Tauranga Shore Excursion: Rotorua Highlights
Overview
Available languages
7 hours
Mobile ticket
***ALL OUR TOURS START & END TO FIT THE CRUISE SHIPS' ARRIVAL & SAILING TIMES***
Rotorua is the 2nd most visited city in New Zealand by all tourists. As you only have a small window of opportunity to visit we have created an itinerary to showcase some of what we think makes this place so special. The two main interests which make people visit is Maori Culture & Geothermal Activity. This tour showcases the area where your ship is docked (Mount Maunganui) before we depart for the city of Rotorua. Enroute we showcase all which creates the namesake of the Bay of Plenty. Arriving at Rotorua's only Living Maori Village of its kind - Whakarewarewa - you will receive a traditional welcome and invited by a local to join them on a guided tour of this unique place. A village which lives on top of an active geothermal valley and has learnt to harness the powers of mother nature to aid their daily living needs for 100's of year. See geysers, steaming fumaroles , bubbling hot pools and much more.
Additional Info
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Please wear comfortable clothing and walking shoes
Please bring sun protection and jackets for cooler weather
Worry-free Shore Excursion Guarantee
ALL OUR TOURS HAVE FLEXIBLE START / END TIMES TO MEET SHIP ARRIVAL & SAILING TIMES.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Mount Maunganui
ALL TOURS DEPARTURE TIMES WILL FIT WITH SHIPS ARRIVAL AND SAILING TIMES. It is just a 2 minute walk from disembarkation place on port of Tauranga to tour meeting place.
Mt Maunganui Main Beach
Mount Maunganui is voted New Zealands number 1 beach and seaside resort. With its iconic Mauao - a volcanic lava dome, 232 mtrs high standing proudly at the headland and the 22kms of beautiful white sandy beach, not forgetting to mention Marine Parade which showcases some of New Zealand most expensive and luxurious holiday homes - this is not a place to miss seeing.
What‘s Included
Driver/guide
Air-conditioned vehicle
Tasting of local fare
Port pickup and drop-off
Live commentary on board
Covered by Viator’s worry-free policy: guaranteed on-time return to your ship
Food and drinks, unless specified
Gratuities
Options
Tauranga Shore Excursion: Rotorua Highlights
Reviews
427 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Rolf was fantastic and the Maori Village was great - highly recommend both.
Philplloyd,,Jan 29, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00A small tour of 16, in a modern minibus. Rolf (our driver/guide) was engaging from the get go and talked through lots of really interesting stuff for the whole tour - very knowledgable. Such a lovely bloke and helpful, we couldn’t have asked for a nicer guide - and the little treats at the Kiwi farm were lovely! The village tour was fascinating and the show absolutely brilliant. If you miss this tour, you’re missing out on a great experience - and if you get Rolf as your guide, then that’s icing on the cake!
Rotorua tour inc Māori living village
Helen M,,Jan 27, 2026
- Review from Viator
3.00Thoroughly enjoyed the Māori living village - unbelievable that some people still live there with all the geo thermal activity! The Māori guide Kylie at the village was great & the show put on by the village was superb - particularly loved the performance of the Haka. Overall enjoyed the tour but I feel more time at the Redwoods and omitting the town & waterfall elements of the tour would have been better.
Fun Day Trip
cyn2122,,Jan 20, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00For those planning adventures in Tauranga, I highly recommend this one. It was an incredible experience to immerse ourselves in the local culture. Our driver, Stephen, was incredibly knowledgeable, making our trips enjoyable and informative as we headed home. One of the highlights of the tour was the stop at the redwood forest and the Kiwi farm. The Kiwi farm was surprisingly one of my favorite parts. Learning about Kiwis and witnessing them in their growing season was fascinating, and the taste of them was delicious! I also appreciated the size of the group. It wasn’t too large, allowing us to explore additional sites.
Must see
Roseann F,,Jan 18, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00It was a very informative and educational trip of the Maori tribe and their thermal village. The guide at the village was funny and a great teacher. The trip is far from port (1.5 hours) so make sure to go to bathroom before you get on bus or perhaps tour guide can split that time up for us elderly folks. Our bus driver made a special stop and I am most Grateful!!
Maori Experience
Carlos J,,Jan 18, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Heavy on Rorotunga. Great for learning about Maori and great tour of geyser area. The Maori guide was a little winded but entertaining. Nice look at Kiwi farm. Other sites just a drive by.
Great Day with Zeelandier tours
rosslou,,Jan 16, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Had a great tour with this company , early Jan 2026. Arived by cruise ship and pickup was excellent , easy to find amongst the operstors , their instructions were spot on . We headed for Rotorua and nearby attractions for a full day . amazing scenery through out and our driver Stephen was an excellent guide . high lites were the maori village and thermal activity , also loved the rainforest adventure area and the river stop was great , shame no kayakers came down the falls when we were there , but you cant pick that ! All in all a great day , we saw lots and were were informed . Fun Fact , in the last 30 mins or so of our tour a massive thunder storm hit and even thogh Stephen parked as close as he could we still had a decent walk and line up to get back on ,we got absolutlely drenched getting back to the ship , Obviously no ones fault but it was a load of fun . So thanks again Zeelandier tours and a massive thanks to Stephen for being a great driver and guide and giving us a very impressive excursion . HIGHLY RECOMMEND !!
Authentic Mauri experience.
ivan j,,Jan 10, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00A wonderful authentic experience of mauri life and culture at a real mauri village. Not to be missed
Fabulous Cruise day tour!
Susan C,,Jan 9, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00First off the communication was wonderful since we were on a cruise ship and our times changed a bit. The tour only had 6 people and that made it GREAT. Since our time was shortened, we all opted out of time for lunch so we could see more sites. We say so many things: lakes, waterfalls, kiwi farm, redwood forest, geothermal/cultural area. The guide was wonderful and he supplied samples of dried and real kiwi, manuka honey. We were back right on time and had a super full day. Way more than any offered cruise tour and very private!
The whole day was...
Eddie S,,Jan 7, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00The whole day was outstanding. Tour guide went way beyond our expectations and would highly recommend this excursion.
Wonderful experience
Vivi K,,Jan 3, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00So amazed with Maori people and how they live, also the nature itself, luckily the weather was good, thanks to Rolf as our guide
From NZ$245.00
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Operated by Zealandier Tours