Te Puia Geothermal, Kiwi and Māori Art
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
A day of excitement, culture and connection awaits…
Approx a 1-1.5hr drive, during this time enjoy an array of our (all inclusive) snacks & water while you sit back and take in the beautiful scenic views. Te Puia is Rotorua’s world-class guided experience and cultural performance centre. Experience a leading cultural performance in a beautifully carved meeting house. It will include a Traditional Māori Welcome, Song, traditional chant and Poi and Haka.
Come face to face with the biggest, naturally active geyser in the Southern Hemisphere Pōhutu Geyser, and enjoy the up-close experience with the New Zealand Kiwi, in the Kiwi Conservation Centre.
We will make a stop so you can purchase lunch in Rotorua.
TIME PERMITTING WE WILL MAKE VARIOUS OTHER STOPS AT LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS
On our journey back to your ship, sit back & enjoy the memories you made today while you were exploring “our backyard”.
We will have you back at your ship at the Port of Tauranga well prior to your sailing time.
Additional Info
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Comfortable footwear is recommended
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Te Puia
Featuring dramatic geysers, bubbling mud, and beautiful native bush explored by personalised guided tours. Te Puia is home to the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute and offers a state-of-the-art Kiwi Conservation Centre, so you can get closer than ever before to New Zealand’s national treasure- the native Kiwi bird. For generations, Te Puia has welcomed manuhiri (visitors) from all over the world to explore the magic hidden within Te Whakarewarewa Thermal Valley during both the day and evening.
Redwoods, Whakarewarewa Forest
TIME PERMITTING ONLY: Known to locals simply as ‘The Redwoods’, the 55,000ha Whakarewarewa Forest is a playground for mountain bikers, walkers, hikers and horse riders set amongst magnificent stands of towering Californian Redwoods, lush native forest and exotic trees. The Redwood Memorial Grove was planted in 1901, dedicated to the memory of the men of the New Zealand Forest Service who dies in the two World Wars. These iconic trees tower above you at approximately 67 metres (219 feet) tall providing incredible photo opportunities. This easy short walk also features a boardwalk over an old thermal pond, home to unique aquatic plant life.
What‘s Included
Bottled water
Snacks
Towels for foot spa
Driver/Guide
Lunch
Options
Te Puia Incl Glowworms Cave
Redwoods Glowworm Cave: Prepare to be enchanted by our newest attraction – a breathtakingly beautiful 70-metre eco cave with 1000s of real glowworms
Te Puia Geothermal, Kiwi and Māori Art
Reviews
13 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Very informative....
Michele C,Mar 22, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Very informative. Beautiful Hyde’s. The guide is very knowledgeable. Highly recommend this tour. We were lucky to have beautiful weather.
No allocated time for...
Lorinda H,Mar 20, 2026
- Review from Viator
3.00No allocated time for lunch. Should have had a lunch stop before getting to cultural experience. Had enough time instead of stopping on side of road to look at a kiwi plant. The tour was very good with the old geyser
Very Poor experience
Andrew D,Mar 20, 2026
- Review from Viator
2.00We were very disappointed with this trip The driver was nice but had no interaction with the people on the trip. Whilst driving he did not provide any information on the area or the attractions we were going to see. Our first stop was a roadside stop to see a Kiwi fruit ! Our second stop was for the foot bath at a local park. The final stop at Te Pulia Rotorua was very good but not worth the money we had paid.
This was a great day. We...
Karen L,Feb 22, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00This was a great day. We were treated to the magnificent eruption of the geyser. Don’t miss this if you in town for the day. We were also treated to a kiwi bird viewing and a terrific Māori cultural show. The tour director was great and easy to find. Highly recommend!
Did NOT receive the tour we paid for.
Lyndon L,Feb 21, 2026
- Review from Viator
2.00We have never had to give a tour below a 5 stars before when traveling with Viator as they require only the best to be booked thru them. But we would have wanted to know about this tour company before booking it. While we did get to see Te Puia & the guide at the attraction was amazing, we did not get to see the following which is what was listed when we booked & we were brought back nearly 2 hours early so it could have been included. Redwoods - 15 minute stop. Government Gardens - 15 minute stop. Sulphur Point - 15 minute stop. Kuirau Park - 30 minute stop. Plus we got hardly any commentary on the bus. Just dead air back & forth to Te Puia. So we missed a lot of info on Tauranga. After complaining about it we got lots of excuses, including that they were told to bring us back 2 hrs early, but our ships identical tours came back right at the same time we were supposed to, so clearly that wasn't an issue. They offered us 20% refund, but as we explained to the manager, it wasn't the money, it was that they brought us back early, missing sights, no commentary & Tauranga info, etc, and we live 8,000+ miles away in NC USA so there is very little chance we will make it back to Tauranga to finish the touring we should have had. So they should have told us in advance they were not going to go to the sites & were shortening the tour we had paid for, as we would have cancelled & went with another tour company to get a full tour.
Great Tour
Steven P,Feb 18, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00This was a great tour and a good guide. There was a lot to see and wonderful guides at tb we facility.
Great day
Bob H,Feb 17, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Had a great day. Messina was very knowledgeable and nothing was too much trouble for her. We visited everything promised on the tour including a couple of extras like the rapids and waterfall but of course Te Puia was the highlight
Superb Experience
Mike B,Feb 17, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Everything about this trip was superb Our guide Kia was amazing with a wonderful charm knowledge and pride regarding her Māori heritage. The Māori welcome and cultural show was wonderful. The Kiwi conservation project and the information shared was fascinating. The Geothermal’s are great and the knowledge shared again and timing for “eruption” was spot on. The surprise was the visit to the NZ Institute of Arts and Crafts which demonstrated amazing Māori use of resources and skills with the detailed carving incredible . I came away so more informed than I ever have been about Maori traditions heritage and culture and consider it to have been a privilege and would of course highly recommend.
Mixed review
Christine M,Feb 10, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00Overall the tour was nice. The Maori Cultural Center was really cool. Our guide within the center was awesome. I was expecting more commentary from our driver. Our driver was super nice and answered all our questions. I realize that when booking it was mentioned that additional stops were based on time allotment. Most of us were from the Carnival ship that wasn't leaving port until 7pm, however our tour also included people from the Princess ship that was also in port, but they were slated to leave 2 hours before us. This forced us back early. It was stated we would have a lunch stops in Rotorua and that never happened. Also it was mentioned we would be provided a towel for a foot spa? Never saw or heard anything about a foot spa. I will say that after we returned to our ship we realized we left an item on the tour bus. I contacted the tour operator and they found the item and they said they would send it to us. I provided my address, but have not heard back about this.
Tom our driver/guide was...
Ellen M,Feb 4, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00Tom our driver/guide was excellent. He is an excellent driver on the mountain road and made the journey enjoyable throughout the day. The art school and learning the history of the Maoir people was very interesting.
From NZ$240.00
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Operated by Tino Pai Tours