27/04/2026
Where to start!..
6 years ago, with four kids aged 12 down to 4, we knew Taupō needed something affordable for families just like ours. With about $23 in the bank, a global pandemic amongst us and a big dream, we got declined from the bank for a business loan 😆😆 ..BUT we made it happen, and Taupō Pedal Boats came to life 6 months later.
We had absolutely no idea what we were doing, we imported boats and bikes from overseas, took them to the lake with the kids in tow & hoped for the best with a few social media posts. And, for the last 5 years, we have spent our summers at the lake with our kids and our friends and our extended family all helping us with the business.
We’ve seen almost 80,000 people visit us from all around the world, we’ve been in international and national media, had a few NZ ‘celebs’ use our boats, so many things. We’ve made friends, we’ve built amazing relationships, we’ve made so, so many precious memories.
We’ve also been robbed more than once, we’ve had our boats destroyed by earthquakes, we’ve had to rescue more than a few customers who didn’t listen to instructions 🤣.. we’ve grown and expanded, imported the coolest slide pedal boats, added SUPs and kayaks and WOW how the whole area has changed! Check out these photos from where we started 😲
It goes absolutely without saying that we are so grateful for our amazing team of staff as well! Special mention to Em who held it down this last season, we were so lucky to have you all summer!!
In a nutshell, we want to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for the support you gave our family from day one of Taupō Pedal Boats. Not only our families and friends, the ones who are no longer with us, and the community as well. There is no way we would have been able to do it without you all.
We are so proud of this accomplishment, it has been a wild ride every season 🫢 our kids have grown, our business has grown, we’ve grown and learned SO much. It’s very bittersweet (more than expected!) & the end of an era for us, but now it’s time for us to hand it over to someone who will love it just as much as we did ❤️
Ngā mihi nui kia koutou katoa, signing off 👋
Piri, Jess, Devyn, Kayden, Taylor & Cohen
P.S. - good news Taupō, it’s staying exactly where it is!!
