Rotorua Highlights Tour

Government Gardens - Originally known as Paepaekumana, the local Māori iwi (tribe) gifted 50 acres of land to the Crown in the late 1800s “for the benefit of the people of the world” 

The Redwoods - Whakarewarewa Forest is over 55,000ha, and is an adventure playground for mountain biking, walking and horse riding.

Kuirau Park - Take a walk and discover hissing, roaring and bubbling geothermal activity. You may be keen to take your shoes off and enjoy a warm foot spa in one of the foot pools.

Whangapipiro Rachel Pool - Its therapeutic water has antiseptic properties due to its alkaline content.

Lake Tikitapu and Lake Rotokakahi - The Blue and Green Lakes of Rotorua. Geologically, Blue Lake is a crater lake and part of the Okataina Volcanic Centre. It erupted around 1800 years ago, creating a huge crater in the Earth's crust, which later filled with water. Rotokākahi is sacred to Māori, and Motutawa Island in the middle of the lake is the burial ground of many Māori ancestors. 

Lake Tarawera, meaning 'burnt spear', is one of the largest lakes in the country and was home to many small Māori villages until the Tarawera eruption in 1886. It’s understood a ‘waka wairua’ (phantom canoe) appeared on the lake as an ominous sign of death a few days before the eruption.  In the 1800s, word spread of the eighth Natural Wonder of the World to be found at Tarawera – the spectacular Pink and White Terraces.  The local tribes Tūhourangi and Ngāti Rangitihi, alongside non-Māori developers, profited greatly from this boom in tourism.

Their success increased steadily until one night carved into the grounds of Tarawera – 10 June 1886.  Devastation in the dead of night Predicted by the tohunga/priest Tūhoto Ariki, New Zealand’s deadliest volcanic eruption struck at around 10 pm. 120 people lost their lives, 6 settlements were buried, and the Terraces vanished overnight.

Snacks are available in the bus throughout the day as is water.  Feel free to help yourselves.

We will have you back at your ship at the Port of Tauranga well prior to your sailing time.

Please note the 25th and 26th December, 1st and 2nd January and 6th February are Public holidays and incur a 15% public holiday surcharge.