Te Puia Day Tour

A place to learn the many aspects of Maori culture as well as to enjoy the geothermal activity that Rotorua is famous for. Te Puia’s thermal area has gushing waters, steaming vents, boiling mud pools and spectacular geysers.

Tour Itinerary

You will join Scott Tours from your cruise ship for a journey to Rotorua, one of New Zealand’s most interesting destinations.

En route, while we travel to Rotorua, passing through farmland, bush, pine forest and beautiful lakes, you will have the opportunity to learn about our important industries.

Time permitting, we will also stop at other attractions on the way to Rotorua or on the way back. Iconic sights of Rotorua city; the government gardens, the historic bath house and a lakefront drive.

Then it is time to spend some time at this Rotorua tour’s key attraction, Te Puia…

Te Puia

On arrival at Te Puia you will be allocated a guide for your tour. On the agenda of the Te Puia tour is a Maori carving and weaving school where you may see master carvers and weavers and their students at work. Visitors can also wander through a marae, the centre of Maori tribal society, to get a feel for everyday Māori life, past and present. This operational marae is also where you will experience traditional Maori songs and dances.

Something else to learn about during your Te Puia tour is the New Zealand Kiwi bird. These nocturnal creatures are housed in a special area for visitors to get up close to one of New Zealand’s most famous icons.

Last but not least is the geothermal valley named Te Whakarewarewa. Shrouded in mist from the geyser activity, Te Whakarewarewa’s moon-like landscape is home to bubbling mud and boiling water streams and pools. The valley has over 500 pools and 65 geyser vents, and the famous Pohutu geyser, which erupts up to 30 metres high.

Book Your Tour

Te Puia Tour Gallery

Geothermal Valley - Te Whakarewarewa Te Puia (Rotorua)

Sunset Pohutu Geyser - Te Puia (Rotorua)

Tour duration

Tour duration 5 to 6 hours.

Tour departure points

Pick-ups can be arranged from cruise ships at the Port of Tauranga, Tauranga airport or your Tauranga or Mount Maunganui accommodation.

nelnsteve

2024-02-19

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland Brilliance If you want to see Wai-O-Tapu, do yourself a huge favour and go with Geoff and Trixie. Geoff was our guide for the day and he was brilliant....he walked us around the various stunning sights of Wai-O-Tapu explaining things as we walked and answering our many questions. It was all at a very laid back pace, before we headed off to see Rotorua, the beautiful Redwoods and a stop for an ice cream on the way back to a quick drive around Mount Manganui. The whole trip was a highlight of our NZ cruise and we cannot recommend Geoff and Trixie highly enough.

Anon

2024-02-12

A lovely day Husband and I joined a small group tour of Wai o Tapu with Geoff. First we stopped to look at a kiwi plantation, then at a mud pool near Rotorua, then at Wai o tapu, a true geothermal wondrous park. Geoff walked with the group offering insights and information and generally took care everybody was ok. From there we had a look at Rotorua, its landmark and its parks, walked in an amazing redwood forest, stopped for hoke poke ice cream and had a drive around Tauranga and its Mount Maunganui . It was a lovely, relaxed and pleasant day in which we saw many lively sites and learned a lot, wishing we had more time to explore with Scott's tours. Very well recommended.

Dave S

2024-01-31

Scott Tours is the way ONLY way to experience Tauranga and Tororus All I can say is WOW!! I cannot say enough about Geoff and Scott Tours. My partner and I went to Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Wonderland with him as a guide, and he met and far exceeded whatever expectations we may have had. Geoff is a true ambassador of Tauranga and Rotorua. We were expecting to be dropped off at Wai-o-Tapu and sent on our way; however, he walked through with us, offering his knowledge, expertise, and insights into the area. Afterwards, he took us to a swimming area where we were able to experience a swim where the thermal water meets with the cold stream water - what a thrill!! From there, he took us on a road trip to the highlights of the area, such as the Redwoods Forest and the Rotorua Town Centre, where we were able to experience the friendliness and hospitality the town has to offer. If you have the chance to use Geoff’s services, we highly recommend it.

Voyage57645843213

2024-01-10

Scott Tours provided a great day out We booked a private charter tour for our family of 9. Our personalised itinerary included Hells gate, Zorbe and Red woods. We enjoyed everything about Hells gate and will definitely return, had amazing fun zorbing and Scott tours also suggested an amazing stop Red Woods which was breath taking. We would highly recommend this company, They communicated well, very fair pricing, reliable, prompt and provided us with a wonderful day out. Thank you Scott's Tours.

2024-01-05

Your First Chhoice We used Scott Tours twice during our stay in the area and both times had an excellent experience. Geoff makes you feel welcome and like one of the family, providing a safe and complete time. His knowledge of the area compliments the sights you see and the places your visit. Should we return here we will definitely use Scott Tours again.

2023-03-20

A Brilliant Day! This was our favourite day out of our 2 month holiday! Geoff picked 6 of us up at the cruise terminal and took us to Wai-O-Tapu in a small air conditioned coach. He was friendly, very informative and an excellent driver. He never rushed us and gave a running commentary throughout our tour. We visited the Te Puia geyser (amazing!), and boiling mud pools, plus a sequoia forest. He would have shown us more, but several people wanted to return to the ship-we had had a busy day and they were tired, but it was a FANTASTIC day! We thoroughly recommend Scott Tours, for ease of booking and a first class service. Thank you Trixie and Geoff. Steve and Geraldine Elliott

franki242

2023-01-23

Perfect Day I chose Scott Tours from their website and read reviews. I was not disappointed. Geoff was a great tour guide and all round nice guy. We weren’t rushed and we enjoyed all the information that was given to us. As well as the tour we booked Geoff also took us around the area showing us the sights and finished the day with and amazing stop at the Redwood forest. I would recommend Geoff and Scott Tours.

Anne K

2023-01-13

Wonderful day in Rotorua with Geoff and Scott Tours! Geoff organized an absolutely wonderful day in Rotorua for us! He was waiting for us at the cruise ship dock and took us to the amazing Te Puia site, where we saw the erupting geysers, bubbling mud pools, kiwi sanctuary, crafts center, and excellent Māori Cultural show. He also stopped at the Redwood Trees forest and took us on a lush, magical walk through the giant trees. The day was everything we hoped it would be. Geoff and Trixie were easy to work with and were prompt and professional. The small group tour was such a welcome alternative to the impersonal, large-group bus tours! Geoff told wonderful stories, gave us lots of interesting information, and even sang a lovely song for us. We highly recommend Scott Tours!!

Liz

2023-01-07

Great day in Tauranga Thank you Geoff for making our day. Our cruise ship had been told that the Maori performance was not going ahead for the trip we had booked and we were sorely disappointed until we saw Scott's Tours at the quayside. You made our trip with interesting facts about NZ etc. We had a great day. We thoroughly recommend you and Scott's Tours.

JRC

2020-04-05

Scott’s tours highly recommended We did the tour of Wai-o-tapu thermal wonderland and Te Puia geyser, plus some wonderful extras including a sequoia forest and a kiwi fruit farm. Our guide was informative, entertaining, friendly and willing to answer all our questions. We felt beautifully looked after on a day that was one of the highlights of our New Zealand trip