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Your friendly, local representative will be waiting for you at the port of Tauranga and soon your adventure begins as you travel directly to Te Puia in modern air-conditioned comfort. Your group is kept to a small number of guests to ensure a very personal and one-on-one experience for the day.
Experience the geothermal wonderland of Rotorua as this valley has many stories just waiting to be shared with you. Walk through a valley where steam rises from the ground and where pools of water boil. See hot bubbling mud jump and plop as geysers erupt high into the air and learn how the Maori people have tamed and utilized this unforgiving landscape in their everyday life.
Start your journey traveling along the beautiful shoreline of Mount Maunganui enjoying the scenic lush Kiwi fruit orchards and then into the countryside arriving in Rotorua making your way to “Te Puia”. Upon arrival, a private guide is provided for your group and let the adventure begin!
Be personally guided around this amazing geothermal landscape where history, culture and nature collide. Your native Maori guide will share stories passed down through generations. Gain insight into features of Maori carvings, which have deep cultural significance. Observe the legendary Pohutu Geyser, the largest geyser in the Southern Hemisphere, which can erupt to a height of 100 feet and as often as 20 times per day. Get up close to hot bubbling mud-pools, steam vents and hot boiling springs.
Next up you will have a rare opportunity to view New Zealand’s national bird, the endangered kiwi. Once your eyes adjust to the specially lit, purpose built nocturnal kiwi house, you can spot the flightless friends foraging around for insects. Visit the arts and Crafts institute which is located at Te Puia and has hosted Maori students from tribes from across New Zealand for the last 50 years in order to learn time honored traditions which were in danger of being lost forever. These include wood carving, flax weaving, stone and bone carving along with a waka building school.
Leaving the Puia, take a leisurely sightseeing drive around Rotorua, taking in the beautiful Rotorua lake front, Government gardens, Rotorua Tudor-style Museum, the Blue baths and Racheal Spring.
As you begin to make your way back to port, make one last stop to a working kiwifruit orchard to learn, see and taste this wonder fruit plus jams, juices and much more. This makes for a perfect stop for photos and learning facts about this fruit and how it came to be established in New Zealand.
