New Zealand · SHORE EXCURSIONS
Cruise days are short and the good sights are inland. The 15 below are built around real port times at Tauranga, Napier, Akaroa and Dunedin, with return guarantees and total distance stated.
Review of Tauranga’s Rotorua Highlights shore excursion, with Māori culture, geysers, kiwi tasting, timing, value, and practical tips.
“Great overview of Maori history and life. Our guide was excellent, but I can't remember his name; an older man who lived in the village.”
Explore Bay of Islands glow worm caves, Haruru Falls, kauri forest, and chocolate tasting on a practical 5.5-hour shore excursion.
“The guide was very informative and the caves were amazing very different to anything we had seen before.”
See Rotorua’s bubbling mud, warm foot baths, Māori culture, kiwi country, and Redwood Treewalk on a cruise-friendly Tauranga tour.
“Interesting tour with great tour leader, Simon. Good day and reasonably priced. Easy to find operator on wharf.”
See Dunedin, Baldwin Street, the railway station, Otago Peninsula views, and wild sea lions on a small-group cruise shore tour.
“The drive through Dunedin with the highlights such as the train station was very informative. The views of the Otago peninsula were amazing. A big bonus to see New Zealand sea lions and many native birds. The geography of this area of NZ is similar to that of Scotland. Our guide Chris was absolutely fantastic. Highly recommended!”
Review of the 6-hour Hobbiton shore excursion from Tauranga, with route details, walking advice, cruise timing, value, and booking tips.
“Tour guide was knowledgeable in the area and gave an informative commentary on the way out of the city. It was a 6hr tour in total and Hobbiton is just over an hour's drive from Tauranga. There is a fair bit of walking involved around the fillm Read more”
Review of Akaroa’s Banks Peninsula and Christchurch tour, with scenic drives, earthquake sights, gardens, timings, value, and practical cruise tips.
“It was a nice tour winding roads to get to Christchurch. Seeing the city sights was really cool. There were some buildings damaged from a resisted earthquake which was said but interesting to see. What was really sad to hear that most of their historic buildings are long gone.”
See Christchurch from Lyttelton, Mona Vale Gardens, Summit Road, Cathedral Square, and Riverside Market on a practical 3.5-hour shore tour.
“I signed up for a 3 hour tour to see Christchurch. I got that, but was also left in Christchurch for 3 hours additionally on my own. Fortunately the weather was nice and I had no other plans. But this makes me worry about other viator tours I have scheduled. Can I believe what I signed up for, or will I get stranded on my own again.”
Review of Dunedin’s one-hour V8 Trike tour, with Otago Peninsula views, city sights, practical tips, pricing, weather advice, and FAQs.
“Nice, friendly and knolegeable guide and driver we've got on our first-time experience on V8 Trike on a 1 hour tour of Dunedin, NZ. Wishing him a lot of happy customers and all the best!”
Review of a Christchurch shore excursion from Lyttelton with city sights, earthquake stories, Mona Vale Gardens, and Antarctic Centre thrills.
“The ride on the Hagglund ice-vehicle was very exciting and the Antarctic blizzard was so real feeling that I am glad that I don't have to experience it like the workers do that actually live on Antarctica.”
Review of Napier’s scenic Mohaka River rafting tour, with gentle rapids, local stories, lunch, cruise pickup, and practical tips.
“Deon was a fantastic guide and highly knowledgeable. He managed pickup for us on top of the float. We had a wonderful time.”
Review of Picton’s small-group Marlborough wine tour, with four to five tastings, vineyard views, chocolate, lunch costs, and cruise timing tips.
“This is a great trip to the Marlborough wineries & our host, Marsley, picked 4 great wineries. We had lunch at a fantastic restaurant (on your own) and a last stop at a handmade chocolate company. The wineries were very welcoming and ready for our small group when we arrived. The day was well-planned by Marsley and I highly recommend Jade Tours.”
Paddle Akaroa’s volcanic bays with a small guided group, spotting Hector’s dolphins, penguins, seals, birds, and dramatic rock formations.
“Lots of fun! Our guide Jake was awesome, very knowledgeable about the local wildlife and scenery, threw some cute jokes in there as well. Got to see some amazing rock formations and lots of local birds. My husband and I have very little experience on a kayak and Jake was really patient with us and took his time to help guide us in the right direction.”
Explore Tauranga on a small-group shore tour with McLaren Falls, kiwi and honey tastings, panoramic views, local history, and ice cream.
“Probably the most boring shore excursion for five hours that we ever experienced. We sat on the bus for 15 minutes in the heat, waiting for the driver Duncan to arrive with the remaining guests, instead of putting on the air conditioner for us. Then we drove through what the brochure said was the cultural part which included McDonald’s, a type of Home Depot and other businesses like those to arrive at a park, that was a very small grassy area and then we got back on the bus. The bus stopped alongside a kiwi field, where you can see kiwis growing on top of the fence along the road.…”
Review of Auckland’s 3-hour small-group shore tour, with Mount Victoria views, Devonport beach, city highlights, price, stops, and practical tips.
“I could not have asked for a better guide in Jason. He was amazing and full of so much information. I unfortunately had to get off one stop before finishing trip for medical appointment and Jason showed me where to go and very helpful. Thank you to Jason and team for outstanding service and I thoroughly recommend this trip to everyone.”
Explore Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, local history, kiwi orchards, avocado, and tea tasting on a small-group four-hour shore tour.
“Went to special places, had a kiwi “tasting” in the orchard, had tea at a precious place and learned a lot about Tauranga”
Pick a coast, a crater or a cellar door.
