Rotorua Highlights Tour: Waiotapu, Te Puia & Lunch from Auckland
Description
Experience the very best of Rotorua’s geothermal wonders and cultural treasures on this fully guided small group day tour from Auckland. Explore two of the region’s most famous attractions, Te Puia and Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, along with scenic highlights and insightful commentary from your expert guide. Enjoy a comfortable journey through the rolling Waikato countryside, take in Rotorua’s city highlights, and discover the power, beauty, and spirit that make this region truly unique. Led by our famously passionate tour guides, notorious for bringing your journey to life by sharing their stories and rich background knowledge, and run in modern, comfortable minibuses packed with extras ensuring your comfort and safety. Please note that not all guests in your group will be participating in the same activities, ensuring a tailored and personalized experience for everyone! Please note that swimming is not permitted or safe at Wai-O-Tapu.
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, mighty 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.
Arriving at our feature destination you will experience Wai-O-Tapu Geothermal Wonderland. Considered one of the most surreal places on earth, here you will see the famous Champagne Lake, Devil's Bath, local mud-pools, geothermal craters and other geothermal wonders. The colours and activity will take your breath away.
We make our way to Secret Spot so you can enjoy lunch and recharge for your afternoon activity.
After a break for lunch, you'll discover the rich history and traditions of New Zealand’s Māori culture at Te Puia on a guided 90 minute tour. Watch skilled artisans bring ancient techniques to life at the carving and weaving schools, explore the Kiwi Conservation Centre, and witness the spectacular Pōhutu Geyser erupting up to 30 metres high in the geothermal
To finish off our Rotorua experience we do a guided driving tour seeing the most famous sites in Rotorua city including: Lake Rotorua, Rotorua Museum, Government Gardens, Whangapipiro (Rachel Spring) & the Blue Baths.
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 spinal injuries
- 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.
- Due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not recommended for those with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair.
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately. Please wear comfortable walking shoes and weather appropriate clothing.
Reviews(88)
Really nice experience to do for those who want to discover a little bit of New Zealand with little time available. Trent, the guide was immediately very kind and helpful (top!). Snacks and water on board; explanations about the various spots along the way. Comfortable shuttle. The burger was well cooked and tasty. Amazing landscape! All good. A small suggestion: I would have been willing to pay extra for a small taste of Maori traditional cuisine for lunch. :-)
Trent will love hearing this! He's always keen to make sure guests feel looked after on the Rotorua Highlights Tour, and we love your idea about adding a taste of Maori cuisine to lunch - we'll pass that on. Thanks for the great feedback, and we hope to see you back in New Zealand again :)
Tour guide exceptional - knowledgeable, friendly, engaged with all guests on the tour. He made the tour memorable and follow up with links to where to eat, shop and see more sights. Would recommend this tour company
My wife and I booked with the Cheeky Kiwi operator. They provide the coach, book the tickets at the sites and the driver provides the commentary to and from the sites. So, the review is half about the operator and half about the actual sites. Our driver was guy called Grant. Any driver is in an unenviable position. He needs to keep the customers amused for three or four hours each way, and also know when to shut up and give them a bit of peace and quiet. We got on the coach at 5:45am, and I would have been happier if he just said "folks, I'm going to collect all of us from the various hotels; we'll head off and stop after an hour at a _really_ good coffee place; and after that I'll start telling you about what you're going to see today". However, he felt obliged to talk almost without stop all the way. I suppose it doesn't matter who the operator is - they all have the same balancing act to navigate. LUCKILY, Grant knew about geothermal activities, calderas, the relative size of Rotarua and Lake Taupo etc, and was very interesting to listen to. So, a thumbs up to him. Two sites on this trip. The first was the Rotarua geothermal are withmud-pool, lakes, steam emerging from the ground and streams etc. This site had everything except geysers. There are several walks, and even this 71-year old could manage them. For the geysers, we went to the second site. The geysers at Te Puia were MOST impressive. Lots of steam under pressure. I could have stood and watched them all day. The site also has a Maori cultural centre. That sounded terribly worthy and boring, but it wasn’t. We got to see a couple of kiwi birds - part of a breeding program - and we also got to see Maori youth being trained in the old skills of wood-carving, and similar. Not as entrancing as the geysers, but interesting in their own right. Overall, this Cheeky Kiwi Rotarua excursion was the highlight of our visit to NZ, and I really recommend you go and see the place. Five stars from us.
Liam was the best tour guide for this trip. Highly recommend this trip for anyone interested in Maori culture
Kia ora! Great to hear you had such a good day out! Liam will be pleased to know his guiding helped make the experience so memorable. Rotorua really is the place to connect with Māori culture, so it’s awesome that stood out for you. We’d love to welcome you back for more adventures in the future. Until then, safe travels and thanks again for choosing Cheeky Kiwi! Ngā mihi, Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
Good walking shoes and small light backpack or crossbody is best. Easy access to your camera a must. Ample stops for bathroom, snacks/food. Cheeky Pearl is an awesome driver/guide!!
Kia ora! Great tips for the day—comfortable shoes and easy access to your camera definitely make a difference! It’s awesome to hear Pearl helped make the experience so enjoyable as well. We’d love to welcome you back for more adventures in the future. Until then, safe travels and thanks again for choosing Cheeky Kiwi! Ngā mihi, Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
An awesome experience! A long day but so worth it! More than a “geothermal experience.” Depth of culture. And Jeoffrey was great. Informative. It was great to arrive at the first stop before the rest of the buses!
Kia ora! Sounds like a great day all round! You’ve captured Rotorua perfectly—it’s so much more than just geothermal sights, and that cultural depth really adds to the experience. Getting in ahead of the crowds is always a bonus too! Jeoffrey will be pleased to know his insights helped make the day even more memorable. We’d love to welcome you back for more adventures in the future. Until then, safe travels and thanks again for choosing Cheeky Kiwi! Ngā mihi, Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
Seeing the Geyser, Mud pools and Champagne pool were just some of the awesome and memeroble highlights of my tour. Special mention must go out to our Cheeky Kiwi tour guide and driver, Jeoff whose in-depth knowledge of Auckland and our destinations, interspersed with his subtle humour really helped to relax and amalgamate the tour group. Overall the combination of all the aforementioned made for a truly unforgetable experience.
Kia ora! So glad to hear your day in Rotorua left such a memorable impression! Jeoff will love the shoutout—his mix of knowledge and subtle humour really does help make the day smooth and enjoyable. The Geyser, mud pools, and Champagne Pool are always a hit, and it sounds like you soaked it all in. Thanks for sharing your experience, and we’d love to welcome you back for another round of Kiwi adventures. Ngā mihi, Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
We had Geoff as our driver/guide. Highly organized and informative - we had several in our van with different itineraries and he managed schedule artfully. Very comfortable van and enjoyed others that we met in our group. We will definitely use this tour company again
Kia ora! It’s fantastic to hear you had such a smooth day with Jeoff at the helm. Managing different itineraries in one van isn’t always easy, but it sounds like he made it feel effortless. We’re glad the van was comfortable and that the mix of people added to the experience. It’s great to know you’d choose to travel with us again – that really makes our day! We’d love to welcome you back for more adventures in the future. Until then, safe travels and thanks again for choosing Cheeky Kiwi! Ngā mihi, Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
This tour was great! John was an excellent tour guide, very knowledgeable and with many funny stories! The activities were enjoyable and I felt like I also learned a lot. I really enjoyed the day! I especially enjoyed seeing the live kiwis at Te Puia’s kiwi conservation center.
Kia ora Sounds like one of those days that hits the sweet spot between fun and learning. John has a great way of bringing Rotorua to life, and it’s awesome to hear his stories and knowledge added so much to your day. Te Puia’s kiwi conservation centre is a real highlight for a lot of guests too. Seeing our national icon up close tends to stick with you. We’re glad you enjoyed the mix of activities and came away feeling like you’d genuinely learned something along the way. That balance is exactly what we aim for on this tour. We’d love to welcome you back for more adventures in the future. Until then, safe travels and thanks again for choosing Cheeky Kiwi! Ngā mihi, Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
Ben was great, very enthusiastic and I loved his NZ music playlist. The trip was well organized and everything ran accordingly. Just show up and they take care of the rest
Kia ora! It’s awesome to hear that Ben made your Rotorua day tour so enjoyable. His enthusiasm and carefully curated NZ music playlist really help set the tone for the day. We’re glad everything ran smoothly and that the organisation made it easy for you to just relax and enjoy the sights. We’d love to welcome you back for more adventures in the future. Until then, safe travels and thanks again for choosing Cheeky Kiwi! Ngā mihi, Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
