On Track Adventures
Local business on track to success
If you’re looking for a bit of Hawke’s Bay-grown adventure you don’t have to go too far off track to find it.
On Track Adventures is a local adventure tourism company run by brother and sister, Marianne Wynands and Ged Kommeren. Established in 2009, the company offers guided quad bike tours, two-seater off roader adventures, archery, claybird shooting and fun golf.
Located on the 1500 acre Kommeren working family farm, on the edge of the Ngaruroro River in the Ohiti Valley, On Track Adventures attracts schools, corporate groups and tourists. In recent times, cruise ship passengers docking at Napier port have become a growing opportunity as well.
“We developed the business to fill a gap in the market,” says Marianne. “There is not a lot of adventure tourism in Hawke’s Bay yet the local landscape and surroundings lend themselves perfectly to this sort of activity.”
Marianne says she had always wanted to own her own business and she is enjoying the challenges that come with making it a success. While she is in charge of the marketing and administration side of things, Ged’s forte is motorbikes and he also works on the farm itself, run by another brother.
The initial idea was to offer quad bike adventures only but other aspects were soon developed in response to demand, Marianne says.
“We have 12 quads plus two guide bikes so we needed to have something for others in larger groups to do while waiting for their time to ride,” she says.
“We have endless ideas for how to market and grow the business but at this point we must focus on those that offer the best returns. We are working on developing new ideas for activities that will attract corporate groups that have already been, to build repeat business.”
Marianne says that school groups are another key market they will continue to target after a very successful visit from a Palmerston North school. “The group was made up of Year 10 students (14-15 year olds) and as they were too young for the quad bikes we had them participate in a number of team building activities including erecting an electric fence and building a stretcher from scratch,” she says.
With the school keen to bring back this year’s Year 10 students, it’s an idea Marianne and Ged now want to introduce to local schools too.
Marianne says it is special to be able to bring tourists to the farm that has been in her family for 100 years and if visitors are interested she spends time talking to them about the history of the farm.
“The cottage in particular is a nice thing to be able to share with our guests. We use it as a place for visitors to rest and refuel, and inside there are photos of four generations of family that American tourists in particular find fascinating.”
Marianne says they pride themselves in being good hosts and make sure they spend time going that extra mile, always looking to add the “WOW factor. “Corporates are very time focused so we work hard to keep things flowing with activities planned to run like clockwork with no hanging around,” she says.
Markhams Hawkes Bay Principal, Gwen Rurawhe works with Marianne and Ged, helping to look after the accounting needs of the business. “Gwen does our books at the year end but we have found her very accessible and can pick up the phone and chat when we need. We appreciate that personal touch.”
Just over two years on, Marianne says On Track Adventures has plenty of room to improve and build. “We will continue to aim to be as flexible as possible and meet what the market wants.”
Published Autumn 2011.
