Boutique tour , Mt Maunganui, NZ farm, Rotorua lakes/geothermal

During your day's visit to Tauranga, experience the Geothermal wonderland of Rotorua. On the way there, marvel at beautiful beaches and beautiful homes, before a 45 minute drive ascending up the central plateau, through Kiwifruit plantations (we stop at one ...you'll be intrigued), and typical NZ farmland to our furthest inland destination, Rotorua. Take in the most popular sites of interest - Blue & Green lakes, view Mt Tarawera (erupted 1886) across the most gorgeous lake, walk through NZ native bush full of ferns and tall podocarps like an 1800's pioneer or Maori warrior. We highly recommend you upgrade to our P5 tour - Geothermal Rotorua w/ Maori cultural performance, an additional USD40 each and you will be entertained by a world renowned Maori troupe for their natural showmanship, and then walk through a stunning steaming living geothermally active zone). Alternative we visit kuirau park, also very active and culturally significa t. Stop lakeside for lunch.

Itinerary

1. Stop and enjoy NZ’s best beach , learn about the history as Capt Cook called this area the Bay of Plenty (15 min)
2. We visit one of the original Kiwi orchards in this, the Kiwifruit growing capital of the world. We’re certain you’ll be impressed to see how laden these vines are with fruit, and the intense husbandry and care that goes into growing them - in part because they are such a valuable part of our local economy. (20 min)
3. We head to Rotorua via a beautifully scenic route with excellent examples of native fauna of this region great views of the Pacific Ocean as we head down from the elevated central Plateau (50 min)
4. Visit this once-bustling settlement on the shores of Lake Rotorua view the steaming pools, visit the old Church where Prince William and Kate were formally greeted. Admission is by donation (20 min)
5. Browse the beautiful Government gardens, Rachels Pool and the Blue Baths (25 min)
6. Enjoy a relaxing foot soak in Rotorua's famous mineral waters , steam steaming pools and picturesque gardens (20 min)
7. We select one of 3 cafes in downtown Rotorua, all reputable with a nice ambience and great food to stop for lunch to relax, connect and enjoy (30 min)
8. Here, you will enter immediately adjacent to the road that we travel on, another world that has similarities to Jurassic Park, a rainforest full of many different types of ferns, tall native trees and the sound of native birds chirping away. The experience will be similar to what the Maori who walked this country regularly or the first colonists experienced before much of our majestic forests were cut down to convert into pastoral land. We have a survey at the end of each tour and many customers pick this as their highlight, especially compared to the Redwood Forest that we also stop to experience. (25 min)
9. We drive her past the blue and green lakes for a stunning vista of the lake and Mt. Tarawera. This is, on a clear blue day, the best location for a photo opportunity. We'll give you a brief run down on the Mt Tarawera eruption of 1886 that devastated the surrounding landscape, killed over 100 people and buried the famous Pink and White Terraces (10 min)
10. Stroll through this famous Redwood forest planted in the early 1900's where the trees have grown with vigour in our conducive climate. We may not have time for this part of the tour, however we will always include the other visit to a grove of unique NZ native forest (15 min)
11. If time allows and you are physically fit, we will escort you down some steep (and sometimes wet) stairs to witness the. Power of the Kaituna River and possibly joyriders on inflatable rafts, as it surges through this beautiful natural gully (15 min)
12. We will travel here if time allows. It is a 25 minute drive to the centre of the North Island where you will delight in the mesmerising boiling mud pools that bless this part of the Taupo Volcanic Zone. This site is just a 20 m walk from where we park and you may walk another 100 m around the pool if you desire….therapeutic (15 min)

Meeting & end point