Lake Taupō Māori Rock Carvings Scenic Cruise aboard Ernest Kemp

Overview

Available languages

German

English

Chinese (China)

French

Spanish

Mobile ticket

Ernest Kemp Cruises cruising Lake Taupo for over 30 years. We specialise in visiting the Maori Rock Carvings daily. Enjoy the history of the area and this unique replica steamboat. Friendly skipper and crew offer a live commentary and a colour brochure explaining the meaning of the carvings. Lots of great photo opportunities with viewing and seating both inside and out. Bring a towel in summer months your skipper may decide there is time for a swim in our crystal clear lake.

Complimentary tea, coffee, hot chocolate and cookies. Free wifi on board.

4 cruises daily in the summer months, from 90 - 120 minutes. Our popular 5 pm Cocktail Cruise includes a couple of complimentary glasses of wine or beer and pizza, this is all included in the ticket price. Sit back and relax you will have great experience on board Ernest Kemp Cruises.

Additional Info

Service animals allowed

Public transportation options are available nearby

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Well behaved dogs welcome.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Free WiFi on board

Live commentary from skipper & crew

Complimentary tea, coffee & cookies.

Scenic cruise on Ernest Kemp

Snacks and drinks, alcoholic and non alcoholic available for purchase on board.

Hotel pickup/drop-off

What To Expect

Maori Rock Carvings

Sit back and relax cruising picturesque Lake Taupo to visit the famous Maori Rock Carvings with Ernest Kemp Cruises. Enjoy complimentary hot beverages, Free Wifi. Cruises between 90 -120 mins. Great photo opportunities. Comfortable seating inside and out. Live commentary of the lake and history of the local area.

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Included

Options

12.30pm 1.5 Hour Cruise

Maori Rock Carving Cruise
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

4.30pm 1.5 hour Cruise

4.30pm 1.5 hour Cruise: 4.30pm Cruise to the Maori Rock Carvings, with the option to swim at the skippers discretion.
Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes

Maori Rock Carvings Cruise

9am Early Bird Cruise

9am Early Bird Cruise : 9am Early Bird Cruise with Ernest Kemp to visit the Maori Rock Carvings. Start the day with a relaxing Cruise.

Reviews

4.66

841 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

624

164

We loved Lake Taupo!
Deb H,
Nov 6, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Great time! Our captain was terrific! A beautiful calm day! We loved it and would definitely do again!!!
One of the best mini...
Chris S,
Nov 5, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
One of the best mini cruises I have had. Informative, fun, friendly and good value for money. Crew are knowledgeable and professional while making the cruisevfun.
Pleasant, would recommend.
Compass52162208051,
Nov 4, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00
We went on the early morning tour, staff were exceptionally friendly, commentary was not too overbearing, other than info about the rock carvings there wasn’t much Maori history given which was a shame but overall a pleasant experience. Would have no hesitation recommending. Wrap up warm though because it’s cold and breezy on the lake!
Relaxing fun way to see the some history
Twinguy1,
Nov 2, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Lovely day! Squeezed this in as we were passing through Taupo. Classic Steamboat styling made a simple tour a bit more fun. Friendly and efficient staff
Lovely boat cruise, great staff, very friendly
Helen2310,
Nov 2, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00
Lovely boat creuise, but infortinately the weather was not good so was unable to get to the rock carvings. They did offer for another trip the next day but our travel plans did not allow this as were moving on the next morning.
He Wheako Whakamiharo!!!!
stjohnh2025,
Nov 1, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
An awesome experience! 10/10 Me and my family sat outside the back and it was great! The ride, the carvings and service was 💯 thank you so much captain and even our awesome Tour / Guide / Helper he was so awesome and even helped take pictures of everyone ! Captain also let the kids have a turn steering the wheel on the way back and they received cute certificates! Overall well worth the money! Complimentary bickies, and hot drinks on board too!
Māori rock carvings
V8942WSalisonh,
Oct 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
A lovely trip to see the Māori rock carvings on a beautiful steam boat. It was a cold day but free tea and coffee was endless through out the trip. The tour guides were very friendly, helpful and knowledgable. They kept safety of us in the forefront but made sure that we had the best views of the carvings as well. When the lake became very rough they quickly moved the boat to calmer waters as soon as we had had a good look at the carvings. I would highly recommend this trip.
Good experience
Culture49329109380,
Oct 27, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00
The trip takes around 2.5h, with great view of a small part of the lake. It gives you a tons of chance to looking at the Maori Rock.
Great tour, the best way to explore Lake Taupo
Nathan L,
Oct 27, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Fantastic tour, great Captain and first mate, made our tour very enjoyable. Lovely replica steam boat. Deep local knowledge and character. Perfect views of the carvings, took us right up close and shared the stories of the Maori culture and history. Donald and Daisy duck like to fly by and visit the boat too.
Carvings were good to...
Colleen R,
Oct 24, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Carvings were good to see. Boat was a bit rough but we were informed of this before we left the dock.

From NZ$50.00