Golden Memories Travel

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Waitomo And Rotorua Deluxe Tour

Day Trip, Group Tour

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Visit two of New Zealand's most famous attractions , the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves and the spectacular geothermal region of Rotorua, rich with Maori Culture and natural history.

Waitomo and Rotorua Deluxe Tour

This Waitomo and Rotorua tour includes a visit to the world-famous Waitomo Glowworm Caves, a series of limestone formations and cave systems with shimmering lights of thousands of tiny glowworms. It is simply a magical subterranean experience. The Arachnocampa Luminosa glowworm is unique to New Zealand, and hundreds of limestone caves lie beneath the craggy King Country hillside. You will be taken on a guided tour through this world-famous cave formation, climaxed by drifting silently in a boat through the glowworm cavern.

Departing from Waitomo, enjoy a delicious picnic lunch made locally in Waitomo whilst traveling through the heart of the Central North Island to Rotorua where geysers, bubbling mud pools, and Maori culture await.

Experience Rotorua, a city located approximately 145 miles southeast of Auckland. Rotorua's spectacular geothermal wonders have long provided a mecca for visitors, and the city's reputation as a spa town is legendary. The city is located inside the rim of a volcanic crater on the southern edge of Lake Rotorua, one of the region's largest lakes. You will also visit the Agrodome Farm, where you will be introduced to New Zealand farming during a 45-minute tour onboard a purpose-built all-terrain vehicle. Watch a sheep being shorn, hand-feed the animals and finish with a sheepdog demonstration trial

Another highlight of this excursion will be the Te Puia Maori Concert, a 45-minute Maori Cultural Performance inside Te Puia Marae (meeting house). Surrounded by carvings of ancestors, you will be treated to the perfect harmonies, the poi, haka, and titi torea. While there, you will visit the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve, one of Rotorua's most famous attractions. See woodcarving, weaving displays, and the thermal valley with the famous Pohutu geyser, fumaroles, and mud pools

Another highlight of this excursion will be the Te Puia Maori concert, a Maori Cultural Performance inside Te Puia Marae (meeting house). Surrounded by carvings of ancestors, you will be treated to the perfect harmonies, the poi, haka, and titi torea. While there, you will visit the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve, one of Rotorua's most famous attractions. See woodcarving, weaving displays, and the thermal valley with the famous Pohutu geyser, fumaroles, and mud pools

Please note: This tour is not a transfer tour, and cannot accommodate luggage. The tour departure location is approximately a 10 to 20-minute walk (up to 1 kilometer), or a 5-minute drive from the cruise pier. Guests must find their own way to the tour departure location. Taxis and buses are available at a nominal fee, not included in the tour price.

See our FAQ for more information

Starting At
 
Tour Type
Group
 
Group Size
Standard
 
Activity Type(s)
Cultural, Scenic
 
Tour Duration
13 Hours
 
Activity Level
Moderate
 
Tour Leaves From
An approximately 15 to 20 minute walk, or an approximately 10 minute taxi (not included, approximately each 15 NZD way) is required to reach your departure location.
 
Food/Beverage Provided
A morning snack, picnic lunch, and evening snack are included.
 
Special Instructions
We recommend wearing comfortable clothing and sensible walking shoes. Sunglasses and sunscreen are also suggested.
 
Restrictions
Guests must be able to walk on paved, gravel, and packed dirt surfaces, several of which are uneven or at an incline. There are uneven steps and steep curbs in some areas. Participants must be able to enter and exit the tour vehicle without assistance. Infants ages 2 and younger may attend the tour free of charge, provided that they do not occupy their own seat. Please advise if you will be traveling with an infant when placing your booking.
Location Overview
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About Shore Excursions Group
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Learn More About Shore Excursions Group
More trips from Shore Excursions Group
ABOUT US
Shore Excursions Group was created with one goal in mind: to provide exceptional travel experiences to cruise passengers in the ports they visit around the world. To accomplish this, we have compiled an exceptional array of tours delivered by local experts with decades of experience serving travelers and delivering excellent tours. Our owners and management team are comprised of seasoned travel industry executives who leverage their considerable experience to deliver memories of a lifetime.

We are experts in providing exceptional shore excursions. We understand that in today's fast paced world, vacations have become an increasingly important way to relax, reconnect with family and friends, and experience new and interesting places. With this in mind, we provide the highest quality tours by performing extensive research, and detailed reviews. While other companies also offer excursions, we strongly believe our expertise and approach set us apart. The large cruise lines sell shore excursions - typically in very large groups visiting high traffic sites. We focus on smaller groups visiting more interesting and authentic locations using more personalized local operators. While the cruise lines are experts in delivering cruises, we are experts in delivering shore excursions.

Our Approach
We believe quality service is not only highly valued by customers, but ultimately leads to better experiences and higher satisfaction. Unlike the cruise lines and other tour companies that rely almost entirely on websites, we encourage customers to call us. We want to invest our time answering your questions, providing input, and selecting the excursions that best meet your needs.

Our Tours
Our goal is to provide customers a wide array of exciting, appealing, and enriching tours. For those customers who prefer to travel in smaller groups with more personalized service, we offer a wide variety of small group tours around the world. These tours generally range in size from 2-12 people compared to larger tours which can number up to 50 people. While exploring the destinations and ports on this website, feel free to search for these "Small Group Tours". For those customers interested in private tours, we offer many outstanding excursions that allow you to travel with your party alone and, in many cases, to fully customize your tour. Search for "Private Tours" if you are interested in this experience. Our "Scenic" tours provide up close and personal access to some of the most spectacular natural environments on Earth from majestic glaciers in Alaska to spectacular reefs in the Caribbean. Our "Cultural" tours allow customers to experience local customs, entertainment and culinary delights ranging from tribal dances in Alaska to an outstanding local meal in Santorini, Greece. Our "Active" tours offer a multitude of exciting and adventurous ways to experience our destinations. Our customers can kayak the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, hike to a spectacular waterfall in Hawaii, or bicycle through quaint villages in France. Our "City" tours allow travelers to see the highlights of great cities around the world with unique insights provided by our expert tour guides.

Our People
In our experience, exceptional travel experiences are almost always delivered by exceptional people. With that in mind, we utilize a comprehensive approach to select and employ the leading tour guides and tour providers around the globe. We hold our people to very high standards which we measure by our comprehensive Quality Control process and, most importantly, by our customer feedback, which we will actively seek from each of our customers.

Our Owners
Shore Excursions Group is owned by seasoned travel executives possessing extensive experience across many sectors within the travel industry.

Bradford J. Miller
Mr. Miller is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer for Abercrombie & Kent, the World's leading luxury travel company. In that role, Mr. Miller was responsible for contributing to Abercrombie & Kent's international growth through the development and acquisition of tour products and travel experiences around the world with a specific focus on cruising and land based experiences. Prior to joining Abercrombie & Kent, Mr. Miller held a variety of executive positions with Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises for more than a decade. These positions included Vice President of Guest Sales & Service, Vice President of Brand Development, and Vice President of Onboard Revenue (which included shore excursions). Mr. Miller also led Celebrity Expeditions, a collection of outstanding and unique tours around the World.

Michael Bonner
Mr. Bonner has over a decade of experience working in the cruise industry in a variety of roles for both Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Viking River Cruises. Most recently, Mr. Bonner was the Chief Operating Officer for The Scholar Ship, a Royal Caribbean program aimed at providing college students onboard educational programs in conjunction with enriching shore excursions around the world. Mr. Bonner also helped co-manage Viking River Cruises U.S. Operations, and he ran the corporate, strategic, and deployment planning functions at Royal Caribbean. While at Royal Caribbean, Mr. Bonner was responsible for forming Royal Celebrity Tours, Royal Caribbean's land-based tour operation in Alaska, which takes cruise passengers on multiple day tours through the interior of Alaska either before or after their cruises. Prior to working at Royal Caribbean, Mr. Bonner was a consultant for Booz Allen & Hamilton.

Read More

About Shore Excursions Group
ABOUT US
Shore Excursions Group was created with one goal in mind: to provide exceptional travel experiences to cruise passengers in the ports they visit around the world. To accomplish this, we have compiled an exceptional array of tours delivered by local experts with decades of experience serving travelers and delivering excellent tours. Our owners and management team are comprised of seasoned travel industry executives who leverage their considerable experience to deliver memories of a lifetime.

We are experts in providing exceptional shore excursions. We understand that in today's fast paced world, vacations have become an increasingly important way to relax, reconnect with family and friends, and experience new and interesting places. With this in mind, we provide the highest quality tours by performing extensive research, and detailed reviews. While other companies also offer excursions, we strongly believe our expertise and approach set us apart. The large cruise lines sell shore excursions - typically in very large groups visiting high traffic sites. We focus on smaller groups visiting more interesting and authentic locations using more personalized local operators. While the cruise lines are experts in delivering cruises, we are experts in delivering shore excursions.

Our Approach
We believe quality service is not only highly valued by customers, but ultimately leads to better experiences and higher satisfaction. Unlike the cruise lines and other tour companies that rely almost entirely on websites, we encourage customers to call us. We want to invest our time answering your questions, providing input, and selecting the excursions that best meet your needs.

Our Tours
Our goal is to provide customers a wide array of exciting, appealing, and enriching tours. For those customers who prefer to travel in smaller groups with more personalized service, we offer a wide variety of small group tours around the world. These tours generally range in size from 2-12 people compared to larger tours which can number up to 50 people. While exploring the destinations and ports on this website, feel free to search for these "Small Group Tours". For those customers interested in private tours, we offer many outstanding excursions that allow you to travel with your party alone and, in many cases, to fully customize your tour. Search for "Private Tours" if you are interested in this experience. Our "Scenic" tours provide up close and personal access to some of the most spectacular natural environments on Earth from majestic glaciers in Alaska to spectacular reefs in the Caribbean. Our "Cultural" tours allow customers to experience local customs, entertainment and culinary delights ranging from tribal dances in Alaska to an outstanding local meal in Santorini, Greece. Our "Active" tours offer a multitude of exciting and adventurous ways to experience our destinations. Our customers can kayak the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, hike to a spectacular waterfall in Hawaii, or bicycle through quaint villages in France. Our "City" tours allow travelers to see the highlights of great cities around the world with unique insights provided by our expert tour guides.

Our People
In our experience, exceptional travel experiences are almost always delivered by exceptional people. With that in mind, we utilize a comprehensive approach to select and employ the leading tour guides and tour providers around the globe. We hold our people to very high standards which we measure by our comprehensive Quality Control process and, most importantly, by our customer feedback, which we will actively seek from each of our customers.

Our Owners
Shore Excursions Group is owned by seasoned travel executives possessing extensive experience across many sectors within the travel industry.

Bradford J. Miller
Mr. Miller is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer for Abercrombie & Kent, the World's leading luxury travel company. In that role, Mr. Miller was responsible for contributing to Abercrombie & Kent's international growth through the development and acquisition of tour products and travel experiences around the world with a specific focus on cruising and land based experiences. Prior to joining Abercrombie & Kent, Mr. Miller held a variety of executive positions with Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises for more than a decade. These positions included Vice President of Guest Sales & Service, Vice President of Brand Development, and Vice President of Onboard Revenue (which included shore excursions). Mr. Miller also led Celebrity Expeditions, a collection of outstanding and unique tours around the World.

Michael Bonner
Mr. Bonner has over a decade of experience working in the cruise industry in a variety of roles for both Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Viking River Cruises. Most recently, Mr. Bonner was the Chief Operating Officer for The Scholar Ship, a Royal Caribbean program aimed at providing college students onboard educational programs in conjunction with enriching shore excursions around the world. Mr. Bonner also helped co-manage Viking River Cruises U.S. Operations, and he ran the corporate, strategic, and deployment planning functions at Royal Caribbean. While at Royal Caribbean, Mr. Bonner was responsible for forming Royal Celebrity Tours, Royal Caribbean's land-based tour operation in Alaska, which takes cruise passengers on multiple day tours through the interior of Alaska either before or after their cruises. Prior to working at Royal Caribbean, Mr. Bonner was a consultant for Booz Allen & Hamilton.

Read More

Learn More About Shore Excursions Group
More trips from Shore Excursions Group
Prices are per-person based on double occupancy, unless otherwise noted.