Rotorua Highlights Tour: Waiotapu, Lunch & Add-On from Auckland
Description
Discover Rotorua’s geothermal wonders, Māori culture and natural beauty on this premium small group day tour from Auckland. Travel through the scenic Waikato countryside to Rotorua, where you’ll visit Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland (included, morning), home to vibrant hot pools, bubbling mud and the famous Champagne Pool. In the afternoon, personalise your Rotorua experience by selecting one activity. Choose from a guided cultural and geothermal tour at Te Puia, unwind in the Deluxe Lake Spa at Polynesian Spa, relax among nature at Secret Spot Hot Tubs, fly across ziplines and reach speeds of up to 80 km/h at Rotorua Canopy Tours, or take in the forest from above on the Redwoods Treewalk. Highlights: • Small group tour from Auckland • Fully guided with expert commentary • Wai-O-Tapu visit included • Choice of afternoon activity • Scenic Waikato journey
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your tour starts in New Zealand’s largest city. As we drive out of the city your guide will not only set the scene for your adventure today but also point out and guide you past some of the city’s top highlights.
Exiting Auckland we travel south through the stunning Waikato countryside, the most extensive farming area in the world, encountering beautiful scenery, might rivers, great photo opportunities, impressive mountains and several farm animals along the way. During our adventure in the Waikato we will also stop for a quick coffee break at a special location.
Continuing our journey to Rotorua we pass through Tirau famously dubbed the 'Corrugated Iron Capital of the World' because of the many unique corrugated iron sculptures and buildings. This town never fails to get a look and a laugh and our guides will point out all the main highlights on the way through.
Spend around 90 minutes exploring the world-famous Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. Wander through this surreal geothermal landscape, with its steaming vents, bubbling mud pools, and the vibrant Champagne Pool.
We make our way to Secret Spot so you can enjoy lunch and recharge for your afternoon activity.
After lunch, your guide will take you to your afternoon activity (selected during the booking process). Options are a guided tour Te Puia, Redwoods Treewalk, Deluxe Lake Spa at Polynesian Spa or Secret Spot Hot Tubs.
Take a guided drive through Rotorua’s famous landmarks, including Lake Rotorua, the Government Gardens, Whangapipiro (Rachel Spring), the Blue Baths, and the historic Rotorua Museum.
Sadly we must start to head north again but your day is not over with a fully guided return trip to Auckland with secret stops along the way.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
*If no pickup is selected at time of booking, you will be allocated our default meeting point (SkyCity Hotel). You are welcome to update this at any time. If your location isn’t listed, please choose your nearest available option & meet us there. *Pick-ups can begin up to 20 minutes before the tour departure time, depending on location. To ensure a smooth start, please be ready and waiting outside 5 minutes prior to your specific pickup time. *Pick-up locations are carefully planned for each tour and may vary by day. If your pick-up location changes, kindly inform us in advance. *Our guides make multiple stops and may arrive within a 10-minute window. We are unable to wait for late guests.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund.
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately.
- Treetop Walk / Zipline Adventure Activity: Involves heights of up to 30 metres and carries an element of personal risk.
- Treetop Walk / Zipline Potential Hazards: Risks may include uneven terrain, moving platforms, slips, trips, falls, weather conditions, equipment failure, and, in rare cases, serious injury.
- Treetop Walk / Zipline Participant Responsibility: Comprehensive safety measures are in place; however, participation is at your own risk and personal safety cannot be guaranteed.
- Due to uneven surfaces & a moderate amount of walking being involved, this tour is not recommended for travelers with severe mobility difficulties, or wheelchair users
Reviews(426)
Absolutely brilliant day! Loved every minute! Guide was informative and friendly. Bus was comfy and trip was amazing.
Excellent experience all around. Grant our tour guide took care of us the whole way and provided great insights into the features of Auckland and the surrouding areas. The smaller nature of the tour really makes it easy to make freinds and enjoy yourself the whole way. Thoroughly recommended the Polynesian Spa add-on.
Grant loves looking after small groups just like yours on the Rotorua Highlights Tour - glad it made for easy friendships along the way! Thanks for the tip about the Polynesian Spa add-on too. We hope to see you back in New Zealand again :)
A great day spent in a beautiful part of the North Island! The itinerary suited me perfectly- enough time at each location without feeling rushed.
So glad the pacing worked well for you on the Rotorua Highlights Tour - our guides put a lot of thought into getting that balance right. Thanks for the great feedback, and we hope to see you back in New Zealand again :)
Another well planned Cheeky Kiwi tour! I have previously visited the other usually offered Rotorua activities so I was really glad to find an offering to go to the redwood skywalk. As someone from California I never cease to be amazed at these trees and it was really fun to get the viewpoint from higher up. Our guide Simon was fantastic as was the lunch offering.
Simon will be glad to hear the redwood skywalk was such a hit! He loves showing guests a different side of the Rotorua Highlights Tour. Thanks for the great review, and we hope to welcome you back to New Zealand again :)
A lot of walking and a lot of geothermal features. The tour was very well organized. The lunch place we stopped at was great. Dave, our tour guide, was PHENOMENAL. Would absolutely take any of his tours again.
Dave will be thrilled to be called PHENOMENAL! He loves bringing the geothermal wonders on the Rotorua Highlights Tour to life for guests. Thanks so much for the review, and we hope to have you back on tour again :)
Thoroughly enjoy the whole experience. Easy pick up, comfortable transport, great Informative guide. Rotorua is like nothing I’ve ever seen. Such an amazing landscape. The secret hot tubs was a relaxing way to end the day.
What a great time from Auckland to Te Puia, Waiotapu, and Rotorua! The included lunch was delicious and Simon was an excellent driver and guide. Seeing the Māori student artists and a kiwi bird live at Te Puia were definitely highlights! Thank you! Love Cheeky Kiwi tours!!
This ended up being my first tour in New Zealand. After grabbing coffee at a stopover, we started the day with a 90 minute trail at Wai O Tapu followed by lunch. We capped off the day with a dip at the different mineral pools in the Polynesian Spa. Amazing experience with a view of the lake just ahead. Thanks, Simon, for being such an informative guide!
Hanoz was the BEST- super knowledgeable on all things Aotearoa and was a pleasant and friendly driver/tour guide. Please give him a raise. Also, this tour was well worth the price. 10/10 would recommend. Book Cheeky Kiwi travel for any NZ tours
Thank you so much for this wonderful review! We're thrilled Hanoz made such a great impression — we'll be sure to pass on your kind words. We'd love to welcome you back on another Cheeky Kiwi adventure!
John our guide is full of nuggets of information about the Maoris and history of the places we visited. Gave us just the right amount of time to explore and also made sure that we got back to our hotels on time. While the entire trip was more than 12 hours in total, it didn't feel that long because of how engaging John was.
Thank you for this brilliant review! John loves sharing stories about Maori culture and history, so it's great to hear that came through. We're so glad the day was well-paced and enjoyable despite the long hours. Hope to see you on another tour with us!
