Nature and Maori Culture Highlights Cruise Ship Shore Excursion Tour

This is an eight-hour tour from the Port of Tauranga that takes you through the stunning landscapes of New Zealand’s North Island. You will drive through kiwifruit country and ascend 1000 feet onto the Volcanic Plateau of Rotorua. Along the way, you will stop at Lake Rotoiti and take a short walk through the New Zealand rainforest to see spectacular waterfalls where rafters and kayakers drop over the largest commercial drop in the world. The guide will provide insights into the local environment and history. The tour’s highlight is a visit to Te Puia Thermal Valley, featuring bubbling mud pools, geysers, and a Kiwi house where you can see New Zealand’s iconic bird. You will also explore the Maori Arts and Crafts School, where young Maori learn traditional skills such as carving, flax weaving, and tattooing.

Guests will enjoy an authentic Maori concert followed by a traditional hangi buffet lunch, where food is slow-cooked in the ground using the geothermal field. After lunch, the tour continues with a scenic drive past the Blue and Green Lakes to Lake Tarawera, located beneath Mt Tarawera, which last erupted in 1886. Here you will see the site of the now-buried pink and white terraces, a popular attraction during Victorian times. The tour concludes with a return drive through rolling farmland, forests, and gorges back to Tauranga, arriving in time for late afternoon cruise ship departure. Online bookings receive a 5% discount.