Tauranga Shore Excursion: Rotorua Geothermals at Whakarewarewa Maori Village
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Tauranga Shore Excursion: Rotorua Geothermals at Whakarewarewa Maori Village
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Tauranga Shore Excursion: Rotorua Geothermals at Whakarewarewa Maori Village

6 h
Instant confirmation
About this activity
Travel with Tauranga’s most experienced cruise tour operators and discover the fascinating sights (and smells) of Rotorua – New Zealand’s cultural and geothermal hub. This fully guided small group tour takes you to the Whakarewarewa Village in Te Whakarewarewa thermal valley to experience the best value for money destination in town.

What to expect:
• Experience life as a local at Whakarewarewa Village – a real village built amongst an active geothermal valley. An insightful 1 hour tour of the village with one of the residents is included.
• See bubbling mudpools, boiling hotpools and the ever-playful Pohutu Geyser. You'll soon understand why Rotorua is nicknamed 'Sulphur City'!.
• Enjoy an authentic 30 minute cultural show by Te Pakira – one of Rotorua’s leading performace groups. See songs, chants and poi dancing…as well as the famous war dance – the Haka.
• Learn how the Maori people have adapted to life in this unique landscape – using nature to help in everyday life. You’ll be amazed how useful the hot springs can be!
• Enjoy all the famous sights of Rotorua city – including Government Gardens, the Bath House, Rachel Spring and the stunning lakefront.
• Marvel at the lush Bay of Plenty countryside – passing forests, lakes, orchards, beaches and more. We even stop at a kiwifruit orchard so you can see first-hand how these furry icons are grown.
• Visit picturesque Okere Falls - you might even see the white water rafters tumble over the 7m high waterfall!

About us:

Our team has been delivering world-class Shore Excursions for over 16 years. It all started with owner Ian - one man and a beloved Rolls Royce car. Today, the number of vehicles and tours has changed, but the philosophy hasn’t – every customer is treated like one of the family, and we will make sure you have an unforgettable day. We have over 100 years combined tour guiding experience so you know you are in capable hands (and if you’re lucky you may even get to travel with Ian – he still loves to get behind the wheel!).

Travel on a modern, air conditioned van with a passionate local as your host. We specialise in small groups to allow an intimate and personalised experience. Every tour is guided and commentated from start to finish - our guides delight in showing off our little corner of the world. And, we guarantee to have you back to the ship on time!
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Included
  • Port pickup and drop-off
  • Driver/guide with full commentary
  • Entry to Whakarewarewa Living Maori Village
  • Visit to a kiwifruit orchard
  • Visit to Okere Falls
  • Lunch - Delicious hangi lunch at Whakarewarewa
Not included
  • Food and drinks
  • Lunch
Additional
  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • This tour requires some walking on well-made paths, gentle inclines and some steps.
  • This tour is not suitable for user of mobility scooters or wheelchairs (unless very small collapsible ones) . Folding walkers/frames can usually be accommodated but passengers must be able to enter a minibus using the standard steps. You must advise us at the time of booking if you are bringing any mobility device - failure to do so may result in you not being able to take the tour.
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 18 travelers
Features
Tourism
100%
Cultural
60%
Aquatic
45%
Reviews
4.0
3
g
gabby_1215
3 | 2018-11-19

We booked a small group shore excursion,the Rotorua Highlights Including Whakarewarewa Visit, for the 9th November. Originally, it was supposed to be a 7.5hr tour, but due to timing of ship arrival and departure, the start time was made earlier and it was reduced to 6 hours, but the price remained the same!! Our tour was provided by Shore Trips Tours and there was a bit of confusion when we arrived at the port, but once we found one our bus, we settled in for our tour. Our driver, Paul was very knowledgeable and funny. The tour was going along well, until he mentioned something about sharing passengers with another driver for whatever reason. It was then we realized that half of the passengers on our bus were from another ship, The Noordam, that was docked in Tauranga also. We couldn't understand why they split the passengers, but it all went South from there. To cut a long story short, their ship was due to depart at 4.00pm, where our ship was departing at 5.00pm. Our tour of the Village was very rushed and we missed a great deal of it. We did not get to see the mud pools, one of the attractions we were led to believe we would be taken to, and the poor guide of the village was being constantly pushed to be quick. We were rushed onto the bus and headed off back to port. Paul did take the scenic route back, which was beautiful, but when he mentioned he would take us for a quick look around the CBD, he was pretty much told by a passenger that there was no time as they had to be back on the Noordam, so we missed out on that too!!! For the most part, the tour was good and the welcome we received by the Living Village people was fantastic. Our guide, Michael, did the best he could with the time he was given, but even he was feeling frustrated that he was being rushed.I do not hold Viator responsible for this debacle as they would have allocated the tour to Shore Trips Tours, but I feel they need to know for future reference. No explanation was given as to why passengers from two different ships were put on the same tour when there were two different ship departure times!!!I must add a kudos to Viator for quickly refunding a tour booked to Dunedin that we had to cancel due to ship diverting as a result of rough seas.

M
Mary Jo B
4 | 2017-05-10

This trip was outstanding. Our guide was very knowledgeable and took all the time needed so that everyone in our small group experienced everything on the tour. The only downer was another large group of tourists at the Whakarewarewa show who disregarded all instructions to stay out of the middle aisle and to take any pictures from the side aisles so that views would not be impeded. Our guide even offered to take us to see the beekeepers, when we finished the tour with some time to spare, but all of us were tired so we declined his offer.

e
evansmaxine
5 | 2017-01-31

I would like to thank our tour guide. He was brilliant. I did a ships tour a few years ago and there is no comparison. Well done Viator for engaging these thoroughly generous with their time and knowledgeable tour guides.

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