Brian Megaw is the managing director and senior river guide at River Valley Adventure Lodge in Taihape. He has been working at River Valley since 1986 and still loves being part of something that he feels motivated and passionate about. He shares his thoughts on a recent experience at the lodge which gives us all food for thought...
We had a very negative, but short, Trip Advisor review the other day. The issue appeared to be that we would not give out our business Wi-Fi password to a guest while we were upgrading our customer Wifi service with new equipment. Of course, if the customer had needed the service for an emergency, then we could have and would have accommodated that.
Instead, the lack of opportunity for that person to be constantly online all the time was a major issue. They described it as being “horrible”.
Food for thought.
I would certainly not be the first person to comment on our addiction to our phones. Look at what people are doing in any café or on any street. Staring at the screens on their phones, somewhat oblivious to what is happening around them.
We see this at River Valley as well. In fact, to counter this, visiting tour guides will often tell their passengers that either the River Valley internet service is not the best (sometimes true), or non-existent (not true).
Denne historien er fra April - May 2019-utgaven av Adventure Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra April - May 2019-utgaven av Adventure Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Papua New Guinea
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An eighteen-year-old princess, who paints his (yes, his) nails and dyes his hair bleach blonde, embarking on an adventure trip with his family, sounds like a plot for a bad 80s movie.
The Meaning of Tramping
What does tramping mean to you?
Keala Kennelly owns Red Bull Magnitude
The North Shore season of 1957 is recognized in the surfing world as the start of an era. When Greg Noll, a young Mickey Munoz and company went out and rode Waimea for the first time, it was a glimpse of what could be in the world of big-wave surfing.
North West Circuit Stewart Island
I found myself in limbo during the winter of 2020, in between jobs in a strained covid economy. And so, I did what any outdoors person would do with a large amount of free time on their hands. It was time to pack up my belongings and hit the road. It was time to leave behind home comforts and go adventure-seeking.
Emilie's adventure to Angelus Hut
“I want to be the leader!” Miss Six announced, pushing past me in her determination to be in front. Momentarily off-balance with my heavy pack, I narrowly avoided twisting an ankle on the sharp rocks and silently swore while cracking a bright smile.
Nancy Jiang Breaking stereotypes
I recently watched a youtube movie entitled, “Her Way” (check it out on the Adventure Website) which introduced a woman who had an overwhelming passion for running. The preface at the bottom of the clip, read as follows:
Adversity at Altitude
The wind and snow is whipping at my face. I’ve readjusted the stiff frozen fleece buff around my neck and mouth, desperately trying to protect myself from the -20 degree bitter wind. Adrenaline is still pumping through my body but I know I’ll start to get cold soon.
Last Great Mountaineering Challenge
Ground-breaking mountaineer Nirmal ‘Nims’ Purja MBE has attained an incredible new world record by submitting K2 as part of a collaborative team in the depths of winter. Until now, it was a record that was believed to be impossible to accomplish and was famously known as the ‘last great mountaineering challenge’.
