Rotorua Highlights - Whakarewarewa - The Living Maori Village

You will see

A stirring cultural performance, including the world famous haka
All the sights of Rotorua city - including the Government Gardens, Blue Baths, lakefront and more
An active geothermal field - geysers, bubbling mud and hotpools. See Pohutu geyser from the lookout point.
The living Maori Village of Whakarewarewa, adorned with traditional carvings

Itinerary
Summary
Prices & Times
Feedback
FAQ

From Cruise Port: Tauranga-Rotorua

Travel with Tauranga's most experienced cruise tour operators and discover the fascinating sights (and smells) of Rotorua - New Zealand's cultural and geothermal hub.

This fully guided small group tour takes you to the Whakarewarewa Village in Te Whakarewarewa thermal valley to experience the best value for money destination in town.

What to expect:

- Experience life as a local at Whakarewarewa Village - a real village built amongst an active geothermal valley. An insightful 90 minute tour of the village with one of the residents is included.

- See bubbling mudpools, boiling hotpools and the ever-playful Pohutu Geyser. You'll soon understand why Rotorua is nicknamed 'Sulphur City'!

- Enjoy an authentic 30 minute cultural show by Te Pakira - one of Rotorua's leading performace groups. See songs, chants and poi dancing...as well as the famous war dance - the Haka!

- Learn how the Maori people have adapted to life in this unique landscape - using nature to help in everyday life. You'll be amazed how useful the hot springs can be!

- Enjoy a traditional light lunch - a Hangi Pie made using meat and vegetable cooked in the steam from the geothermal vents, with salad and corn, plus a drink.

- Enjoy all the famous sights of Rotorua city - including Government Gardens, the Bath House, Rachel Spring and the stunning lakefront.

- Marvel at the lush Bay of Plenty countryside - passing forests, lakes, orchards, beaches and more.

This tour is proudly operated by us (Shore Trips and Tours) - Tauranga's best Shore Excursion team.

From Cruise Port: Tauranga-Rotorua

Included

30 minute Maori cultural performance from one of Rotorua's leading performance groups.
A light lunch is included, consisting of a Hangi Pie [like a Cornish Pastie] made of meat and vegetables, a salad and a corn cobb. GF and Veg options available.
Entry to Whakarewarewa Living Maori Village, with a guided tour by one of the local residents.
Experienced local guide with full commentary provided
Pick up and drop off at the port

Instructions

Please be at the designated meeting point at least 15 minutes prior to departure. Details are on your voucher.
This tour requires some walking on well made paths, gentle inclines and some steps.

Restrictions

Children/infants must have a valid ticket to travel. Under NZTA law each person is counted as part of our loading limit. Please note that for safety reasons we recommend you bring a suitable child/infant seat.
This tour is NOT suitable for users of mobility scooters or wheel chairs as there is no storage capacity on the minibus.
This tour operates with a minimum of 4 fare paying passengers. Should minimum numbers not be met on the day we will talk to you about alternative options.

Standard Tour Schedule Options
	start time	end time
Rotorua Highlights - Whaka - run 1	09:30	16:00
Rotorua Highlights - Whaka - run 2	10:00	16:30
Rotorua Highlights - Whaka - run 3	10:30	17:00
Note: Start and end times may be revised to suit ETA / ETD of ship in port

Standard Tour Prices (current)
Adult price	NZ $235.00
Child price (5 to 15 yrs)	NZ $180.00
Infant price (0 to 4 yrs)	NZ $145.00
Note: Infants and children must have a valid ticket to travel

NOTE: Prices may vary depending on your Date of Travel.
Our Booking procedures quote the applicable prices before you commit to a Booking.

TRG-7 Rotorua Highlights - Whakarewarewa Maori Village
Very informative guide who pointed out points of interest on the drive. The lady tour guide at the village was great with personal stories of the village that made the tour very real.
Fran, Martin & Sophie, UK Nov 24

Excellent, informative tour. Exactly what I wanted. Excellent guide and enjoyable day.
Cathy Canada Oct 24

The living village was very educational and amazing with a guide that lived in the village. The guide was very knowledgeable and added a lot of interesting information during the drive.
Libbi, USA April 24

Good commentary during the bus ride, delicious local lunch, informative village tour with fun cultural performance.
Durpri, USA Jan 2024

Our Guide was a wonderful host, inviting, knowledgeable, and funny. The tour was one of the best we have had. the village was great with the Redwoods a great stop.
Simone, Austrailia. Jan 2024

The tour was delightful. Loved the stop at the Redwood forest and the kiwi ice cream. Despite the heavy rain the lunch and village tour was great. The Maori guide was excellent. Village was very authentic.
Merrily, USA Jan 24

One of the most interesting excursions I have ever been on. The guide was great and saw a lot of interesting things at the village. Village tour and show were great.
Donna, USA Jan 2024

Very good tour, friendly guide stopped at a lot of interesting spots, great local knowledge and interesting tour of the village.
Deborah, Cypress Jan 2024

Very interesting tour through the local customs and traditional village. The driver was great at assisting us during the tour with helpful knowledge of the area.
Sereio, Italy

Was truly amazing tour. Good Commentary at the village and on the drive around Rotorua. The driver was informative and friendly.
Neil, Australia (Nov 23)

Really enjoyed the tour of Tauranga and Rotorua. The Maori village was a highlight with lots to see, very interesting. The hangi pie was a highlight.
Leeann Australia (Nov 23)

The driver was very knowledgeable about all the sites we visited and passed by. The Maori village guide was great and interesting.
John. USA (Oct 23)

Excellent Maori Village tour. I learnt a lot.
Kim. USA (Oct 23)

Richard was informative. It was an exceptional visit to Maori village and the guide was wonderful.
C Bertrand, USA [Mar 20]

Wonderful experience in the Maori village and kiwi country too. Alot of insights about NZ, Tauranga and Rotorua from Richard.
D Sujono, Indonesia [Mar 20]

Totally enjoyed the day. Richard was very informative. All in all a great day.
J & K Andrews, Australia [Mar 20]

Very informative and interesting tour. Highly recommended and entertaining. Our driver Richard was brilliant.
D Chang, UK [Feb 20]

Great trip, very informative, organised, timely etc. Angela really looked after us.
Panthaki, Canada [Feb 20]

Friendly, entertaining and informative. What else could we ask for? We had a lovely day.
B & N Dabas, Australia [Feb 20]

Excellent - same as entire tour package that this company has organised for us. Thanks Richard and Ian!
J Ferguson, Australia [Jan 20]

Fantastic tour, great driver, Richard really knows his stuff!
A Brown, Australia [Jan 20]

Had a wonderful day. Richard was a good tour guide and the girls in the village were extremely knowledgeable.
J Scargill, Australia [Jan 20]

A great day, so much information and things to see and do,
P & J Goddard, Scotland [Dec 19]

Very informative, it was great to learn about the local culture.
J Chan, HK [Dec 19]

Excellent tour. Richard was an excellent guide. Knowledgeable, caring and a great sense of humour. It was a great day thanks!
K Atkinson, USA [Dec 19]

Very informative and knowledgeable guide and driver. Excellent quality and value for money. Thank you so much.
E McKinnon, Australia [Oct 19]

Very informative and lovely day. Our guide John was very knowledgeable and both Richard our driver and John were very personable.
F Robertson, USA [Oct 19]

Good group size. Hits the highlights. Very informative, good pace and well organised.
K Barrile, Australia [Mar 19]

We all had a wonderful day. One of the best tours I have been on. Richard was amazing!
N Klimiuk, Australia [Feb 19]

A great experience and tour of the village. Thank you.
Abdul, USA [Feb 19]

Great tour - better value then the ship tours. Authentic.
M Goodall, Australia [Feb 19]

Good day - particularly the Maori village and the Haka.
Mares Family, Australia [Jan 19]

I had a wonderful day. Richard was a great tour guide and the girls at the village were extremely knowledgeable.
J Seargill, Australia [Jan 19]

Fantastic tour! Great driver - Richard really knows his stuff.
A Brown, Australia [Jan 19]

Excellent tour and great guide, Thank you!
J O'Dwyer, Australia, [Dec 18]

Richard was an excellent guide. The Maori Village experience was unforgettable!
R Mackay, Scotland, [Dec 18]

Excellent tour and the guide was very knowledgeable. I would recommend this tour.
S Dawbney, Australia [Dec 18]

Very good trip and Grahame West (our guide) was very informative. Well worth the trip!
C Dunbar, UK [Nov 18]

One of the best tours of our trip. John was very informative and explained things well
J & G Brannan, Australia [Nov 18]

Excellent guide. Size of group was perfect. A very interesting day all round
L Ferguson, Australia [Nov 18]

Very informative, comfortable ride. Would definitely recommend.
J Oliver, Australian [Apr 18]

Enjoyed everything. Alistair was very informative. I liked the size of the group.
SA Smith, UK [Apr18]

Excellent, very informative, well organised, great tour!
M & T Tanswel, Australia [Apr 18]

Great informative driver/guide and fabulous Maori village. Great value and we will recommend!!
I & L Aldred, Australia [Mar 18]

One of the very best tours we ever had!
H & T Salamastraky, Australia [Feb 18]

Well done, very informed driver's - Keith & Andy - we were well looked after.
R Kaesler, Australia [Feb 18]

Enjoyed our day with Russell. He is an excellent tour guide. Very friendly with lots of interesting information and good humour.
J & G Scott, UK [Feb 18]

Andy was fantastic, friendly and knowledgeable. I would recommend your company and this tour.
D Bone, Australia [Jan 18]

Lovely day. Smooth and very informative driver - will recommend.
T Coe, UK [Jan 18]

Great tour, the tour guide I must say was terrific and fun fun!!
D Morgan, Australia [Jan 18]

Great tour at Geothermal park. Fun Maori concert. Informative driver, Alistair. Interesting kiwifruit farm.
J Verne, Australia [Mar 17]

I'm not able to walk very far - is this a problem?

While the tour requires some walking it is on well made paths and distances are not great, just a few hundred meters.

Are entry fees included?

Yes entry to Whakarewarewa village and the Maori cultural performance are included in the tour cost.

What if the ships arrival and departure times do not match this tour.

When a ship is arriving or departing at times that do not suit our normal tour times, then we adjust these times to suit. These adjusted times are shown on your voucher when you make a booking and also on the "prices" tab of the tour details on the web site, if you have created a "my cruise" account.

My group is larger than 24 persons, can you do larger groups?

Yes, most of our tours are small group programs, but we can offer the same tour program in most cases for groups greater than 24 persons, please contact us to obtain a quotation.

What options for lunch are there if i do not want the Hangi?

The cafe will have some alternatives that you can purchase if you wish.