How to organise the best Hens party Wine Tour to Waiheke Island?

GoBananas has been organising Wine Tours to Waiheke Island for years so we know a thing or two about organising them well.

Here are our top tips:

  1. Start the process early. Some of the wineries have weddings or large corporate functions so you might need to ring around to 10 different Waiheke wineries to actually get in somewhere. Definitely don’t leave it till the last minute.
  2. Not all wineries are hens friendly, so keep that in mind when ringing around. Also we recommend not wearing to much hens party accessories, just to tone it down a wee bit – R rated probs are also a major no go with most of these places.
  3. Lunch & food. Some of the wineries only takes groups that are happy to order a set menu, with 2 courses. GoBananas has a list of wineries that are happy to offer our hens party groups platters, which is not only cost-effective, but also a lovely lunch option. Come into this process with a clear idea of much extra your guests are willing to spend on lunch to avoid confusion later on.
  4. Make sure you go to wineries that have some inside space – just in case it rains. They do say on Waiheke Island the sun always shines, but you never know and the last thing you want is to be stuck outside in the wet, looking in.
  5. Reliable transport is a must. There are so many people that arrive everyday to Waiheke Island, so don’t rely on public transport or the taxi outside the ferry. You might be waiting for ages. With a group of 15 ladies you need to have all of this organised before you arrive on the island – especially if you have a pre-set time for a tasting.
  6. Time frame – think about when you want to leave Auckland and when you need to return. Then you can fill out the rest of the day with winery stops and keep in mind the time it takes to board the ferry on each side.
  7. If your numbers change you might need to adjust it all so flexibility is key – make sure group is aware of all the potential costs up front so you don’t have people dropping out last minute.

Alternatively if this sounds like a lot of hard work, many phone calls and your time being spent coordinating all of this – why not book one of GoBananas Waiheke Wine Tours that run like clock work. We’ll do all this for you and take you to the wineries that are great for hens parties.
We charge a cost per person, which you simply asks each person coming on the wine tour to pay either to you direct or through the GoBananas payment software.

You can then enjoy the wine tour instead of stressing about it.

Nice and easy!

What NOT to do during a Hen’s Night….

The night that you’ve been long awaiting is finally here – the big hen’s night! Maybe you’ve done the hard yards and thrown this soiree together, or perhaps you’ve just waited patiently for the date to roll around – looking forward to a fun night out with the girls! Now that the hen’s party has arrived though – we feel it’s important to pass on few tips about what shouldn’t happen.
So whether your the maid of honour, a bridesmaid, a wedding guest or even the bride to be – read on and take note about what NOT to do during a hen’s night:

  1. Don’t take over in a public venue – If you’ve got a table booked for dinner or are heading to an activity where there will be lots of other people, such as a wine tour – it’s important to remember that while this is a super special day for you and the girls, the other patrons probably don’t care too much that it’s your last day of freedom and they could also be celebrating their own special occasion, so try not to overtake other peoples moments. Hen’s party should be fun – but it’s also nice when they’re somewhat classy as well – don’t be that group that makes the sweet old couple on the next table over choke on their soup when you pull out the penis straws – YIKES!
  2.  Don’t hit the booze too hard- This is especially important if you’ve got a full on hen’s party planned form morning till night. While a champagne breakfast is just fine, chasing it down with a few tipples of vodka may not be the wisest decision. Make sure the girls pace themselves throughout the night – the last thing you want is someone having to head home early cause they’re too past it or having your group being turned away from a pre-booked venue or bar because half the group is sloshed. Have a good time by all means – but knowing when to switch to lime and soda is the key.
  3. Don’t embarrass the bride to be- The phrase “make the bride blush”, is used a lot when it comes to hen’s party – heck, we use it constantly when talking about activities. But there is a line, if you’ve been invited to the hen’s night then you probably know the bride reasonably well – at least well enough to be tuned in to what would completely horrify her. A brides hen’s night is meant to be one that she looks back on with fondness, not one that she’s embarrassed to tell her parents about hides the pictures under the bed. For example – if you know that getting her a male stripper is last thing she would ever want – or if you know that she would hate to wear a ridiculous outfit or carry around replicas of male genitalia, don’t push it. As long as she’s happy and having fun at her own pace – everyone else should be too.
  4. Don’t go on a lone adventure-  Hen’s nights are all about having a good time with your besties – and a big factor in said good time is sticking together. At some point during the hen’s night after a few too many (see tip #2) you may get the urge to suddenly go play on that swing over there or head to that bar over the other side of town, heck maybe you even feel like going for a swim – but please, we implore you – stick with your group. Not to mention the safety issues/stranger danger aspects of it all but it’s a pretty stink night for your mates when they have to stop the party to chase down the lone wolf who couldn’t stay put.

Some of these may sound a little like where trying to be your mother – and while we want our hen’s groups to have an amazing time – we also them to be safe, respectful and or course – respected. So when you’re heading out for the greatest night ever – just keep these tips in the back of the mind and not only will you remember the hen’s night…but it will also be a night you’ll want to remember. images-2

Male Strippers – to book or not to book

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Yay your best friend is getting married, you know what that means… HENS NIGHT!!! And you get to plan it, even better. So many decisions and options of things to do and see, and one of those decisions is whether or not have a male stripper.

Before you go rushing out to book the entertainment think about this first, is that the sort of thing the bride is in to? Who is on the guest list? Will the Hen want a half-naked man grinding her in front of her future mother in law?

If the answer is yes and you feel confident the party will love it or find it funny – then great let’s talk about everything you need to know.

First, booking a stripper, we would recommend going through an agency or booking agent, we have some great options here at GoBananas, so give us a call on 09 280 3964. The reason I say go through an agency is that they are easier to find (they usually have websites), they will usually send you through pics of the options, so you can choose who you think your Hen and her party will enjoy and the prices are the same.

Second, generally a male stripper will dance for 3 songs or approximately 10-15 minutes and you can usually decide before hand how much clothes you would like the stripper to take off or leave on. Usually with male strippers they go down to a G-String but you can make that call based on what you think is appropriate. Also what you want the stripper to come dressed as, if you want him to wear a costume speak to them or the agent beforehand so you can see if they have what you want.

Thirdly, think about where you are planning this party, if you are at someone’s house than great but if you are out at a venue you will need to pre-check that they allow strippers to come in. Finding a venue that is okay with strippers is like finding a needle in a hair stack. But no need to panic Gobananas has been searching in Auckland and has some amazing places that are fine with male strippers or male waiters. Gobananas has some fantastic packages that are reasonable priced and good value.

Another great option we find very successful is boat cruises leaving from Auckland. Your very own private cruise with plenty of eye candy to look at.

Check out our website http://nz.gobananasworld.com/Hen-Weekends.html

Fourth, while strippers are fun and they definitely get the party to the next level of laughter and squeals they are not for everyone and that’s ok. If you think that this is not going to suit your party but would still like some form of sexiness then consider getting some topless waiters for a couple of hours. Everyone will enjoy the eye candy but they keep their pants on. Some of the male waiters will play games with you so a really neat idea to make the hens party in Auckland that more special.

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Boat Cruise in Auckland for Hens Parties

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Here at GoBananas we often have office discussions about what we think are great activities for hens nights, and more often than not we will come back to party boats.

Here’s our top reasons why we would recommend a boat cruise to a bunch of hens

  1. It’s a great venue, and it’s private so you get the chance to chat and catch up with the guests without interruption. You can play hens party games and spend some time chilling out before the big night out.
  2. It ensures that people are on time, if they don’t get there they miss out. The boat won’t wait or it eats into everybody’s time.
  3. What’s better and more relaxing than a day on Auckland Harbour? There is something so calming and refreshing about the sea breeze in your hair and it puts everyone in the mood for a good time.
  4. You can have entertainment, most boats are happy to come back into dock and pick up a male stripper and because it’s private you don’t have to worry about offending innocent by standers. Or you could have topless waiters serve you and your friends while you enjoy the views both on and off the boat.
  5. You have the choice to go for BYO boats or licenced boats, BYO is a great way to keep costs down but if you don’t want the hassle of going to get your own alcohol and food then buy on board, you could even set up a bar tab.

Keep in  mind when you are organising a hens day or hens night that boats tend to book up early, get in with lots of time to spare to avoid disappointment. We deal with some really nice boats here in Auckland so if you are interested in booking a boat then call the team now on 09 280 3964 or email us on info.nz@gobanan.as, you could also check out our website for more details.

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Organising the best hens party ever

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I sure do wish I had known all of this before I organised a hens party. When you are organising a hens party there is a lot to think about (or in most cases a lot to stress about) and naturally you want it to be the best send off into married life for your bestie. So here at GoBananas we have come up with some tips to help create the most memorable party that your hen is bragging about for years. These are tips relating to the early stages of the party planning.

  1. Pick a date and send out invites early. As most weddings are during the summer months it means that you are competing with many other groups to secure bookings so get in early so people have it in the calendar. At Gobananas we have noticed that numbers tend to drop by about 10-20%, so keep that in mind when you are organising the activities. A good idea here as well is sending out a primarily invitation to save the date and also get an idea of budget. Ask them what they are happy spending.
  1. Listen to your Hen!! I know that this is a fun time and it is easy to get carried away with activities that may embarrass your hen, but if she is not into it then she won’t enjoy it. What we mean is if she is not into having a stripper give her a lap dance in a skimpy g-string – then don’t get her one. Save yourself the money and do something she will enjoy.
  1. Don’t have too many chiefs – you can’t please everyone. Please the bride and involve the other bridesmaids, they know the hen too and they may have some fantastic ideas. Then just keep the rest of the group in the loop, so that they know what the plan is and can decide if they wish to participate. If they are a good friend they will be there!
  1. Budget – keep in mind that every ones budget may be very different. Some groups may be happy spending $150 per person, other groups are more like $50-60per person. Keep this in mind when organising activities and whether do to a day or a weekend away. Perhaps consult the bride – she knows the people coming and roughly disposable income. The more expensive your plans are the more people will drop off. At Gobananas we find that people spend anything from $60-$250pp on the hens party.
  1. Create a theme. If you have a fun theme for the night it is easier to plan the whole thing, from the decorations to the activities and the outfits. Check out our article on hens themes and get inspired. Do keep in mind however that you dress theme may restrict what activities you are able to do. Ie. Fine dining restaurants aren’t going to be too keen on a naughty nurse sitting in the main dining room.  Also themes can put the budget up as well so think about that as well.
  1. Do something special. This should be a memorable event and you want your party guests to be talking about it for ages but don’t go overboard. If you have too many events you may find that you are rushing too much and well we all know how a bunch of ladies get once they have had some drinks and they are catching up with friends. Also make sure you plan the activities so that the raunchy stuff or the stuff that involves the most drinking happens later in the day, that way you can drop the mother in law off on the way or any under ages.
  1. Share the cost. You should not feel bad about expecting all of the guests to pay their way for the day. But do keep this in mind when planning the activities, not everyone can afford to do a day at the spa followed by 5 star dining so keep to a budget (but don’t be a tight arse either) A good idea would be to set up an account and ask everyone to pay a month in advance that way you’re not still chasing people on the wedding day and it’s not awkward when someone turns up in a brand new dress but hasn’t paid for their part of the party.
  1. Ensure that at some point of the day you are eating. Especially if the hens party is starting activities early in the morning, you don’t want to have people or the whole group turned away from activities because Aunt Mary has done a bit too much celebrating and hitting the champagne a bit hard.
  1. Plays games or at least one game. If you are looking for game ideas then check out our website. Games keep things fun and keep people laughing.

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So if you have a party to organise in Auckland, Wellington, Tauranga or anywhere else in New Zealand than make life easier on yourself and give us a call on 09 280 3964.