Rotorua Highlights Small Group Tour with Optional Extra Activities from Auckland

Auckland, New Zealand

Rotoura Experience Tour from Auckland in Small Groups

From $179.17

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

12 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

The lakeside resort town of Rotorua is renowned for its geothermal wonders and rich Maori heritage. On this full-day tour from Auckland, benefit from the personal touch of a small-group excursion and a chance to customize your itinerary with a choice of tour options. Potential activities include a visit to Te Puia Maori Village, the bubbling pools of Wai-O-Tapu Geothermal Wonderland, or some relaxation time at the Polynesian Spa.

Comprehensive guided tour of Rotorua for first-time visitors
Flexible tour with a chance to visit up to two top Rotorua attractions
Hassle-free hotel pickup and round-trip transport from Auckland
Small-group tour with a maximum of 16 people

What's Included

Small Group and Fully Guided Tour
Entry tickets (purchased activities only)
Bottled water
Snacks

Gratuities
Souvenirs (available to purchase)
Food and drinks, unless specified
Optional extras and activities - please select the tour option you want at time of booking

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

SkyCity Hotel Auckland
72 Victoria Street West, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Please pick this location if your hotel is not on our list. We do not pick up from your hotel if it is not listed

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

06:30 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

Hotel pick-ups are from the below hotels only. If you do not see your pickup location please select the closest one to you to be picked up from. Pick ups start up to 20 mins before your tour time. Please be waiting outside your accommodation's lobby no later than this time to avoid missing your pick up. Guides have multiple pick-ups so can on occasion run up to 10 minutes late. Guides cannot wait for late passengers as it will mean the entire group is at risk of missing out, so please be waiting and ready (5-10 minutes before your listed time is highly recommended). If you haven’t yet booked your hotel – please choose SkyCity Hotel as this is our central meeting point. If you want to change your pick up, please feel free to contact us. Park Hyatt 06:10 AM Sofitel Viaduct Harbour 06:10 AM Hilton Hotel 06:10 AM M Social 06:15 AM Movenpick Hotel 06:15 AM Adina Apartment Hotel 06:15 AM Copthorne Auckland City 06:15AM Nesuto Stadium Hotel and Apartments 06:15 AM Pullman Auckland 06:15 AM SO/Auckland 06:15 AM JW Marriott Auckland City 06:20 AM Heritage Auckland 06:20 AM Ibis Budget Auckland Central (Pick up also for CityLife, Barclay Suites, Holiday Inn Express) 06:20 AM Crowne Plaza 06:25 AM Rydges Hotel 06:25 AM The Grand By SkyCity 06:25 AM SkyCity Hotel 06:25 AM Four Points by Sheraton 06:25 AM Grand Millennium Auckland 06:30 AM Mercure Hotel 06:30 AM Kiwi International Hotel 06:30 AM VR Auckland City, 188 Hobson Street 06:30 AM Cordis Auckland 06:35 AM Sebel Auckland Manukau 06:45 AM Passengers that miss their pick up will be required to meet the tour at the tour's first stop at their own expense to continue on the tour. No refunds will be given to late or no show passengers.

What To Expect

Auckland Central (Pass By)

Waikato Region (Pass By)

Tirau

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Rotorua

4 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Auckland

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund.
A moderate amount of walking is involved.
Stroller accessible
Due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not recommended for those with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair.
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately.

Near public transportation
Children aged 7 years and below are required to travel in a child safety car seat. If you don't have a car seat one can be provided (with at least 24 hours notice).
Infant seats available
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

126 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 126 reviews

Te Puia and Wai-O-Tapu

Cindy_W, Apr 2024

Great experience! John was a professional driver, and was engaging and personable. He explained how the day was going to work and everything went smoothly. We appreciated the stops to stretch our legs, incorporating some sort of history or landscape splendor each time. We visited Te Puia and Wai-O-Tapu and they were incredible. It's a long day, but well worth it!

A lovely day

David_N, Apr 2024

Grant was very friendly, knowledgeable, and accommodating. He provided lots of useful information about Auckland and NZ history, culture, and economics. He worked around everyone's schedules and interests. He took a road closure in stride, still managing to get everyone where they needed to go.

Great experience

Nicola_P, Apr 2024

Hiking in Rotorua is definitely worth the experience. Also, tour in Te Puia brings a lot of connection with the land and th history.

Turnaround

Ilene_L, Mar 2024

This is an internal issue. I signed up for Māori Culture. When I got in the tour the plan did not show that. After paying $540 I had to pay $30 for the show and $54 for lunch. Ali helped make that happen even though he was given the wrong information

Amazing

Rosaline_M, Mar 2024

It was very good. I enjoyed it. Driver was humorous, and extended himself. It was a long drive to the place.

Expensive long ride around Rotorua

Blaine_B, Mar 2024

Sulfur geysers were most impressive. Cultural center was very informative but separate costs of the activities were a bit too much and confusing. The kiwis were cute but only 2??? Our driver Alejandro was very good and fun. Accommodating everyone's wants. Overall pleasant journey. Spa was VERY disappointing.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

The natural hot spring/Polynesian spa is an optional activity on this tour. I am sorry to hear you did not enjoy it. Most do. If you would care to elaborate on why this experience was not up to your standards I would be happy to look into it.

Excellent

Laurie_B, Mar 2024

Excellent tour. Tour guide was very knowledgeable and the itinerary was very good. Highly recommend.

Nice trip to Rotorua

Wendy_W, Feb 2024

We nice trip ! It is amazing to see the thermal activities. Our driver Brandon was very helpful . We enjoyed the trip very much .

Amazing Geology and An Excellent Guide!

Dean_V, Feb 2024

I loved this trip! The geysers at Te Puia were so exciting to see! I chose to see Te Puia and Waiotapu, which was a perfect for me on my solo adventure. I loved all the colors at Waiotapu, and hearing the "heartbeat" of the earth was fascinating! One of my favorite aspects of this trip was our driver, Matt. He made the trip stress free and provided tons of interesting information about the local area during our drives! I'd definitely recommend this trip for families, couples, and solo travelers!

Highly recommended

Donja_H, Feb 2024

Amazing tour! Rotorua was so unique. The tour was well organized and the tour guide was very funny and friendly. I had a great time

Thermal Rotorua

Margaret_N, Feb 2024

The drive was very pretty. Different from Australia. Lake Rotorua was a lovely stop with little black ducks and swans and manicured gardens. The thermal area was very impressive. Huge mud pools, green lakes and lots of steam. Our driver/guide, Simon, was extremely knowledgeable, helpful, funny and respectful.

Fun Trip

Juan_F, Jan 2024

Driver was on time. Simon made the drive fun He did ice breakers which had everyone on the bus talking to each other He was very knowledgeable about the Area and gave suggestions on what to do You have the ability to choose 2 options to spend your time on There many things to do so do A quick Google search to find what works best for you

Great guide to great experiences

Amanda_M, Jan 2024

Alrssandro was an extremely lively and engaging guide. We had a blast the whole ride. Rotorua was beautiful and learning about the island on the way down was also a highlight. Extremely informative and both added experiences were well worth it.

Steam & Mud Pools

Wendy_S, Dec 2023

Michael our guide was very knowledgeable. We chose the geothermal park as an activity & were pleased with that choice as it gave us leisure time in town too

Very Nice experience!! Excellent people

iram_r, Dec 2023

Wonderful people!! They kept us informed about picking up information which was very helpful since we have had a lot of tours booked. Driver was very helpful and informed. Enjoyed a lot!

Great time!

Brad_D, Nov 2023

Overall the tour was was nice. We did the Māori experience and the geysers. We really enjoyed both. The Māori guides were excellent! Only downside was our driver seemed try to sell us honey. That was something I didn’t expect.

Kam is the BEST

Gabrielle_R, Nov 2023

Kam is the most amazing tour Guide and shares so much history about Auckland during the day. He takes really great care of the guests to ensure they have the most memorable experience. I would recommend this tour!!

Great day out

Georgina_F, Nov 2023

So great trip! Grant was a really good and knowledgeable driving too. Optional activities worked really well. I would recommend waki pu and the spa.

Good but too short

Katharina_J, Oct 2023

The guide was very nice and acknowledged. Unfortunately we only had about 50 min. to visit Te Puia, because the tour needed to be continued in time. Due to that we couldn’t see and experience everything. We were a little bit sad about that.

Great day at Rotorua

susan_O, Oct 2023

Driver/guide Grant was excellent in making sure that we had a great tour. I had just signed up for the Rotorua tour because the options were not the combination that I wanted. I wanted to do Skyline & Wai-O-Tapu. We worked it out so that I could do & throughly enjoy both. Too bad the weather wasnt very cooperative so I could only do one luge ride at the Skyline area. But it was a great day!