Tauranga Shore Excursion: Maori Culture, Kiwis, and Geo-Thermal Valleys in Tauranga
Tauranga, New Zealand
Rating: 
Trip Type: Ports of Call Tours
Duration: 7 hours
On this small-group shore excursion in Tauranga, you will get to participate at the Maori Cultural Centre, check out a geo-thermal valley, and take a walk on Papamoa Beach. Have a heaping dose of kiwi as you get to visit both a kiwifruit orchard as well as the Kiwi House, which houses the iconic kiwi bird.
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On this small-group shore excursion in Tauranga, you will get to participate at the Maori Cultural Centre, check out a geo-thermal valley, and take a walk on Papamoa Beach. Have a heaping dose of kiwi as you get to visit both a kiwifruit orchard as well as the Kiwi House, which houses the iconic kiwi bird.I specialize in a 7-hour tour to Rotorua the Maori Culture capital of New Zealand and the centre of the Geo-Thermal region of NZ.
You will be met at the Port gates by your driver/guide in a minivan and take a drive along the waterfront of Pilot Bay Mount Maunganui, then along the picturesque Marine Parade, Mount Maunganui's surf beach with its many luxurious homes.
Afterwards, stop for a walk on Papamoa Beach, paddle in the water or talk to the fishermen on the beach and gather seashells. Pass through Te Puke, the “Kiwi Fruit Capital” of New Zealand, and stop to visit Kiwi 360, a kiwifruit orchard where you will be shown how kiwifruit is grown. You will have the opportunity to taste some of their signature products such as the gold kiwifruit, green kiwifruit, as well as little kiwi berries, plus kiwifruit wine and liqueur.
You will continue your tour to Rotorua where you will visit the Rotorua lakefront for a great photo opportunity and take a walk through the Government Gardens. Upon arrival at Te Puia, the Maori Cultural Centre, you will learn about the various meanings of the Maori carvings, Maori culture, its history, myths, legends and beliefs. You will also go to a Maori cultural performance and experience the traditional challenges, plus song and dance including the fearsome Haka, or posture, dance.
You may like to purchase some lunch (at your own expense) from Pohutu Cafe on site. We recommend trying a traditional Hangi meal, which is cooked in a pit in the ground.
After your visit at the cultural center, head over to the geo-thermal valley to see the boiling mud pools and steaming geysers erupting up to 30-meters in the air. Visit the Kiwi House where you will see New Zealand's national bird, the flightless and endangered Kiwi Bird. On the way back back to your ship, we'll take a short drive through Tauranga.
You will be met at the Port gates by your driver/guide in a minivan and take a drive along the waterfront of Pilot Bay Mount Maunganui, then along the picturesque Marine Parade, Mount Maunganui's surf beach with its many luxurious homes.
Afterwards, stop for a walk on Papamoa Beach, paddle in the water or talk to the fishermen on the beach and gather seashells. Pass through Te Puke, the “Kiwi Fruit Capital” of New Zealand, and stop to visit Kiwi 360, a kiwifruit orchard where you will be shown how kiwifruit is grown. You will have the opportunity to taste some of their signature products such as the gold kiwifruit, green kiwifruit, as well as little kiwi berries, plus kiwifruit wine and liqueur.
You will continue your tour to Rotorua where you will visit the Rotorua lakefront for a great photo opportunity and take a walk through the Government Gardens. Upon arrival at Te Puia, the Maori Cultural Centre, you will learn about the various meanings of the Maori carvings, Maori culture, its history, myths, legends and beliefs. You will also go to a Maori cultural performance and experience the traditional challenges, plus song and dance including the fearsome Haka, or posture, dance.
You may like to purchase some lunch (at your own expense) from Pohutu Cafe on site. We recommend trying a traditional Hangi meal, which is cooked in a pit in the ground.
After your visit at the cultural center, head over to the geo-thermal valley to see the boiling mud pools and steaming geysers erupting up to 30-meters in the air. Visit the Kiwi House where you will see New Zealand's national bird, the flightless and endangered Kiwi Bird. On the way back back to your ship, we'll take a short drive through Tauranga.
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