1 Salisbury Avenue
1 Salisbury Avenue, Mount Maunganui 3116, New Zealand
The meeting point for passengers off the cruise ships is on the grass by the flag poll just outside the port pedestrian exit gate on Salisbury Avenue. If you are not travelling on a cruise ship then this is still the meeting point unless you have made an alternative arrangement with us.

Start time

Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.

Opening hours

6/1/2022 - 6/26/2024
Monday - Sunday : 09:00 AM - 12:00 PM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Whakarewarewa - The Living Maori Village

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Lake Rotorua

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Government Gardens

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Rotorua

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Tauranga

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Mount Maunganui

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Te Puke (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
You must provide your own infant/child seat if required
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately. We suggest layers with hats and sunscreen
Tour departure time may change due to early and/or late ship arrivals and departures. You will be notified at time of booking Please check your emails to confirm tour departure times. This will over ride the time printed on the vouchrt

Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
Please check in with us 15 minutes prior to the departure time we advise you.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 18 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

It was so much cheaper, but better than what the cruise ship’s excursions provide.

The village, dancers, geysers and extra stops made this well worth it.

Reviews

4.5

68 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 68 reviews

Very disappointing

catherine_b, Mar 2023

I was advised to be at pick up point at 10:45 for an 11 a.m. departure. I arrived at 10:25 to be told my mini bus had aready left. This was really upsetting, particularly as I had sent a couple of emails to the operator to check the departure time: the voucher said 9.00 a.m. departure when the cruise ship arrived in port at 9.00!! I was reassured it would be at 11.00. Because another passenger was sick, I was able to be squeezed on to a second mini bus. The driver/guide left us waiting once at the destination whilst she went to check the lunch arrangements. After about 20 minutes wait, we were taken to a miserable back room and left alone with a small side plate of what was supposedly a Hangi lunch. We had water only to drink. Nobody stayed with us, nobody explained the Hangi process, nobody was there to serve us. It was uncomfortable. Once we had eaten a very small portion of chicken, stuffing and a few carrots, we were rushed out of the room so that the table could be cleared. Our guide then appeared and said she would get the details of our village guide, if we could just wait. I enquired why our lunch had been served on a small side plate and was told it was just a 'taster' rather than full meal and that this was reflected in the price of the ticket. Excuse me, but I paid over £100 sterling and so far had had a ride on a mini bus!! The tour details had stated 'Hangi Lunch' so I feel this was grossly mis-represented. After our tour around the village - and again, we were kept waiting for over 20 minutes for our maori guide - we were rushed to the mini bus. The driver/tour guide was clearly in a hurry to leave and was reluctant to allow us to shop for souvenirs to support the community or to use the toilets (incidentally the toilet facilities were dreadful and need totally modernising and extending). Her manner was brusque and she scolded me for taking 5 minutes to go the the toilet. The tour was 6.5 hours duration in the details. We were returned to port 45 minutes before schedule. I had so looked forward to this part of my tour of New Zealand and I was dreadfully disappointed and felt rather cheated. I would NOT recommend this tour or this company.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

If you would be so kind as to tell us your name and what date you took the tour we can look into this for you. This is certainly not the service we expect to give our clients. Regards Ian

A tour saved, and excellent!

Michael_S, Mar 2023

Both the tour guide and the guide at the Maori village were excellent! The Maori guide's hands danced as she talked! Her information on the Maori lifestyle and their village was interesting and clear. Our van broke down soon after leaving Tauranga. The guide got us to a small village and bought us coffee and pastries. A new van arrived soon, and the tour continued as planned. The guide stayed out later than scheduled to be sure we got in everything we expected on the trip, and more. A highlight of our time in New Zealand!

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thanks for the very positive review, despite the issue of the minibus breaking down. The issue turned out to be a simple fix as the intercooler pipe on the turbo came off. I was the guy who brought the coach out to you ASAP so you could continue on tour. We always have a plan B for such unusual and luckily for us very rare issues. Our vehicle are all late model vans so we dont get this thing happening very often.

Good tour but needs work by operator

Tanya_H, Mar 2023

This tour would of easily earnt 5 stars but I have to take one of for the bus driver and tour operator..Graham was constantly speeding 89 in a 55 zone etc..safety of your customers should come first. Another half a point lost due to re using the shore tour neck tags..great way to spread covid..otherwise tour was awesome

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thanks for your review, sorry if you felt the driver was speeding [which i doubt] perhaps you had a good view of the speedometer! The lanyards we hand out ecah day do need to be returned each day and re-used or we would be burning through over 1000 per week during the season. We will look to change to letting clients keep the lanyards and just add on the $15 charge they cost us for the next cruise season. They are washed frequently but this is not possible for every day. Certianly pleased you enjoyed the tour though.

Fun and informative day!

D_H, Mar 2023

Traveled through the countryside in a small van to our destination. The driver and the guide were very good. We had a wonderful small lunch that had been cooked in the geothermal pools. The cultural show was entertaining and interactive. We had some traffic on the way back to port and arrived with 5 minutes to get on board. That was the only sticky point on the trip.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thanks for the feedback re the tour. We have operated tours here in tauranga for 23 years now with thousands of clients on our tours and have NEVER missed a ships sailing time. Traffic has become a big issue and we always allow enough time for such situations as you had that day. We work closely with the ship and their agents to monitor the tour end times and the ships on board time, so fully aware of any issues a delay may cause. I sometimes even head out on my motorcycle to monitor the return routes and can then advise drivers of the best options, even resorting to do a bit of traffic control at the know bottlenecks to keep our vehicles on track. We always get you back on time>

Beautiful way to spend a day in Tauranga

Pablo_R, Mar 2023

The driver (Rob) was very knowledgeable of the area and shared a lot of information with us. The visit to the Maori village was very interesting and the Maori dance was beautiful.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thanks for your review, pleased you enjoyed the day.

Horrible Bus Trip

rowley88, Mar 2023

Unfortunately our tour was ruined by our bus driver Richard. On the hour and a half drive to Rotorua he was pointing out obvious landmarks but with no information. We didn't stop for any photo opportunities along the way on the promise we would stop on the way back. Once we arrived at the Maori Village we were handed over to Phil, hallelujah!! Phil was an amazing tour guide through the village and was definitely the saving grace of the day. The cultural performance was lovely, however nobody sticks around fo a photo or a chat. Unfortunately Richard was back and took off leaving half of our tour group behind not knowing where we were heading next. Luckily we made our way back toward the bus and saw the other half of our group heading in for the hangi lunch. Lunch was on a saucer. The tour was over. On the trip back Richard chatted horse racing with two of the men on the tour and ignored everyone else. We never stopped at the promised stops and all in all I feel totally ripped off. I would recommend the Maori Village but do a tour with someone else.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Hi Amanda, we are so sorry that you did not receive the level of service we expect from our guides. We will certainly have a review with the guide to make sure that he does follow our tour itinerary and instructions. We note that you enjoyed the tour at the Maori Village of Whakarewarewa and will have a chat to the them about the size of the Hangi lunch. This is what they describe as a Hangi taster lunch and is not supposed to be a large lunch. Given the limited time we have on these tours [usually 6.5 hours for this program] there is only so much we can include. You will see from the many other 4 and 5 star reviews that the vast majority of our guests rate the tour much higher. Again we do apologise about the day you had. Regards Ian

Maori Geo- Thermal Village.

PaulWILLIAM_C, Feb 2023

The bus driver was excellent, local guy with knowledge of the area. Very well organised at departure and an entertaining day. The only slight downside was the food at the village, But I hadn't noticed it was included was actually, so it was fine.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thansk for your feedback and pleased you enjoyed the tour. The lunch that is usually included in this tour if you are booking ahead of the day, is the traditional Hangi food cooked in the geothermal steam vents and water pools, it is not fine dining but more to show how food we prepared by the local people, it is not to everyones taste. Regards Ian

The Maori concert was...

robyn_b, Feb 2023

The Maori concert was excellent, loved the scenery. The guide at the village was very informative and had a great personality . We were picked up promptly ,and our driver and guide Peter also did a great job. Would highly recommend this tour.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thanks for your very positive feedback, have provided shore excursions around NZ for 23 years now so we do have a lot of experience.

Wonderful excursion

nanjoyal, Feb 2023

Wonderful Māori guide showed us her village, told of the cultural values, explained their use of geothermal pools for cooking (our lunch, as it turned out.), and geothermal activities in the area. We saw a informative and entertaining Moari dance company. I highly recommend.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thanks for your feedback, we so enjoy taking our clients to see authentic local culture and amazing sights.

Rotorua in a nutshell

Denis_O, Feb 2023

Seeing a village on top of thermal springs and active geysers. Chief gave us a very comprehensive description of village life.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Glad you enjoyed the trip, would be good to know what more we could have done to gain the 5th star rating.

A very Intersting experience

Tony_F, Feb 2023

The concert was very entertaining while the tour guide was very informative & made us all feel very welcome. The authenticity of the village was memorable & the history of the village & surrounds was certainly an eye opener for us.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thankyou for your very positive review, pleased we gave you a good experience.

Amazing Day

Rhonda_S, Feb 2023

Our guide was very informative and friendly. The places we visited were very interesting and fun. The Geothermal Village was amazing and well worth the visit. The bus collected us promptly and dropped us back at the ship in plenty of time before departure. Definitely recommend this tour.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Pleased you had a great day with us in Rotorua,

Top of the list

John_H, Jan 2023

Maori guide walked us through his village and answered everyone’s questions, learned so much about Maori culture. Never felt rushed. Loved seeing the geothermal pools.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thanks for the great review, Rotorua is such a unique place. Regards Ian

Unique Experience

Steve_P, Jan 2023

We found the village and geothermal features to be fascinating! We highly recommend this to anyone. The redwoods were beautiful but less interesting since we've seen them in California.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thanks for the great review. The Redwoods are pretty awesome and given they are only about 100 years old very impressive.

Everything. Driver was...

Theresa_C, Jan 2023

Everything. Driver was very knowledgeable. Love the village and show. Thermal springs were interesting. Falls were beautiful.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Its is our most popular tour for good reason. Regards ian

Maori villate Tour

Ellen_G, Dec 2022

The concert in the Maori village was fabulous! Even though there was a torrential downpour going on the performers were wonderful. Our tour guide to the village and our tour guide in the village were both very good though, unfortunately, due to the rain we were not able to visit everything that you normally would see on this tour. But the concert absolutely saved the day.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thanks for your positive review despite the aweful weather on this day. Regards Ian

What an Experience -- even in the heavy rain!!!!!

Sandra_S, Dec 2022

Unfortunately, it rained like cats and dogs that entire day. However, the local guide was still able to guide us to most of the area, including the geo-thermal pits. But just raining too much to see the living village. The performance, while somewhat open (we had a roof but the sides were open), did get a bit chilly and it rained so hard the singers really had to belt out their songs and stomping -- but it was still great And did I mention that we had lunch served to us that had been cooked in the geo-thermal pits? Overall, a fantastic experience even with the thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. Think what it would be like with no rain? Go for it whatever the weather.

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Thanks for your kind comments, we cant do much about the weather and so pleased you still enjoyed the trip, regards Ian

Highly recommend!!!!!

Stacey_V, Dec 2022

I would like to give a shout out to our driver (who was amazing, and who did everything in his power to make sure everyone was happy, including adding additional stops to our trip) as well as to the Maori who invited us into their home, and made us feel so very very welcome!!! I highly recommend this adventure!!!!

Thoroughly recommend

Suzanne_T, Nov 2022

Totally recommend this tour. The tour operators were well organised and very knowledgeable. We had Brian and Charlie looking after us and they did a fantastic job. The village was great, from seeing the thermal areas to the guide, the performers and everyone involved. We learnt a lot about the Māori culture and living at Rotorua.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thanks for your kind comments, we love showing clients the amazing sights of Rotorua.

A fabulous tour of a Māori village

Bonnie_S, Nov 2022

The whole tour was fascinating. We felt privileged to be able to have a glimpse into their village and Māori life.