The Adamses handed over office equipment and files, desks, chairs, a freezer with home baked food and 20-seater and 37-seater buses. Their "gem" of an office lady, Karlene Wagstaff, will be working for the new owners and the new office will be just 500m from the old, in Springvale.
Take It Easy Tours has 500 customers on its database.
"Some have been with us for 20 years. They're more friends than anything. That's the bit that's breaking my heart, giving them all to these guys," Mrs Adams said.
The Adamses have taken tours within New Zealand and to Fiji, Norfolk Island and Australia. Every two years there's a tour to Wanganui's sister city Toowoomba in Queensland. The most distant destination so far has been Canada and Alaska, where a group went last year.
Their customers are mainly women, and mainly older.
There have been lots of good moments over the years. Mrs Adams remembers her husband helping some older ladies into the basket of a hot air balloon in Ashburton years ago, when "witches' britches" were in fashion.
"He was in hysterics, trying to push these old ladies up into the basket."
The couple will be retiring to a house on St John's Hill. He hopes to spend more time fishing, while she wants to relax, spend time with grandchildren and do some charity work.
As for the new owners, they hope to expand the business. They have their first tour today, a busload of people to take to the Disney on Ice show in Wellington. Next weekend they take the 20-seater bus to Hamilton for a Bob Dylan concert.
The new owners have been friends since childhood. Mr Granville has worked as a breakfast host at Wanganui radio station More FM for the past five years. His new job will give him more time to attend to council work.
Mr Elliott has spent the past five years working for Nelson-based Flying Kiwi, an adventure tourism company that runs 27-day bus trips with camping and hiking. He started as a tour guide and became operations manager.
