Tauranga: Advice please

We are in Tauranga April 1, 2013 and have a choice of: Ship's tour "Hells Gate and Rotorua Highlights" (@ $264 pp 8 hours) or through "Learning Journeys" can take their "Standard Tour" that goes to Kairau Park, Government Gardens, Lake Rotorua as well as spending the morning seeing Papamoa Beach, Kiwi360, Kaituna River, etc. all for $85 NZ (6 hours)

My husband loves mudpots, etc…which tour will be best for just general scenery that includes the mudpots? We're not that keen on the Maori village stuff which the HAL tour includes. Both of us a photography nuts.

Any other suggestions for that day would be helpful…Hobbiton?

Thanks.

We are in Tauranga April 1, 2013 and have a choice of: Ship's tour "Hells Gate and Rotorua Highlights" (@ $264 pp 8 hours) or through "Learning Journeys" can take their "Standard Tour" that goes to Kairau Park, Government Gardens, Lake Rotorua as well as spending the morning seeing Papamoa Beach, Kiwi360, Kaituna River, etc. all for $85 NZ (6 hours)

 

My husband loves mudpots, etc…which tour will be best for just general scenery that includes the mudpots? We're not that keen on the Maori village stuff which the HAL tour includes. Both of us a photography nuts.

 

Any other suggestions for that day would be helpful…Hobbiton?

 

Thanks.

Kia ora,

As a local my recommendation would be Hells Gate. It is one of a number of geothermal parks in the area and is claimed to be the most active (George Bernard Shaw is reputed to have looked in awe at the 'hell like' landscape and gave the name 'Hells gate). As you get towards Rotorua, you turn left at the Whakatane turnoff & it's just a short distance from there. The places you mention on the other tour could be seen on the way to/from or in Rotorua (Kiwi360, the Beach, Kaituna river) and are mostly free anyway, Eg. Kuirau Park, which has a few boiling mud pools and a small hot lake. I see the Hells Gate tour includes driving around Rotorua so you would experience plenty of evidence of geo-thermal activity and with a high percentage of the population being of Maori ancestry you will get some appreciation of the unique culture of AotearoaNZ, which is not so evident in the big cities, as well. Trust this helps, www.rotoruaNZ.com may help you with your decision too.

Aquarians

If you contact Cruise Tauranga (Learning Journeys) they might be able to customize a tour for you, but may need a minimum of 6.

We have booked the Standard tour for our trip, we wanted to see the area without the touristy shows. It suits us and our pockets! :)

We visited Kairau Park one trip as part of a driving tour in a rental car. There are several hissing, steaming and bubbling pools dotted along the paths of what is a very pleasant municipal park with some excellent displays of flowers in the right season, foot warming pools and a play area for children. entry is free. It is not the same experience as visiting one of the admission required thermal parks, where the pools and vents are more dramatic. We enjoyed the walk around, but plan on our next cruise to visit Wai O Tapu, which we missed due to weather in April this year.

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At two or more people at the price for the Rotorua tour you'd be better off renting a car in Tauranga and driving - it's a very easy drive along good roads. NZ is a tourist country - everything is set-up for tourists to do things themselves. Most of the things on the tour you've mentioned are free i.e. park your car, walk around for free, get back in the car and drive to the next location.

In terms of great thermal areas (with mud and other sorts of geothermal things) Wai-o-tapu is the best in my view. There's a charge to get in.