Tauranga Shore Excursion: Rotorua Highlights
Overview
Available languages
7 hours
Mobile ticket
***ALL OUR TOURS START & END TO FIT THE CRUISE SHIPS' ARRIVAL & SAILING TIMES***
Rotorua is the 2nd most visited city in New Zealand by all tourists. As you only have a small window of opportunity to visit we have created an itinerary to showcase some of what we think makes this place so special. The two main interests which make people visit is Maori Culture & Geothermal Activity. This tour showcases the area where your ship is docked (Mount Maunganui) before we depart for the city of Rotorua. Enroute we showcase all which creates the namesake of the Bay of Plenty. Arriving at Rotorua's only Living Maori Village of its kind - Whakarewarewa - you will receive a traditional welcome and invited by a local to join them on a guided tour of this unique place. A village which lives on top of an active geothermal valley and has learnt to harness the powers of mother nature to aid their daily living needs for 100's of year. See geysers, steaming fumaroles , bubbling hot pools and much more.
Additional Info
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Please wear comfortable clothing and walking shoes
Please bring sun protection and jackets for cooler weather
Worry-free Shore Excursion Guarantee
ALL OUR TOURS HAVE FLEXIBLE START / END TIMES TO MEET SHIP ARRIVAL & SAILING TIMES.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
Driver/guide
Air-conditioned vehicle
Tasting of local fare
Port pickup and drop-off
Live commentary on board
Covered by Viator’s worry-free policy: guaranteed on-time return to your ship
Food and drinks, unless specified
Gratuities
What To Expect
Mount Maunganui
ALL TOURS DEPARTURE TIMES WILL FIT WITH SHIPS ARRIVAL AND SAILING TIMES. It is just a 2 minute walk from disembarkation place on port of Tauranga to tour meeting place.
Mt Maunganui Main Beach
Mount Maunganui is voted New Zealands number 1 beach and seaside resort. With its iconic Mauao - a volcanic lava dome, 232 mtrs high standing proudly at the headland and the 22kms of beautiful white sandy beach, not forgetting to mention Marine Parade which showcases some of New Zealand most expensive and luxurious holiday homes - this is not a place to miss seeing.
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Tauranga Shore Excursion: Rotorua Highlights
Reviews
405 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Great overview of Maori history and life
knottyk3,
May 9, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Great overview of Maori history and life. Our guide was excellent, but I can't remember his name; an older man who lived in the village.
Interesting and enjoyable tour.
Joyce M,
Apr 30, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00We thoroughly enjoyed this tour. The geothermal visit was excellent. Then tall trees and a visit to a kiwi farm. Excellent trip.
Did not deliver services nor credit refund to original form of payment in the amount = $260.02
James B,
Apr 25, 2025
- Review from Viator
1.00Tour never provided Harbor Master Closed Port ! Ship denied entry due to unsafe conditions in seas and high winds! No one who booked with Viator or anyone else able to receive services. Refund Requested but two months have elapsed and Viator has ignored and or denied to credit original form of payment
Authentic Maori Village
Dulcie L,
Apr 16, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00So interesting to see the Maori people living in their community and using the land to their benefit. Also seeing a bit of the New Zealand landscape, the beautiful scenery and waterfalls, the redwood forest was wonderful. Tasting kiwi and visiting the kiwi farm was a bonus.
Very cultural
John M,
Apr 13, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00The main point of this visit was to visit the Māori village. The other stops were not necessary but ok. Driver was very good as he was a local and took us around to see the beaches on the way. The Village tour as very interesting. Our guide the Chief Wes great, and had lived in the village all his life. How they cooked and bathed was really fascinating, using the hot spring water.
Rotorua highlights trip
Lesley M,
Apr 13, 2025
- Review from Viator
2.00Maori village experience was great. It was about one and a half hours. The driver's commentary during the travel was informative. The rest of the stops were either too long or a bit pointless. The female guide on the bus was disorganised and failed to give clear instructions to the passengers about how long we were supposed to be at each stop. People had to simply follow each other to suss out what was happening.
Terrific tour, not to be missed
Virginia H,
Apr 7, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00This was a tour of an authentic Mauri village built over hot springs and geysers. Twenty five families still live here. Tour was led by a Mauri resident and the performance was great. The Pohutu geyser fully erupted. We even got to taste ears of corn cooked in a boiling pool. Tour also included a visit to a kiwi fruit orchard with tasting, a stop at the Whakarewsrewa Forest, government gardens, and Kaituna Falls. The tour began at the ship’s port and our guide was very careful to watch the time all day in order to get us back to the ship in plenty of time.
Okay tour, great time at the Māori village, with lots of unnecessary fillers
Tina C,
Apr 6, 2025
- Review from Viator
3.00Decent tour overall, but really it is all about the Māori village. It was amazing to watch the passion put into the cultural performances, their songs and dance came to life. It was great to wander around the village and learn about their history and modern culture. Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable too! On the other hand, the rest of the stops were pointless. At the Redwood Forest, we had just 10 minutes for a bathroom break, not even time to leave the parking lot and the village was only 10 minutes away, we should have just gone straight there. After the village visit, we had lunch at a random mall food court, there were plenty of options and it was relatively quick. After lunch we stopped at a random waterfall, it was very underwhelming. Not worth the stop or even taking pictures of, basically just another bathroom break. The last stop was at a Kiwi farm, which was interesting and informative. Clearly most other tours didn’t stop here, but it only took about 15 minutes before we were headed back to the starting point.
Would recommend this trip 100% we took our 89-year-old mother who was very well catered for, the places they visited wh
Y6156KWcherylh,
Apr 1, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Would recommend this trip 100% we took our 89-year-old mother who was very well catered for, the places they visited where so interesting . John our driver and Ralph our guide really loverly people. It was just a fantastic experience and a must do if your able.
Ok Excursion / Maori Village Great
Joel H,
Mar 21, 2025
- Review from Viator
3.00The Maori village and our guide Michael at the village were the highlights and a fantastic experience! Loved seeing the village, how the people live, and learning about its history. The live show at the end was so cool and something great to have witnessed. The rest of the excursion was just average. For some reason our guide, Stephen, kept mentioning that we were running late when we weren't. He spoke a lot, but about many irrelevant things which would obscure the truly interesting and relevant items. We also didn't get to stop at the Redwood Forest or the Government Gardens, both of which we had time to stop for even if it was just for a quick 15 mins. The real unfortunate part was starting off the tour stopping at a shopping mall for lunch. Made no sense to do this right at the beginning of our tour, plus at an everyday shopping mall. Why not a local venue? Very weird.
From NZ$245.00
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Operated by Zealandier Tours