What To Expect

What‘s Included

Reviews

• Well worth it, jumped in the water, and funny staff!

  Sightseer30814389676,,Feb 21, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  A great two hour trip to see the carvings and lots of stories shared by the staff on the way and way back, very informative, funny and friendly day out. We had lovely weather so were allowed jump in for a swim which was so nice. Lots of drinks and snacks available on board, including complimentary biscuits and tea/coffee. Highly recommend!

• Fun Day for our Overseas visitors

  Nicky F,,Feb 21, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  Fantastic trip …great staff…very good commentary on the history….which was great for our UK visitors ….definitely recommend 😎😎

• Lovely trip and good way to experience the lake

  Margaret G,,Feb 20, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  Very enjoyable boat trip with good staff. Interesting commentary, slightly rough on the water but good fun.

• Fun guide with great local knowledge

  225sharronw,,Feb 20, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Lovely cruise with some great local knowledge from our guide. Good opportunities to get photos of the carvings (made in the 70's) Guide was very witty and made it fun and welcoming.

• Freindly, informative experience

  Sightsee31162834477,,Feb 20, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  4.00

  Interesting trip on the lake. Friendly crew and good informative commentary. Good value and worth doing.

• It was enjoyable, hot drinks and biscuits available

  U1292JZtrishm,,Feb 18, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Informative and chatty captain.

• Great boat trip

  Linda C,,Feb 18, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  The driver was very informative and made the experience very interesting. Would thoroughly recommend this trip also tea, coffee and biscuits was a nice treat.

  

• Take a couple of hours to enjoy an interesting & leisurely cruise on Lake Taupō

  Lynne A,,Feb 17, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  This is a fantastic way to spend a leisurely couple of hours - morning or afternoon - on Lake Taupō! The Ernest Kemp is a unique boat with its own history. Captain Simon and Owen (I hope I got the names right) are total pros, engaging and charming, they came with the Facts! I learned so much about NZ history, the area surrounding Taupō, the Waikato River and the local community that I've decided to come back with my family next year and hopefully rent a holiday house. I hadn't given much thought to the Māori Rock Carvings in advance so I was pleasantly surprised to learn the history of Matahi Brightwell, the master carver who created these pieces in the 70s. It was an unexpected connection closer to my heart, a Canadian outrigger canoe racer, that he is the man who reintroduced Waka ama to New Zealand. Racing in Auckland and the Cook Islands (as well as other locations in Oceania) is what brought me to NZ in the first place. Legend! On our way back, Captain Simon took us along the shoreline and told us about all of the other activities we could do here, information on each of the beaches and their facilities (parking, BBQ, rentals). I can't overstate how informative this tour was in exactly the right way. It was better than some other tours I've done that were far more expensive. A must-do if you're in Taupō.

• Ernest Kemp

  179viviennea,,Feb 17, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  4.00

  We enjoyed the steamer and the commentary. Disappointed that the 2 hour cruise I booked changed to 1.5 hours and was in fact 1 hour 20 mins. There was a lot of choice so picked a longer cruise on purpose. It didn’t spoil our trip as quite cold but if warmer would have been an issue

• Lake Taupō carving cruise

  Paula G,,Feb 16, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  4.00

  Informative cruise easy way to spend a morning on the water. Unfortunately cold & windy weather when we went but still enjoyed it. Recommend this cruise with family/friends or solo

  

  
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