Cruise Tours Tauranga

Cruise Tours Tauranga

Cruise Tours Tauranga
4.5
Sightseeing ToursPrivate ToursNature & Wildlife Tours
About
Sightseeing day tours from Tauranga visiting Rotorua, Hobbiton and the local area. See steaming vents, shooting geysers, bubbling mud pools, find a kiwi or search for a hobbit in Middle Earth. Small group tours. Travel in air conditioned mini coach. Pick up and drop off at the Port or local accommodation available. Come with us on a day of exploration and discovery. Private tours are our specialty. Ask us about customising a tour for your group.
Tauranga, New Zealand

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Tours and Tickets by Cruise Tours Tauranga

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles324 reviews
Excellent
270
Very good
37
Average
9
Poor
2
Terrible
6

PKEM
Chelmsford, UK289 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Couples
We did the Rotorua natural tour. We found locating and join the tour off our cruise ship very easy, plus had a reconfirmation message the night before. We had a group of 8, although the bus took more people. Gary S was our driver and guide. Gary did a great job of providing us lots of information all day and was always happy to answer our questions. The initial trip to Rotorua is about an hour after a brief first stop at a honey shop. After that we visited lots of sights, seeing lots of volcanic hot mud and water pools in various locations. The day also included a Californian redwood forest visit and a trip to the water falls (we were lucky enough to see some white water rafters pass). The lunch break (lunch not included) was in a cafe near the Maori village and afterward we saw the local boys diving for coins. The trip overall was 7 hours (we booked it as 6 hours) and was a great day out. Thanks Gary S.
Written 3 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the great review, you must have been on a different tour to that of BayRan [2 reviews above you] as they had a totally different view of the day, even though it WAS the same tour and the same driver. So thanks for your side of the story. Still working on shifting Rotorua closer to the cruise port, watch this space, NZ gets lots of earthquakes so that may help me! Best regards Ian
Written 5 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

KD7152
Great Baddow, UK537 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Couples
We booked a 6 hour tour from Tauranga and headed off as a small group of 8 with our host Gary S.
I enjoyed seeing the vista and the changing landscape from beaches to Redwoods and kiwi farms.
A very varied trip with frequent stops to view points on interest. The area of Rotorua with its bubbling sulphur holes; a redwood forest, Maori boys diving for coins and river rafters coming over the waterfall and short stop for lunch to try a local Maori pie.
A very enjoyable trip - thank you
Written 2 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks KD, so pleased you enjoyed the trip with Gary. We think this is a great value tour at just $99 NZ per person and you can get a real taste of Rotorua and the local area with having to pay all the entry fees. You do get a peak into the living Maori Village of Whakarewarewa as we now use their cafe as a lunch stop [at your cost] so you can see their museum and entrance to the village. Regards Ian
Written 5 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Triece A
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Fantastic company to deal with and prior to leaving Australia I dealt with Karen the owner via email to arrange a tour that would suit and accommodate young children.
We had Wendy as our guide and Wendy was fantastic and very knowledgeable.

The day was spent in Rotorua and we all had a great day seeing the sites and learning about the NZ culture.

Even though the weather was very ordinary, that didn’t stop us all having a great time.

I recommend this company and if I ever come back to visit NZ, I will arrange another guided tour.

Thank you The Stevenson Family
Written 6 January 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mindi S
San Antonio, TX46 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
I wouldn't call 24 people on an old small bus, a small group tour. The seats were uncomfortable and the front tires were bald. I felt unsafe on the roads in the pouring rain! The driver) guide said it wasn't one of their regular vehicles. We couldn't stop in the Redwoods because he couldn't find parking. He didn't have an organized plan for a lunch stop. He stopped on a corner with 2 lunch spots on one side and a few on the other. There was no crosswalk nearby. The folks that did cross the street were 10+ minutes late getting back to bus. Annoying! Us
Written 4 December 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

sasquatchlv
Las Vegas, NV6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2017 • Couples
Karen and Susanna organized a fantastic day in and around Tauranga. They listened to our questions and desires then suggested a superb itinerary. A truly exceptional day from a wonderful and reliable company. Highest recommendations for Cruise Tours Tauranga.
Written 21 May 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Brisvegas24
Brisbane, Australia172 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2013 • Family
We are a family of four - 2 adults and 2 teenagers - we booked a private tour as it was our son's 16th birthday and we wanted some flexibility. Karen was excellent to deal with in planning the tour giving great advice. Our itinerary included the hobbiton movie set and then rotorua ( Maori Village - Whakarewarewa). We stepped off the Ship and there was Karen waiting! Pressure off! All we had to do was sit back relax and enjoy the ride. To make the day run smoothly Karen organised a picnic lunch including birthday cupcakes for Lewis. We were pressed for time so this was a great idea. The teens loved the hobbiton - it certainly delivered! My husband and I are not huge fans of the movie but the attraction was enjoyed by the whole family - put it on the list. In Rotorua we did the living village - Whakarewarewa - great choice. Amazing to see people going about there everyday lives now. Great concert - you can see the strong connection to country (not too touristy at all). Great spot to see the Geyser! Karen made the payment process very easy doing an all inclusive price (including attractions). Highly recommend! Saw a lot in a day. Thanks Karen.
Written 10 January 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the lovely and positive review. I really enjoyed my day out with your lovely family and in particular the birthday picnic lunch with you by the lake was really fun for me too.... despite the chilly wind that day. It was great to have the variety of Hobbiton and Rotorua on the same day and I enjoyed showcasing this stunning area to you all. Thanks for choosing Cruise Tours Tauranga and hope to see you again one day. Cheers Karen
Written 15 January 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

SueChewy22
Adelaide, Australia33 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2018 • Friends
We were a couple of friends arriving on a cruise ship in Tauranga looking for a day tour to Rotorua. We were on a bus with a total of 16 passengers. Garry, our driver and guide, was very knowledgeable. He gave us a short tour of Tauranga and then on to a Kiwi Fruit farm for a short stop, including tastings. We then traveled to Rotorua and a tour of Te Puia thermal area. On our return journey Garry gave us a short tour of Rotorua township. Cruise Tours Tauranga were a pleasure to deal with, from emails prior to our cruise, right up until our return to the ship, which was in plenty of time for boarding. Highly recommend.
Written 25 February 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Charles H
Brisbane, Australia40 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
We were two couples that were picked up by Susanna. We could not have asked for a better guide or companion.
Her knowledge was excellent, and nothing was too much trouble. We would highly recommend Susanna if you visit this area.
Written 22 April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

madamdiver
Mooloolaba, Australia174 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2015 • Couples
Both Karen & Susanna were an absolute delight to us in every aspect from the initial email all the way to the end of our tour. Arrived in Tauranga on Valentines Day - 14th Feb 2015 & we were looking forward to a very special day. We walked off the cruise ship and were greeted with hugs and warm smiles by Susanna and also had the pleasure of meeting Karen also prior to us heading out on our tour. The attention to details is awesome. As we don't like to do ship tours, I undertook to seek out a private tour operator which cost us a fraction of what the cruise ships were charging and we all got so much more than what ANY RCI tours offer also. Our tour was a full day and we got what we asked for + lots more. This tour & operators is sooooooooooo good and awesome in every way. Our private group was only 4 people(2 couples) and we had come into port on a RCI Voyager of the Seas cruise ship for the day so times was very limited for us.
We arrived to be greeted by Susanna @ 7.20am and we have to be back by 4.15pm to get back on the ship. At every point of the way was Susanna professional, warm and friendly and with the sun shining we set off for our adventures in Tauranga.
Our full on itinerary was to see the best of the Bay of Plenty all in one day as independent & not with the cruise ship throngs of passengers who get to see very little!!
We Leave ship @ 7.15am - find lovely Susanna waiting for us to depart.
7.30am depart Port, travel along beaches and stop for photos
8.15am - Kiwi fruit orchard - view vines, taste fruits, jams, honeys, kiwi wine (we were the only 4 people there - Ya aweseome - had tastings of the kiwi fruit and then the liquors and other kiwi fruit operations)
8.30am - visit Okere Falls (spectacular - plenty of time to take it all in and get photos)
9.00am - Maori Village outrigger canoe & Beach areas & also visit geothermal park (Again awesome and no other passengers in the areas that Susanna knew to take us for exclusive viewing and experience times)
10.30 - Rotorua City highlights - Government Gardens, Lakefront etc. (Susanna Highlighted everything and had a full commentary for us)
Drive to Hobbiton (we r all very excited to go here)
Stop to go to a lovely café to get some lunch that Susanna knew about.
11.30am - arrive Hobbiton.
11.35am Quick lunch
11.45am - Hobbiton tour (OMG this place is spectacular and so cool)
2.00pm - Depart Hobbiton
3.30 - Arrive Port
This was to be a full day of adventures for us and was to be a wonderful day out. We hit the Kiwi farm before anyone else got there Ya we were doing fruit & liquor tastings by ourselves and no masses of other cruise passengers in sight,
we then had the delight of going to the beach area and a viewing of the outrigger canoe that the Mari people paddle also, then being shown the thermal and mud region that there was no other tourists or people or thousands of other cruise passengers in sight.
Then off to a local cafe that Susanna knew about, to get some lunch to eat on the run (the food was so fresh and awesome) so as we could then head to "Hobbiton". Hobbiton was such a beautiful place. This place was amazing and the highlight of our trip. (Again no other cruise passengers in sight & we never had to worry about anything as Susanna had booked everything in advance for us) The entire time we were with Susanna she also gave us a running commentary of every thing that we were passing and this was so appreciated by us. It was wonderful to be able to see everything that we wanted to go to & more in such a limited time frame for the day, our tour was nothing but sensational and loved it in every way. We all found them to be top class and we never had to queue at any point. Susanna also took us to places off the beaten track to show us the thermal regions that she knew about from her local knowledge with no people there also so we were like treated with VIP service every where.
There was NO issues here about getting back on the ship in time as we were back at 3.35pm and very happy after an awesome day of fun, laughs and super adventures.
If u r visiting Tauranga, do a private tour, forget cruise ship tours that like to rip u off.
These ladies are amazing and we had such a great day that we all would highly recommend them to anyone. including cruise ship tours that like to rip u off. U WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED, DONT HESITATE TO BOOK THE BEST AND FORGET THE REST.
Contract Karen or Susanna @
Cruise Tours Tauranga
2 Edgecumbe Road
Tauranga, 3110
New Zealand
+64 7 571 2453
+64 212 741 613
www.cruisetourstauranga.co.nz
Written 26 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

No Passport Required
Wellington, FL134 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2019
Visited Rotorua Village and the Geothermal valley on the same day I think it was part of the glow worm tour (which i don't recommend). The village tour was okay. They dance and sing and its very traditional. I liked the Geothermal Valley. Really cool.
Written 10 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello NoPassportRequiredFL, our sincere apologies for not responding to your review sooner. Thank you for taking the time to write it and we are pleased you enjoyed the tour overall. We don't visit any glow worms on our tours to Rotorua though so are a bit mystified by your comment however great you enjoyed the geothermals and traditional Maori village and culture. Thanks again and stay safe. Kind regards Kim
Written 5 September 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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