When your cruise ship docks in Tauranga, gain insight into New Zealand’s natural and cultural heritage on a shore excursion to Rotorua. At the Te Puia Maori cultural center, discover boiling mud pools and Pohutu Geyser on a walk through the Whakarewarewa geothermal valley; learn about Maori customs at the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute; and spot the elusive kiwi bird.

Take a guided tour of the Whakarewarewa thermal region
Experience a Maori cultural traditional performance at Te Puia Maori Cultural Centre
Visit the kiwi house and spot NZ’s native kiwi bird
Covered by Viator’s worry-free policy: guaranteed on-time return to your ship

What's Included

Transport by mini coach
Driver/guide
Port Pickup and drop-off
Tour Departure times will move if neccesary to fit with cruise ships arrivals & departures.
Kiwifruit Samples
Bottled water

Food and drinks
Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup point

Port of Tauranga Ltd
2 Salisbury Avenue, Mount Maunganui 3116, New Zealand

Start time

09:30 AM

Pickup details

Departure Point: Outside the Port of Tauranga main pedestrian gate. Directions: After disembarking your ships gangway; please proceed along the pathway marked by safety barriers which run alongside your ship to the port of Tauranga exit gates. There will be port security staff and local ambassadors along this short walkway to direct you to the gates. Our local representative will be standing outside the port gates on the grass section directly under the flag pole with a name board held high with your names on. Your driver / guides will be dressed in uniform of black trousers, white shirts and the females may be wearing some orange apparel. The vehicles will be in the car park directly behind where you will be met, which is less than 100 meters.

What To Expect

When your cruise ship pulls into port at Tauranga, your guide picks you up by mini-coach for the scenic drive to Rotorua. Your full-day shore excursion traverses the Tauranga Harbour Bridge, journeying past rolling farmland and through the Pyes Pa Canyons.

Make a stop at Hamurana Spring, the North Island’s deepest freshwater spring, for a stroll past towering California redwoods to Rotorua Lake. Continuing your journey to Rotorua by coach, with a visit the Agrodome to learn about New Zealand's nearly 70 million sheep, along with other farm animals such as alpacas and ostriches.

Reaching Te Puia, you’ll spend time at the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute and Whakarewarewa thermal village. See a cultural performance that brings Maori legends to life, and walk past bubbling mud pools and steaming springs to the 100-foot (30-meter) Pohutu Geyser. Then visit the nocturnal kiwi house for a glimpse of the country’s eponymous icon.

On arrival in Rotorua, enjoy a sightseeing tour of city highlights including the historical bath house, Whangapipiro (Rachel Spring) and the Government Gardens.

Your return trip to the Tauranga cruise terminal follows a different route, stopping at Kaituna Waterfalls and Kiwifruit Country to learn about kiwifruit before your shore excursion comes to an end.

Worry-free Shore Excursion:We will ensure your timely return to the Tauranga 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.

Tauranga (Pass By)

Te Puia

3 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Kuirau Park

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Government Gardens

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Okere Falls

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Paengaroa

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Mt Maunganui Main Beach (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
Due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not recommended for those with walking disabilities.
Please wear comfortable clothing and walking shoes

please bring sunprotection and a light jumper for cooler weather
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 19 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

Reviews

4.5

86 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 86 reviews

Enjoyed Rotorua sights and the wonderful Cultural Center!!!

Ellen_S, Apr 2024

We enjoyed our trip to many beautiful sights. Rotorua is beautiful. The geysers, rivers, and the Cutural Center were awesome! We saw many other sights too!!! Are guide was very knowledgeable!

Maori Culture

Ian_R, Apr 2024

The whole tour, very good. Ken our driver was excellent. Te Puia was brilliant, our guide was also very good, the show very good.

Te Puia - hot stuff

David_C, Apr 2024

Our driver John was there at the pier to greet us. We were a small party of 7 which was great. John showed us the area of Mt Manganui and then gave us some history about the areas we were passing during the 1.15 hour drive thru beautiful countryside to Te Puia. Our Maori guide Paul was excellent!! So interesting and very entertaining. The geysers are incredible! We went in the Kiwi Conservation centre and were lucky enough to see the 2 resident kiwis. The cultural show was fabulous - the performers really looked like they were enjoying themselves. Paul explained the ritual of opposing tribes and what happens when a battle is suspected. John then took us thru Rotarua and to some geothermal pools where we were able to soak our feet. All in all a really enjoyable day. Would recommend.

Tauranga tour

Sandra_A, Apr 2024

We loved this tour not only because of the Maori Culture center but all the landscape of Tauranga and all the way on our tour. Great driver and tour guide I think it was John.

Good guid . Good weather. Good tour

Bob_P, Mar 2024

Jan was an excellent driver and guide . 14 people on tour . Good size Saw geysers , mud pots . Native art and singing dancing.

Great day

Maggie_T, Mar 2024

Very nice tour. Steve was our guide, and he was wonderful, very personable and knowledgeable about the area. The cultural demonstrations and geothermal springs were fascinating and we stopped at a public park and were able to soak our feet in one of the pools. Stopping in the forest to see giant redwood trees in the was quite a surprise. Overall a great day and tour.

Great full day.

Karen_H, Mar 2024

We had a wonderful day visiting Rotarua.Our guide ,Adrienne ,was knowledgeable and showed us some amazing places. We saw geysers, plantations and breathtaking waterfalls .The highlight for us was the cultural centre , the singing! Some lovely personal touches with towels for our feet after soaking in the hot pools, dried kiwi and insider knowledge on the best pie and icecream .Highly recommend this tour for Rotarua wonders and culture.

Fun day

Michael_L, Mar 2024

Wonderful experience. Everyone we met was kind and generous with their time. Wish we had more time to spend at the cultural center.

Excellent trip to Rotorua

jennifervasta, Mar 2024

We spent a lovely day with Adrienne on this cruise excursion from Tauranga port to the Te Puia cultural center and other spots around Rotorua. Not only are the places visited fantastic but Adrienne added so much to our understanding of Māori culture by sharing her personal heritage and family history. She also provided helpful information abNew Zealand history and current events that added context to the places visited. I highly recommend this tour!

Inspirational cultural experience

Kaye_R, Mar 2024

The park as a whole was very interesting and seeing a live kiwi topped it off. Also loved talking to the students in the arts centre. Could have stayed longer.

Great tour, well worth it!

JOHN_M, Mar 2024

A great experience to see the thermal geysers and bubbling mud pools. Ken was a very informative guide and we learned a lot about the Maori culture and the history. The Maori cultural centre was excellent. Loved the greeting and dances.

Great tour guide, great...

Lachlan_M, Feb 2024

Great tour guide, great tour and a very fun experience! Would recommend to anyone wanted to explore Tauranga

Highly recommended

Tracey_A, Feb 2024

The whole trip was great. Small tour group, comfortable bus, and knowlegable commentary. Steve our guide was fantastic, very friendly and went above and beyond our expectations to accomodate some special needs.

Fascinating, informative, enjoyable experience

Rachel_H, Feb 2024

A fascinating look into the Māori cultural and heritage. Most informative. Beautifully maintained site, well informed guide. Wonderful experience.

A must do tour to Rotorua

Geoff_S, Feb 2024

Stephen was a most informative and helpful tour director. We loved the entire experience! Highly recommended to anyone and everyone 😊

Great Tauranga Tour!

Kristen_T, Jan 2024

This was a fantastic tour for our port day in Tauranga. We got to check many things off our New Zealand list like seeing a Kiwi bird, watching a Haka and seeing mud pools and geysers. We enjoyed the wide variety of things you get to view and experience on this tour. Definitely recommend.

Great exposure to Māori heritage

Louis_F, Jan 2024

Although the ride was rather long to Rotorua, the experience was worth it. We learned a great deal about Māori culture and saw a performance. We also saw erupting geysers and boiling mud.

Driver was very nice and did a great job showing us the sights to and from the te puia cultural center.

Roland_S, Jan 2024

The te puia cultural performance was the high light. Love how they have pride in their Māori rituals and their willingness to share them.

Great tour and tour guide...

Shan_R, Jan 2024

Great tour and tour guide . Wonderful time visiting the school, visiting the hot springs, seeing the kiwi birds.

Culture experience great but...

Tammy_T, Jan 2024

The village was a good experience but our guide Willem could not operate the sound system in the vehicle so guests had to yell what was being said to those in the back. Then he kept stressing us about time all he had to do was tell us what time he wanted us back in the van... We paid.for.a guide we got a taxi driver

...