Wai-O-Tapu - Any tour operators selling tours upon arrival in Tauranga

[pink845]

In many towns, villages, cities that we have visited in our past cruises, there are always tour operators at the piers selling same day excursions.  In the case of Tauranga, would there be any outfits there doing this or do tours have to be booked in advance.  We hate the idea of putting down money in advance.  

 

Same question for Akaroa and Bay of Islands and Dunedin.      Auckland, Wellington we have planned our own itineraries and are DIY.

[MicCanberra]

I am sure there will be tours on offer at each port but to avoid disappointment and increase choice (some may be sold out) it is best to pre book. If you are worried about putting money down in advance, your choices will be more limited. Some tour operators offer tour bookings without deposits. Is it due to the cruise not stopping? if so perhaps book a ship's tour.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Yes, there are usually tour operators offering various tours at Tauranga, however I don't know exactly what tours they offer ie they may offer tours to Rotorua but not necessarily to Waiotapu.

[mr walker]

as Mic & OzKiwiJJ have said, there will be operators at the ports offering tours.

 

We normally research & choose & book our tours ahead, as we don't like to waste valuable time upon arrival, as all port stops are limited in time. Also some tours sell out.  

Some tour companies don't require payment upfront, & other offer refunds in the event of the ship not getting to that port. At Tauranga we booked thru zealandier tours to visit Hobbiton & had a great day. We were likely at the Beehive stop while others were still trying to arrange tours at the wharf.

[SinbadThePorter]

5 hours ago, pink845 said:

Same question for Akaroa and Bay of Islands and Dunedin.      Auckland, Wellington we have planned our own itineraries and are DIY.

 

DIY is very easy in all those places, although I have no personal experience of Bay of Islands.

 

In Akaroa try the harbour cruise operators on the landing wharf. If you don't want to book ahead they often have some available seats on the day. There will also be tour operators at the land end of the wharf. You can walk to the Garden of Tane or the Giant's House.

 

Tauranga is actually the port at Mount Maunganui. You can climb the mount. Do some hot bathing in the pools at the base of the mount. Walk out to Moturiki island. Hire kayaks on the inside beach. Do a harbour cruise from the Pilot Bay jetty. Or just sit on the beach and later wander through the shops and cafes in town.

 

Dunedin port is at Port Chalmers. There is a nice maritime museum at the port. You can catch a shuttle into town or get the public bus from a stop next to the port. In Dunedin there are usually train trips available inland to Taieri Gorge or along the coast to Waitati, although these generally sell out ahead of time. Dunedin station itself is well worth a look.

[valantine80]

When we were there last November, there were free shuttle buses provided to Tauranga if you wanted to just do your own thing.

[getting older slowly]

10 hours ago, valantine80 said:

When we were there last November, there were free shuttle buses provided to Tauranga if you wanted to just do your own thing.

Interestingly   we saw them in November 2019.... but not in December 2019 ????

 

On earlier cruises I think it was $10 return

 

Cheers Don

[Zanny]

Hi I was in Taurunga over night last Sat and all day Sunday on the Celebrity  Soltice  and yes there is a tour to Waiotapu and Whakarewarewa 7.5 hrs  $189 n.z. that is in the brouchure that can be done at the dock just as you go out. You must get there early as they book out by 10 I was told.i never did a tour as we are going on a cruise in Oct again to N.Z. and I wanted all the info. There is another company too it is $199 N.Z. that does that tour goes bfor 7.5 hrs as well. I don't think I can mention the companies on here. Hope this helps. Also lots if tours in Dunedin at Port Charmlers terminal. 

Hope this helps 

Regards Zanny

[pink845]

Many thanks for all the information.  Will check what is offered by outfits when we arrive in Tauranga.  We are really only interested in Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, Whakarewarewa not so much so  tour that does both not really to my liking.  Maybe a cab would be better.  Wai-O-Tapu entrance is $32.50 NZ per person.    Appears it would take 1.5 hours to get there a good 2 hours to walk the entire Wai-O-Tapu park.   Wondering how much that would cost.   Ship tour does not do Wai-O-Tapu. Perhaps there was one but I checked all of Radiance cruises and that spot is not listed.   Someone mentioned they saw an  outfit offering both parks for around $200AU per person but that is  little steep for us considering we are only interested in one park.  We might have to bite the bullet and rent a car (yuk yuk - the insurance hassle and the like, not my favourite choice.)  We will have to decide once there.     Thanks for information also on Moturiki.   

[mr walker]

3 hours ago, pink845 said:

  We will have to decide once there.

 

My advice would be to arrange ahead of time, even if you end up deciding to rent a car. Trying to arrange tours upon arrival will use up valuable port time & may even mean missing out. Cruiseship days can overrun car rentals companies & pre-booking can have your car at the wharf ready for you to go.