept Visa, MasterCard and personal cheques drawn on NZ banks. Credit card payments will incur a 2% surcharge. If these methods of payment are not suitable, please make contact with us to discuss other options. All payments must be cleared into Forgotten World Adventures accounts before a booking is deemed confirmed.
If you make payment via a debit to your nominated credit card, the amount debited at the time of booking confirmation will be in New Zealand dollars (inclusive of New Zealand Goods and Services Tax) on the booking page prior to you clicking "make payment" on that page. The deposit may be converted to your local currency by your credit card company. Depending upon the currency of the booking, your credit card's currency and the country in which your card was issued, your credit card provider may impose foreign exchange fees and other fees in accordance with your arrangements with that credit card provider. We are not responsible for currency conversion or any fees imposed by your credit card provider and any questions relating to such matters should be directed to them.
Should any foreign bank account bank fees be incurred by Forgotten World Adventures in refunding any payment; such fees will be passed directly on to the relevant customer(s).
CANCELLATION POLICY
Cancellation of your booking must be in writing to either the Operator to bookings@fwa.co.nz (for direct or website bookings) or the authorised Agent through which your booking was made. If your booking was made through an authorised Agent, all amendments and cancellations must be made directly through the Agent and not with the Operator (the Agent may also levy cancellation charges in addition to those noted below - please check with the Agent at time of booking). When written notification has been received by the Operator, a fee will be levied to cover the costs incurred. The amount of the cancellation fee will be dependent on the number of days prior to the departure date of the tour (not including the day of departure or the day of notification).
Cancellation fees for all adventures are charged on the following basis per person:
-
Within 5 - 0 days of adventure departure: 100% of your tour booking
-
Within 6 - 10 days of adventure departure: 50% of your tour booking
-
If more than 10 days to your adventure departure: your payment is refunded less your deposit.
- In the event that no deposit is paid and full payment is due on booking, 100% of the amount paid will be forfeited.
Minimum Numbers
The Kiwis Saving Kiwi & Whio Tour, Epic Tour, Expedition Tour and Bridge to Nowhere Escape Tour require a minimum number of full fare adults to cover minimum operating costs. Should we not have enough passengers to run, we hold the right to cancel the tour. Notification will be give 1 month (30 days) before Tour departure if we are unable to depart and we will look for alternatives for you.
Your Options:
a) We will change your booking date/time to the next available and confirmed departure for the tour you want.
b) Cancel your trip and be fully refunded after notice of cancellation has been given.
Operator Cancellations
The Operator reserves the right to alter, amend or cancel any trip should weather or any other circumstance necessitate this. Once the tour has departed from Taumarunui or Stratford, no portion of the package payment is refundable in the event of an individual or group being unable to proceed further on the adventure, for whatever reason.
Package Refund policy
Any unused portion (s) of a package is not refundable, except in instances where a component of the package is canceled due to weather or any other unforeseen circumstances, prior to departure by the Operator.
Private Group/Bespoke Tours
If we are undertaking a private group/bespoke tour for you, there are some changes to our standard Terms and Conditions. A non-refundable deposit of 20% is required to confirm the booking and full payment is due 60 days prior to arrival. Cancellations 30 - 60 days before arrival will incur a 50% cancellation fee. Cancellations less than 30 days prior to departure will incur a 100% cancellation fee. Amendments within 2 months prior to arrival will incur a $100 admin fee and any additional fees charged to us by 3rd party suppliers. If paying from an overseas bank account, please take into account an additional $25 NZD bank fee.
MEDICAL CONDITIONS
If you or any member of your party have any medical condition or disability at the time of booking and/or at any other time until the completion of your tour which may affect your participation, please tell us so we can advise you of the suitability of your chosen trip. If we reasonably feel unable to properly accommodate the particular needs of the person concerned, we must reserve the right to decline the booking.
If assistance is required for anyone who uses a wheelchair, this must be supplied by an accompanying caregiver.
PARTICIPANTS RESPONSIBILITY
The person in control of the Rail Cart must be 16 years of age or older. Participants must obey the instructions of all FWA staff at all times. Equally if a participant causes damage to FWA property or that of any third party their trip will be terminated and we will be under no further liability for refunds or in meeting any costs incurred as a result.
By participating in this activity, you are expressly assuming all the risks and responsibilities of participation and are, to the maximum extent permitted by law releasing the Operator, its officers, employees, directors, agents and any other person associated with us, from any liability, claims, loss, damages or expenses (whatsoever and irrespective of whether direct, indirect or consequential) caused by any event including but not limited to: personal injury or death; property loss or damage; acts which may be construed as negligible or accidental; any other loss, damage, suffering, emotional or nervous disorder suffered by you or any other person in relation to this activity booked on or via this website. You accept that you have been advised to obtain adequate travel insurance for all persons named on the booking. You accept that all persons named on the booking are aware of and are bound by the following:
-
My successors, executors and administrators are bound by the Terms and Conditions;
-
I agree not to commence any litigation proceedings in any country in relation to the risks and liabilities set out above and to indemnify the Operator against any claims;
-
I confirm and warrant I suffer no medical conditions, which may affect my ability to participate in the activity;
-
I consent to receive medical treatment in the case of injury, accident or illness during the activity and to indemnify the Operator against any claims, costs or expenses in respect of the treatment;
-
I agree that any film, sound, video or other recordings taken of or during the activity will not be used in any production, or advertising without prior consent of the Operator, however the Operator may use such recordings itself at its complete discretion without any prior approval.
-
I agree to listen to and co-operate with my driver/host/guide/conductor or any other FWA staff, follow their instructions and make sure any children in my care do the same.
-
I agree that I will not cause offense, distress, danger or annoyance to other participants.
ACTIVITIES NOT PERMITTED
The consumption of alcohol, drugs and smoking is not permitted at any time by any person while in the SOL railway corridor or whilst in any FWA vehicle, vessel or any third party conveyance.
Any person in control of a Rail Cart must not be under the influence of alcohol or any drug that affects his/her ability to control the Rail Cart.
We reserve the right to refuse participation should any person be in what FWA staff consider to be a state of intoxication.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
We strongly recommend you take out travel insurance to cover any unexpected changes to plans.
CHANGES TO TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The Operator reserves the right to change these Terms and Conditions at any time without notifying customers. Any booking correspondence will be subject to the Terms and Conditions which apply at the time of the correspondence and you are advised to read all the Terms and Conditions carefully on each occasion.
GOVERNING LAW
This website and all component parts, including these Terms and Conditions, are governed exclusively by the laws of New Zealand and you agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of New Zealand.
FEEDBACK
Forgotten World Adventures hope you never have anything but positive things to say about your adventure and our service. However, in the event that you do, we would like to find out about it immediately. Please bring any comments to our attention to allow us to resolve the matter.
COVID-19 TERMS & CONDITIONS AND CANCELLATION POLICY
FORGOTTEN WORLD ADVENTURES is committed to monitoring and amending our approach to our tours according to the recommendations provided by New Zealand’s Ministry of Health, providing guests both flexibility and security during COVID-19.
When visiting the Forgotten World, your safety is of paramount importance to us. We have implemented various COVID-19 related safety measures, procedures and processes at our motel and on our tours to ensure we create an environment that is both safe and hygienic when you visit us. These procedures and protocols have been developed in accordance with the guidelines and policies prescribed by the New Zealand Ministry of Health.
As with any protocol the measure of success in implementing a process or procedure under a protocol will be determined by the level of compliance and adherence to the relevant processes and procedures prescribed by the relevant protocol. Whilst FORGOTTEN WORLD ADVENTURES will ensure full compliance by its management and employees, we cannot accept any liability in the event of a guest(s) contracting an infectious disease (including COVID-19) as a direct or indirect result of complying or adhering to FORGOTTEN WORLD ADVENTURES’ Health and Safety Protocol.
Change in Alert Levels on National Level:
We are allowed to operate our tours under Alert Levels 1 and 2. However, in the event that these Alert Levels should change to Alert Levels 3 or 4, for the whole of New Zealand, the following will apply:
Adventure activities are not permitted during Alert Levels 3 or 4. In the event of New Zealand returning to these heightened Alert Levels, guests will have the option to
- Cancel a booking based on the current level and will be refunded the amount paid less deposit.
- Defer a booking to a later date at no extra charge, ensuring that monies paid are retained for future use.
Should a booking be deferred and then elected to be cancelled at a later date, FORGOTTEN WORLD ADVENTURES will assess the cancellation against the original date and revised date on a case-by-case basis.
Change in Alert Levels at Regional Level:
Should Alert Levels be adjusted to Alert Level 3 or 4 at Regional Level and your travelling is restricted, guests are required will have the option to:
- Cancel a booking based on the current level and will be refunded the amount paid less deposit. Please note that a proof of address (utility bill) may be required before the cancellation request can be processed.
- Defer a booking to a later date at no extra charge, ensuring that monies paid are retained for future use.
In the event that Alert Levels should change for the Waikato Region and Forgotten World Adventures are not allowed to operate, guests will be offered a deferment of their booking OR a full refund.
DEEMED ACCEPTANCE
Upon proceeding with payment of your deposit, you agree to be bound by all the above Terms and Conditions and acknowledge your receipt and understanding of these Terms and Conditions.