Cruise Ship – Shore Excursions from the Port of Tauranga

When you pre-book your tour with Xquizit Tours, you will be met at the Port Gates by your Driver/Guide and taken in luxury in one of our mini vans or stretch limousines to experience Rotorua’s Volcanic Wonders and Geothermal Delights.

All our driver/guides live and work in Rotorua and know the area intimately. They are all fully licensed to carry fare paying passengers.

Xquizit Tours have full Public Liability Insurance and have the Qualmark Endorsement for Visitor Activity and Visitor Transport which gives you the assurance that Tourism New Zealand rates us as a trusted Tour Operator.

Compare our tour and price to what is available, we guarantee you will have a great day and have you back to the Cruise ship at least one hour prior to sailing.

Our most popular tour is XQ 1, please note prices quoted are for the mini – vans, if you would like a quote for a stretch limousine please do not hesitate to contact us including the number of passengers in your group.

XQ 1 - $NZ 150.00 per person
On leaving your cruise ship we will take you for a drive along Pilot Bay and then along the Pacific Coast of Mt Maunganui, surf beach on one side and luxury homes on the other, before heading inland through fertile land to the “Kiwi Fruit Capital” of New Zealand – Te Puke. We stop at Kiwi 360 which is a working Kiwifruit Orchard, where we show you the kiwifruit vines and explain to you the keys points of the kiwifruit growing cycles. You will also have the opportunity here to taste the fruit, wine and liqueurs as well as doing a little shopping, if you would like to. You can also purchase a kiwifruit ice cream from the Café.

Next stop is the Kaituna River/Okere Falls at Lake Rotoiti, you can get up close to the falls and/or watch from a lookout, you may even see the Rafters and Kayakers coming down the falls, this is a Grade 5 Rafting River with the highest commercially rafted waterfall, 7m, in the southern hemisphere.

You will then visit Te Puia the Maori Cultural Centre, you will be guided through this park and see the boiling mud pools, the natural geysers Kereru, Prince of Wales Feathers and Pohutu. Pohutu is the largest natural geyser in the southern hemisphere erupting to 30m in the air and generally twice an hour but this is nature and as we know mother-nature has her own rules. You will also visit the kiwi house where two kiwi birds live, these kiwis are flightless and endangered. You will also see the carving and weaving demonstrations and attend a Maori cultural performance which includes the traditional challenge, action songs and the famous Haka.

After Te Puia we will travel along our “golden mile of accommodation” to the City Centre and take you through the beautiful Government Gardens, which is home to the Museum of Art & History, Blue Baths, Te Runanga Tea House, Band Rotunda, Rachael Spring and the Totara Gates erected in the early 1900’s and take a drive along the waterfront of Lake Rotorua.

If you would like lunch, there are a number of great Cafes in Rotorua we can take you to, whether it be a café lunch or a pub meal. Please note that lunch is at your own cost.

We will return to the Port of Tauranga via the Scenic Highway and on our way show you some of the other attractions which are available in the Rotorua area.

There are no additional costs to this tour as your entry to Te Puia including the cultural concert ($NZ57.40) is included, so no surprises await you.

All our tours include complimentary chilled bottled water and sunscreen. We strongly advise to bring comfortable walking shoes, sunhat and sunnies.

Tour – XQ 2 - $NZ 120.00 per person
On this tour you will do all of the above with the exception of Te Puia, instead you will take in the sights of either Waimangu Volcanic Valley or Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland. Please note that entry fees and lunch are not included on this tour.

All our tours include complimentary chilled bottled water and sunscreen. We strongly advise to bring comfortable walking shoes, sunhat and sunnies.

Tour – XQ 3 - $NZ 100.00 per person
This tour is popular for those who do not want to go to any of the attractions. The tour starts the same as XQ 1, and we include Comvita Honey, where they make many different products out of this honey product, and you can see the bees working.

Just before reaching the Rotorua central area we will take you to the Blue and Green Lake and Lake Tarawera lookout. Mount Tarawera erupted in June 1886 and on our way we pass The Buried Village of Te Wairoa (a result of the eruption). Heading back into Rotorua we stop at the Redwood Forest and take a short walk among the giant Redwoods and see the Silver Fern.

Once we get to Rotorua you will visit, Kuirau Park and take a walk around the mud pools and you can bathe your feet in the thermal foot pools, if you would like to. We then move onto take a stroll through Government Gardens, which is home to the Museum of Art & History, Blue Baths, Te Runanga Tea House, Band Rotunda, Rachael Spring and the Totara Gates erected in the early 1900’s and take a drive along the waterfront of Lake Rotorua.

We will have time during the day to fit lunch in, this is at your expense.

All our tours include complimentary chilled bottled water and sunscreen. We strongly advise to bring comfortable walking shoes, sunhat and sunnies.

Looking for something different to the above – not a problem just let us know how many in your group and what you would like to see and do email info@xquizit.co.nz and we will come back to you with a free quote. Flexibility is key to ensure that you enjoy your tour to Rotorua.

Compare our price to what you would be paying on a Coach Tour, our day is fun and relaxed with a maximum of up to 11 passengers in one group – not 40 or 50

Here is the 2011-2012 Tauranga Cruise Ship Schedule

Summer 2011 / 2012 is busy at the port with the following ships due to visit the Port of Tauranga: Rhapsody of the Seas, Pacific Dawn, Pacific Jewel, Pacific Sun, Volendam, , Zaandam, Sea Princess, Dawn Princess, Sun Princess, Ocean Princess, Diamond Princess, Century, Radiance of the Seas, and Regatta - view the Tauranga Cruise Ship Schedule above.

Here are some ideas for you to choose from when you tour with us – we can tailor your tour to your interests...

• Kiwifruit Orchard - The picturesque organic kiwifruit orchard at Te Puke
• Comvita Honey - World-class Manuka honey sourced from New Zealand's remote pollution free forests.
• Kaituna River/Okere Falls - A well-formed bushwalk with scenic lookouts over the Kaituna River and its spectacular waterfalls.
• Rainbow Springs & Kiwi Encounter - Trout sanctuary in peaceful bush setting, underwater observatory, wildlife, free flight native bird aviary, tuatara enclosure and nocturnal kiwi house. Kiwi Encounter tours available on the hour, last one at 4.00 p.m. bookings essential
• Agrodome - Sheep show and dog trials with lots of laughs, show times - 9.30 am, 11am and 2.30pm.
• Agroventures - Incorporating New Zealand's fastest Jet Sprint Boat, the Rotorua Bungy jump, Swoop, Freefall Xtreme body flying and the Shweeb - a human powered monorail.
• Skyline Skyrides - Take the Gondola up to Skyway Restaurant. You can also ride the Luge on three different tracks.
• Te Puia NZ Maori Arts and Crafts - Premier Maori culture and geo-thermal experience. World famous Pohutu Geyser, boiling mud pools, Maori carving and weaving, live kiwi display, Maori village and meeting house, Show Times – 10.15 a.m., 12.15 p.m., 3.15 p.m. daily, guided tours on the hour
• Whaka Village - Maori village of Te Whakarewarewa. Guided tours of village displaying ancient traditions and traditional artists at work. Food available cooked in steam ovens and boiling pools. Craft shop, wood and jade carving demonstrations. Admission includes cultural performance 11.15am and 2 pm daily
• Waimangu Volcanic Valley
• Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland
• NZ Riverjet – Jet Boat Thermal Safari includes entry to Orakei Korako “The Hidden Valley” Cave and Thermal Park
• Polynesian Spa - The Polynesian Spa provides a unique thermal spa experience in a picturesque, tranquil setting overlooking Lake Rotorua.
• The Blue Baths and Museum of Art & History are beautiful blend of luxury and history set in the beautiful Government Gardens.
• Kuirau Park, Ohinemutu, Redwoods, Lakes, Hamurana Springs area - there are so many sights to see, whilst visiting our unique part of the world.

Here's what some of our recent customers have said:-

"Hi Brian
Just a short note to thank you for a lovely trip to Rotorua when our cruise arrived in November, we had a great day and were very impressed with your service and the concern you had for Karen and her bad knees. Hope to return some day soon. Thanks again.
Cheers
Karen, Norma, Julie, Grace and Sam"

"I just wanted to say thank you for a fantastic day out in Rotorua. Everyone enjoyed it very much thanks to the great service Brian provided. Hope to work with you guys in the future.
All the best ,
Ben
Seabourn Odyssey"

Please Note: The price advertised might not be the same price charged to your credit card account due to exchange rate fluctuations. This means that because we are based in New Zealand we have to convert your purchase to New Zealand dollars at the exchange rate on the day it is processed.

Admission Costs:
These are the responsibility of the passengers with exception to Tour XQ 1

Cancellation:
If for any reason you find it necessary to cancel your trip/tour, please notify Xquizit Limousines & Tours as soon as possible. Cancellations less than 7 days before scheduled departure will be charged at 50% of the agreed price. Cancellations less than 24 hours will be charged in full.