Rotorua – Te Puia – Geysers, Culture & Kiwis Small Group Tours
Includes
All entry fees
Child car seat (0-7 year olds)
Departure Details
Departure point is outside the port main pedestrian gates. Your guide will be standing outside the exit (port gates) on the grass area holding up a sign board with your names on.
Departure Time —– will be advised at time of booking.
Tour Departure Details: ALL our tours fit in with your cruise ships arrivals and departure times. We recognize some ships arrival times are outside of above time-frame. If your ship is one of these which arrives later into port than the departure time stated, we ask that you disembark as soon as is possible and check in with your guide who will be waiting for you as per the above instructions.
Highlights
- Tauranga City
- Government Gardens & Bath House
- Pohutu Geyser
- Whakarewarewa Thermal region
- Maori Cultural performance
- Te Puia Maori Arts & Crafts Centre
- Kiwi Bird House
- Kiwifruit
Depart Port of Tauranga for Rotorua; pass over the Tauranga Harbour Bridge into Tauranga City, drive downtown Tauranga along the inner harbour before heading south.
Travel past lifestyle blocks, and farm land before going through the Pyes Pa canyon – a canyon created by man, 10 – 20 meter rock cuttings. This is a truly amazing piece of roadway. Then it’s all downhill into Rotorua, so let’s venture forth to visit the geothermal region.
Our first stop being at a hot thermal steamy lake in the centre of Rotorua city. Enjoy a brief walk around these hot and cold lakes, located side by side, and enjoy the amazing palette of colors before we continue on and immerse into Maori Culture.
Arrival at Te Puia NZ Maori Arts & Craft Centre. Due to time restraints we will guide you around the Whakarewarewa Thermal region, where you can experience Pohutu Geyser, bubbling mud and steam vents from underground. There will be time to pop into the Kiwi House and see if you can spot the NZ native Kiwi bird, our flightless iconic bird which is prone to extinction unless we continue with breeding programmes and pest eradication.
Then it’s off to experience a Maori Cultural traditional performance. One of our most entertaining forms of storytelling is kapa haka (Māori performance art) and other cultural performance. Every day at Te Puia, you get to hear ancient and modern stories through song, dance, poi and stick games. In earlier times, these activities provided training for agility and co-ordination for our Maori warriors.
By now you will be hungry and we will give you opportunity to enjoy some lunch (Not inclusive) then peruse the lovely on site gift shop.
Before we depart the friendly local city of Rotorua we will take you to Kuirau park where you soak your feet in a geothermal hot pool, wander aound a hot bubbling lake, showcase the formal Government Gardens, the iconic historic Bath House, the Art Deco Blue Baths building and Rachel’s Pool.
We then return to Tauranga by a different route, passing through native New Zealand forest and farm land. Time permitting we will stop at Kaituna River & Trout Pools – see rapids & waterfalls, get a glimpse into our native NZ bush. Next stop is at Kiwifruit orchard, here you get up close to the vines, and learn all about the amazing health properties of this little berry, and about the importance of this industry to our region.
We will have you back at your ship at port of Tauranga well prior to your sailing time.
NB: Your tour guide reserves the right to amend the tour itinerary if necessary, to fit with your cruise ships sailing time.
