Totally Tarawera
Totally Tarawera
5
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Full view

About
YOUR CULTURE & NATURE CONNECTION Discover the natural, cultural and historical wonders of Lake Tarawera with our range of guided and unguided experiences. Take a water taxi to stunning Hot Water Beach, hike the famous Tarawera Trail, take a journey of cultural discovery with our exclusive Ancestral Footprints Tour or spend a few nights at one of our luxury glamping site. Lake Tarawera is home to some of New Zealand’s most stunning landscapes. Mount Tarawera itself stands sentinel over a landscape of native New Zealand bush, natural hot springs, waterfalls and an abundance of birdlife. Let us help you to discover this natural wonderland by boat or on foot.
Lake Tarawera, New Zealand
Awards
Travellers' Choice
2023
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(215 reviews)

(265 reviews)

(19 reviews)
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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5.0
584 reviews
Excellent
530
Very good
50
Average
3
Poor
1
Terrible
0
Linda R
1 contribution
Nov 2023 • Couples
Outstanding service- friendly, super helpful- great communication. Would totally recommend.
The walk was amazing, forest and lake so beautiful.
The walk was amazing, forest and lake so beautiful.
Written 5 November 2023
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.
Callum
2 contributions
Sep 2023 • Friends
Great service, friendly people, easy to deal with. I would recommend going with this company, and we'd be happy to come back again.
Written 23 October 2023
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 your review.
Pleased we were able to make your experience as seamless as possible.
We look forward to having you return sometime.
Regards,
Captain Dave
Written 30 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Heather Tucker
3 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Dave picked us up from Hot Water Beach and was extremely personable and helpful. When three of those booked had not shown up by the scheduled time for leaving he mentioned he would return to HWB in case their walk had taken longer than expected. Awesome customer service. Dave also took my husband and me back to the carpark in his car when there was insufficient room in the shuttle for us and our very large tramping packs. Thanks again Dave. You're a legend!
Written 12 October 2023
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 taking the time to do a review for us.
That Dave guy sounds pretty good.
Must tell his wife (the boss) how good he was so I can get a day off or other privileges.
We are a family business, operating on our tribal lands, so we see it as our responsibility to make sure you have the best time possible while with us
Thanks again,
Captain Dave.
Written 30 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Rozella
Tauranga, New Zealand2 contributions
Oct 2023 • Friends
Great walk, awesome water taxi service. Highly recommend these guys, taxi ran on time. Good price at $35 each. Great comfy boat
Written 7 October 2023
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 review.
Pleased you enjoyed our service so much.
It is much appreciated.
Regards,
Captain Dave
Written 30 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Poppygirls
Tauranga, New Zealand28 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
Superb all round. Easy to book, clear directions, friendly skipper, great service being shuttled back to carpark. We'll be back for sure
Written 3 October 2023
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 your review of our service.
We appreciate your feedback.
Love to have you back again.
Regards,
Captain Dave
Written 30 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hayley G
7 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
Perfect boat and captain for a scenic cruise on the lake. Captain Dave gave us a very informative history of the lake and points of interest.
A fabulous platter of nibbles to go with our bubbly made for a perfect couple of hours.
A fabulous platter of nibbles to go with our bubbly made for a perfect couple of hours.
Written 8 August 2023
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 taking the time to do a review for us.
It was our pleasure to have you aboard and to share our lake with you and your family.
I know we also mede the weather just perfect for a lake cruise.
Love to see you back again.
Regards,
Captain Dave
Written 14 August 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
grant-kathy-amy
Onehunga, New Zealand21 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
Really good service! Well run super friendly operation. Easy booking and payment beforehand and good confirmation and communication. Good big boat, friendly personable service, and handy shuttle service back to the car. Thanks!
Written 15 July 2023
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 taking the time to do this review.
Pleased we were able to make the whole experience with us pretty seamless.
We do our best and achieve it most of the time.
Look forward to having you back in the future.
Regards,
Captain Dave
Written 14 August 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Paula
11 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
Fun informative water taxi ride back from Hot Water Beach at the end of the Tarawera Trail. Our driver was very knowledgeable about the area and the history.
Written 5 July 2023
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 your review,
pleased you enjoyed your experience with us.
Regards,
Captain Dave
Written 14 August 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Mark G Brewer
Wellington, New Zealand15 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
We did the Tarawera trail to hot water beach, 15.2km of beautiful bush walk with great views over the lake. It’s a medium hike with some challenging steep sections that will take you a good 4-5 hours but the track is good and broken up with coffee and lunch stops it’s fine. Book the water taxi with Totally Tarawera before you leave and they will pick you up from the beach. The ride back is a delight and the operators are knowledgeable about the area and its history. Well worth it and great exercise.
Written 5 July 2023
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 your review and and explaining you day so well.
A great description.
In the next couple of months we hope to enhance your experience even further, with a new app for the Tarawera Trail. It will share the history, important places and the nature of this area, triggered as you walk along.
Thanks for your review again.
Captain Dave
Written 14 August 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Sammy W
1 contribution
Jun 2023 • Business
The team loved it.
Skipper was knowledgeable and a lot of fun. Great way to end a long walk. Highly recommend.
Skipper was knowledgeable and a lot of fun. Great way to end a long walk. Highly recommend.
Written 1 June 2023
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 review.
Pleased you enjoyed your experience with us.
Regards,
Captain Dave
Written 14 August 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Paige D
Bristol, UK1 contribution
Hey, how do you get from rotatura information point(where all the buses go) to this totally tarawera? Or Is there a coach that can take you?
Paige x
KiwiCanadian305
Calgary, Canada2 contributions
Can we hike this in a round day hike with out taking the boat back
TotallyTarawera
Rotorua District, New Zealand2 contributions
Hi KiwiCanadian305,
As others have said, by rights you can but it depends on your level of fitness. We have had some that have completed both ways within 7 hours and we have had others that thought they could walk back out only to realise it was a bit much and they have rung us from Hot Water Beach asking for a water taxi ride back. There is always the option of staying at the camp overnight and walking back out the next day. However this does require a camp booking.
You can actually start the walk from The Landing itself and avoid the car park all together. This will make the walk slightly shorter, 12km one way as opposed to 15km.
If we can be of any assistance please feel free to contact us.
Larry C
Cedar Crest, NM55 contributions
Captain Dave,
We are staying in Rotorua and plan to hike out to the hot water beach and then have you bring us back at 3:00 in your boat. What is the best way to get from Rotorua to the trail had and from your boat dock back to Rotorua?
Thank you, Larry
TotallyTarawera
Rotorua District, New Zealand2 contributions
Hello Larry,
If you are based in Rotorua without any transport out to Lake Tarawera, you can hire a shuttle service from Rotorua to Tarawera from Grumpys Shuttle Service. I believe they charge about $90.00 return.
If you have your own source of travel, may I suggest that you park your vehicle at The Landing and join the main Tarawera Trail from a small trail to the far right of The Landing. That way once you come back from Hot Water Beach you can then hop in your car.
Finally depending on what day, our receptionist who travels from Rotorua to Tarawera to work here has been known to pick up passengers from Rotorua on her way to work and return them to Rotorua at the end of the day. She can be contacted via our website.
There are a few options for you to consider.
Kind regards,
Captain Dave
Robyne43
Brisbane, Australia4 contributions
Good afternoon
we were thinking of staying at Hot Water Beach Doc Camping Ground. I read that you drop off at the Camping Ground. Do you pick up also or do we have to drive to The Landing?
regards
Robyne and Denis Fitzsimons
TotallyTarawera
Rotorua District, New Zealand2 contributions
Good morning Robyne and Denis,
We run a regular service to Hot Water Beach DOC Camping Ground each day, the times are 9:00am, 12:00pm and 3:00pm. We will also bring you back from Hot Water Beach to The Landing, 9:30am, 12:30am and 3:00pm.
You would have to drive yourself or catch a shuttle service to The Landing to use our services. We charge $50.00 per adult, $30.00 per child (5-12 years old) return. We also will charge $10.00 per large backpack return.
Regards,
Captain Dave.