Waitomo Caves & Rotorua including Te Puia Tour

Itinerary:

1.  Auckland – 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.

2.  Waikato – Exiting Auckland, we drive south through the stunning Waikato countryside, the most extensive farming area in the world. Encounter stunning scenery, mighty rivers, great photo opportunities, beautiful mountains, and several farm animals along the way. During this journey, we pass through Taupiri, which has many interesting sites of
cultural significance, including local Maori burial grounds & cultural totem poles.

3.  Pirongia – After passing through rich countryside and learning about some local history and the New Zealand Land Wars, we stop in this idyllic little town for a quick coffee break.

4.  Otorohanga – Continuing our adventure. We enter Otorohanga, “The Kiwiana capital of New Zealand”. See all things Kiwi as you pass through this unique and charming town.

5.  Waitomo Caves – Arriving at our first feature attraction, you will be guided through the ancient and amazing caves, seeing many different cave formations, including Stalactites, Stalagmites, and Lime Columns, before descending even further underground for your Glowworm experience. Board your glow-worm boat for a cruise on the grotto river with thousands of Glowworms sparkling above you. Unique to New Zealand for over 120 years, Waitomo Glowworm Caves are a must-see for any traveller.

6.  Big Bird – On our way to our next destination, Rotorua, we stop outside Big Bird to see and meet some of our local friendly animals. These guys know our guides well, and even though we do not have time to go inside the park, the friendly animals will often come to the fences for a photo or two, thrilling guests.

7. Te Puia Geothermal Park – Arriving at our second feature destination, Te Puia, you will receive a fully guided tour to best experience the geothermal and cultural wonders, including: Pōhutu Geyser, Māori Architecture, The National Māori Arts School, geothermal craters, geothermal events, and even the chance to view a Kiwi bird in the Kiwi viewing house. 

8.  Rotorua City Highlights – 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. If there is time, we may even visit a special souvenir shop for some discounted shopping and to try Manuka Honey.

9.  Auckland – Sadly, we must start to head north again, but your day is not over with a fully guided return trip to Auckland.