Rotorua with Te Puia & Hells Gate Geothermal Areas – LT58CCS

New Tour

Delight your senses at two very special destinations in Rotorua – the cultural and geothermal heartland of New Zealand. From your port based in Tauranga, travel via coach through the Bay of Plenty to Rotorua and join two guided tours of the fascinating geothermal locations of Te Puia and Hells Gate. Discover their incredible geological features, along with their unique culture, Maori heritage and history which has impacted the region. Following your guided tours, a couple of stops will be made at a kiwifruit orchard and Okere Falls as well as a sightseeing tour of the city-centre of Rotorua.

Te Puia

• See geysers explode high into the air and boiling mud and hot pools bubble away. You will only get those iconic photos at Te Puia where you are up close and personal with many of the geothermal features.
• Experience an awe-inspiring cultural Maori performance. The 45 minute concert includes a powhiri (welcome) onto the Marae (meeting house), as well as traditional songs and dances. You will see the famous Haka!
• Spot the elusive and iconic kiwi in the nocturnal enclosure.
• Watch craftsmen and women learn their trade in the carving and weaving schools.

Hells Gate

• Named by George Bernard Shaw – this geothermal park will show you a variety of steaming fumaroles and bubbling mud pools.
• Indulge in the unique and relaxing experience of mudbathing (extra cost). Cover yourself in the sulphurous but strangely healing local mud, and finish with a soak in the silica-rich hot pools, which is excellent for your skin.
• See the largest hot waterfall in the Southern Hemisphere – a place where Maori warriors would bathe to heal their wounds of battle.

After your tours of Te Puia and Hells Gate are complete, a visit to a kiwifruit orchard has also been organised so you can see how this quintessential New Zealand icon is grown, as well as a stop at picturesque Okere Falls. Finally, enjoy a tour of Rotorua’s interesting city centre – including famous landmarks such as Govt Gardens, the Bath House, Blue Baths and the lakefront. All while keeping in-time with your cruise ships schedule.