Terms & Conditions
General
Doughboats Lake Taupo is a New Zealand owned and registered company.
The safety of our passengers and property is important to us and by purchasing or embarking on a session with Doughboats Lake Taupo, both Hirer and Passengers agree to the following terms and conditions:
Assumption of Risk - Hirer and Passengers acknowledge that the activities for which the Vessel is designed include inherent dangers, including the risk of bodily injury and/or death. Hirer and Passengers assume and accepts all risks associated with the use of the Vessel.
Indemnity - Hirer and Passengers indemnify the Owner from and against all claims, actions, costs, liabilities and losses incurred or suffered by the Owner (including legal costs) as a result of any claim made by a third person against the Owner in respect of any loss or liability arising from the Hire Agreement or arising out of the use or misuse of the Vessel and/or its equipment by the Hirer and/or Passengers.
Acceptable Use – The Hirer agrees and acknowledges that he/she will be the sole operator of the Vessel, and will use the Vessel in a careful, safe and conscientious manner. The Hirer shall at all times observe and adhere to any rules, guidelines and briefings given by Owner, and any applicable laws or regulations. Hirer shall be responsible at all times for the safety of any and all passengers in the Vessel.
Operating Limits - The Hirer acknowledges they understand the designated operating limits the Vessel must stay within. The Hirer agrees to navigate within the specified and charted operating area and not exceed the limits. The hirer agrees that the owner reserves the right to change the boarding location according to weather conditions.
Prohibited Activities – The Hirer and Passengers agree to not violate any of the following rules and regulations during his/her time aboard of the Vessel:
- No smoking on board the Vessel.
- The driver agrees to operate the Vessel sober.
- No pets permitted in the Vessel.
- No fishing permitted from the Vessel.
- No beaching or docking of the Vessel other than locations specified by the Owner or in the case of an emergency.
- No carrying more than the declared number of persons aboard.
- No misuse or damage to operational or safety equipment.
Alcohol & Drugs - The Hirer acknowledges that driving a vessel under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs is extremely dangerous. The hirer also acknowledges that it is an offense to carry or consume alcohol on a vessel for hire. The Hirer indemnifies the Owner from any infringements, fines or legal proceedings resulting from any alcohol related offenses. The Hirer also indemnifies the Owner in relation to incidences resulting from the consumption of alcohol. The designated driver agrees to remain sober at all times.
Medical Conditions – The Hirer and Passengers acknowledge they have disclosed any medical condition(s) that may impact in any way, the safe operation or use of the Vessel and/or its equipment. The Hirer and Passengers acknowledge that they are fully competent to operate the Vessel and adhere to all written and verbal instructions given by the Owner.
Insurance – The Owner has insurances to cover the Vessel against any damages caused by the Hirer. The Owner also has public liability insurances to cover against damages to public property. The Hirer shall pay an excess of 1500NZD to the Owner in the event of any loss, theft or damage to the Vessel and/or equipment that is covered by the Owners policies of insurance.
Overdue hire/late fees – The Hirer agrees to return the Vessel to the Owner by the expected return time. If the vessel is more than 15mins late, a late fee of $100 will be charged to the Hirer.
Damages and/or Losses - A stored credit card hold will be taken at the time of the Hirers booking request. In the event damages and/or losses are incurred to the Vessel and/or equipment, the Hirers credit card will be processed and deducted by the Owner. If the Vessel and/or equipment is damaged and/or lost then the Owner will notify the Hirer and the costs of repairing the damage (and in the case of equipment, the full retail price of the item of equipment) will be charged to the Hirer’s credit card. The Hirer authorises the Owner to charge any sum up to the value of 1500NZD for monies payable by the Hirer, including but not limited to any outstanding amount of the Hire Fee, Late Fees, Cancellation Fees, Insurance Excess Fees and any valuation fees incurred in surveying damage caused to the Vessel. Note that any life jackets inflated by either Hirer and/or Passengers other than in the event of an emergency will incur a $30 charge per life jacket to cover refueling.
Personal Items - If Hirer or Passengers choose to take their own personal property on board then this property or equipment is carried at their OWN RISK and Doughboats Lake Taupo will not be liable in any way for any loss to such property or equipment however caused.
Adherence to Crew Instructions - For the safety and comfort of all passengers all instructions given by the crew before departure must be followed and parents/guardians are responsible for ensuring that their children do the same.
Stored Credit Card Information
As Doughboats is weather dependent, rather than charge your card at the time of your booking request and then process a refund should the weather not permit your activity, we take a $1 authorisation hold on your card. The remaining booking amount is then charged once we confirm weather conditions are safe for your cruise. You will receive both a booking confirmation email and a txt to confirm your booking is going ahead. This may be up to 1 hr prior to your departure time. Note that credit cards are not charged in the event that you request a booking cancellation within the specified time described under our Cancellation/Refund policy. If a cancellation is made outside of these time frames, your card will still be charged.
Note that we do not manually keep credit card details. All credit card details are securely stored by both our third-party booking software and payment gateway provider. If you wish to have your stored card details deleted, please let us know.
cancellation / refunds
We require 48 hours notice for cancellations before the booking departure time to get a full refund. If a cancellation is made between 24-48 hours before the booking departure time passengers will get a 50% refund. Cancellations within 24 hours will not be refunded, unless otherwise decided by Doughboats Lake Taupo.
Changes to bookings must be made 24 hours before departure time. For example, if you book for a party of 6 but one person is no longer able to come, we request that you contact us at least 24 hours before departure time to make that change to your booking so you are charged for a party of 5 instead of 6. If we are not contacted in that time frame you will still be charged for a party of 6 and a refund will not be issued.
Trips are weather dependent – Doughboats Lake Taupo operation can be affected by high winds on the lake, heavy rain or stormy conditions and Doughboats Lake Taupo reserves the right to modify trip times and cancel trips at our sole discretion. A full refund will be given for trips cancelled by weather when the cancellation is verified by Doughboats Lake Taupo.
Doughboats Lake Taupo Gift Cards are valid for 12 months after the date of purchase. Extension of validity beyond the gift card expiry date is at Doughboats Lake Taupo sole discretion.
restrictions
Weight and age restrictions may apply.
Doughboats Lake Taupo reserve the right to cancel any trip if the passenger safety is at risk due to the customer exceeding the weight or age restrictions. Please call the Doughboats Lake Taupo team if you have any questions regarding this.
