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Bay of Islands Shore Excursion: Puketi Rainforest Guided Walk
Bay of Islands, New Zealand
- 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Take a Bay of Islands shore excursion to the Puketi Rainforest for a half-day guided hike from Waitangi Wharf. You’ll follow a moderately strenuous footpath though a subtropical rainforest of lofty kauri trees and pass by cascading waterfalls as your guide shares local knowledge of rare bird and plant species. Enjoy morning tea on this small-group tour, limited to eight people for a personalized experience. Port pickup and drop-off included.
- Enjoy a guided walk through the Puketi Rainforest in Bay of Islands, from Waitangi Wharf
- Learn about New Zealand’s rainforest from a knowledgeable local guide
- Get a close look at the native flora and fauna in a subtropical rainforest
- Small-group of 8 passengers per guide
What's Included
- Local guide
- Covered by Viator’s worry-free policy: guaranteed on-time return to your ship
- Port pickup and drop-off
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Start time
09:30 AM
Pickup details
Departure Point: Waitangi Wharf Directions: The local tour operator, Adventure Puketi will be waiting at the pier holding a sign with your name Dates: Daily Return point: Returns to original departure point at approximately at 1:15pm
What To Expect
Walk under New Zealand’s towering kauri trees, only found on the North Island, on this Bay of Islands shore excursion. You’ll tramp along a boardwalk and up and down some steep sections on a moderately strenuous trek suitable for fit hikers.
After pickup from the cruise terminal, you’re driven to the Puketi Rainforest to start your guided walk along well-marked paths in the subtropical forest. Learn about the native flora and fauna in this sanctuary, including the now-protected kauri trees — considered some of the world’s oldest trees whose ancestors date back to the Jurassic period. Marvel at two of New Zealand’s largest kauris and hear Maori legends about these ancient giants.
Pass by thundering waterfalls and enjoy a stop for morning tea at the halfway point of your hike. Your guide points out birdlife, such as the rare and reintroduced kokako, and discusses some of the 370 recorded plant species.
At the completion of your Puketi Rainforest walk, you will be returned to your ship.
Worry-free Shore Excursion:We will ensure your timely return to the Bay of Islands port for this activity. In the rare event your ship has departed, we will arrange for transportation to the next port-of call. If your ship is delayed and you are unable to attend this activity, your money will be refunded. See our terms and conditions for full details.
After pickup from the cruise terminal, you’re driven to the Puketi Rainforest to start your guided walk along well-marked paths in the subtropical forest. Learn about the native flora and fauna in this sanctuary, including the now-protected kauri trees — considered some of the world’s oldest trees whose ancestors date back to the Jurassic period. Marvel at two of New Zealand’s largest kauris and hear Maori legends about these ancient giants.
Pass by thundering waterfalls and enjoy a stop for morning tea at the halfway point of your hike. Your guide points out birdlife, such as the rare and reintroduced kokako, and discusses some of the 370 recorded plant species.
At the completion of your Puketi Rainforest walk, you will be returned to your ship.
Worry-free Shore Excursion:We will ensure your timely return to the Bay of Islands port for this activity. In the rare event your ship has departed, we will arrange for transportation to the next port-of call. If your ship is delayed and you are unable to attend this activity, your money will be refunded. See our terms and conditions for full details.
Puketi Nature Trail
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Minimum age is 5 years
- Please bring good walking shoes, sunscreen, hat and day pack.
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant 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 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
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Reviews
5.0
26 reviews
Dennis_M, Feb 2024
Ian is uniquely qualified to lead this tour as he does volunteer work in the forest. He is a very knowledgeable
and entertaining guide.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thanks for the awesome review.
All our guides are passionate about the forest.
Yvonne_B, Feb 2023
What a wonderful excursion into the Puketi rainforest to see the majestic Kauri trees. Our guide, Ian, was early to pick us up and made sure we knew right where to meet him from our ship. We were in a group of 4 people and had the perfect guide! Engaging, fun, comfortable, so smart, he grew up here and knew so much about many different New Zealand topics. He is very passionate about his country and shared it with us. He talked to us in detail about the flora and fauna as we hiked a beautiful walk in the woods. We also stopped at a second location for a shorter walk too. I highly recommend doing this tour and ask for Ian, he is the best!
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Thanks for the great review. All our guides are passionate about the forest and New Zealand.
Michelle_S, Jan 2023
Our hiking guide, Helen, was passionate and knowledgeable. We enjoyed her pride in her forest. Our small group got our exercise for the day
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Thanks for the review.Helen prides herself on her passion and knowledge of the forest.
Clara_S, Dec 2022
This was one of of the best tours we've had in all of our cruising experiences over the years. Our tour guide, Ian, was very friendly, patient and knowledgeable. The rainforest walk was spectacular, and we learned so much about the ecosystem and their conservation efforts. Ian brought some delicious muffins his wife made for us to enjoy when we took a short break and also took us to this wonderful local Blueberry farm where we had some delicious fresh blueberries and amazing blueberry frozen yogurt. We thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this tour and highly recommend it.
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Thanks for the great review all our guides are locals and knowledgeable..
Nancy_A, Dec 2022
If you love trees this trip is for you! This Rainforest tour was really nice. We were picked up promptly and taken to the forest. The tour guide was very informative and knew slot about the trees and conservation of the trees inside and the wildlife. The birds were hard to see but did see a beautiful pigeon as well as fan tails. Very peaceful. Great team and trip.
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Thanks for the awesome review.
Tom P, Jan 2020
We did a shore excursion trip with Puketi Rainforest Tours last week. Ian picked us up as we came off our ship, and drove us to the start point, providing a positive and gracious commentary as he drove. His wife Barbara drove us back to town after the tour, and dropped us as planned and on time. Everything came off like clockwork. Helen led our small (three customers) tour. She was extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the flora and the birds and the moths. Her bird calls were a pleasant surprise. She went into a bit more detail than we wanted, actually, but that's just us. She answered all our questions to our complete satisfaction. It was a great encounter.
Response from Host, Jan 2020
Thank you for your review.Helen just loves the forest.
Amanda_M, Dec 2016
Enjoyable few hours learning about the flora and fauna of the rainforest shown by a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide.
woodtick, Mar 2016
Helen was a very enthusiastic tour guide. Her excitement and knowledge about all the life in the Rainforest really added experience. Very enjoyable experience.
Sarah H, Mar 2016
We missed the start of our tour due to a delay on the ship and we were worried we would have missed it. Ian was waiting on the dock. As we had missed the main tour he took us on a private tour which was amazing. Very knowledgeable. Pointed out lots of plants and animals during our walk through the rainforest. Fantastic company, Highly recommend
michael h, Feb 2016
we had only 4 in our group, which was really nice
Ian did a great job of leading us through the forest, pointing out interesting plants and animals
he was very knowledgeable of this environment and demonstrated a lot of enthusiasm for the land and what he does in explaining it to his guests
i would highly recommend this tour
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Bay of Islands Shore Excursion: Puketi Rainforest Guided Walk
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4 hours 30 minutes
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