NEW ZEALAND · SHORE EXCURSIONS
The good shore excursions tours go early and the great ones go earlier. Here are 15 to lock in before you land, what is included and how they differ.
Review of Tauranga’s Rotorua Highlights shore excursion, with Māori culture, geysers, kiwi tasting, timing advice, price, and practical tips.
“A wonderful excursion. Loved the living village and our tour guide Jessie who was very knowledgeable. The kiwi farm was very interesting and the fruit we sampled delicious. Thanks to all.”
Explore Haruru Falls, ancient kauri trees, Makana chocolate, and magical Kawiti Glow Worm Caves on a five-hour Bay of Islands tour.
“Dyson our driver was very informative and his commentary was interesting. Falls were great as were the glow worm caves. Also seeing the Kauri forest was worth it.”
Review of Tauranga’s Rotorua shore excursion, with geothermal pools, Māori culture, kiwi country, glow worms, and the Redwoods Treewalk.
“This is a tour to Rotorua where you will see some hot steaming lakes and can put your feet in hot spring water. Then there is a short visit to a Maori village where a lunch is offered, which consisted of a stuffed filo dough hot pocket. After that there is a visit to a canopy walk between redwoods. We found that the highlight of the tour. Quality of the guide was good and the bus was new, though very tight for the knees at some seats.”
Explore Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula on a small-group shore tour with sea lions, harbor views, Baldwin Street, and historic railways.
“An excellent tour with an excellent guide. Collected from and returned to the cruise terminal in Port Chalmers. A quick tour of Dunedin with lots of information about the town, including a stop at the beautiful station, en route to the Otago pRead more”
Review of the 6-hour Hobbiton shore excursion from Tauranga, with transport, tour highlights, costs, walking tips, timing, and cruise advice.
“Had a great time from boarding the bus at the port to getting on the Hobbiton bus. Gary was very good talking story on the drive to Hobbiton and Anna was awesome guiding us thru the movie set.”
Review of Akaroa’s Banks Peninsula and Christchurch tour, with scenic drives, earthquake sights, gardens, timing advice, and honest value tips.
“Unfortunately this tour was not possible due to wave action that prevented our ship (Ruby Princess) from deploying tenders so we had to bypass Akaroa”
See Christchurch from Lyttelton, Mona Vale, Summit Road, Cathedral Square, and Riverside Market on this practical half-day shore tour.
“Our ship wasnt running shuttles in Christchurch this day, so we booked this tour on a whim and it was great. A quick way to see as much as possible while in port.”
Review of Dunedin’s V8 Trike tour, with city sights, Otago Peninsula views, practical tips, weather advice, price, and honest drawbacks.
“The bike ride and the amazing views , Andrew was great and full off information , it a great way to see the Dunedin city”
Explore Christchurch from Lyttelton, visit Mona Vale and Riverside Market, then ride a Hagglund and feel an Antarctic blizzard.
“This was an excellent tour and Scotty was an excellent tour guide. The Antarctica experience was amazing and now I want to visit.”
Review of Napier’s scenic Mohaka River rafting tour, with easy rapids, native bush, local stories, lunch, cruise pickup, and practical tips.
“This is a wonderful tour. Deon and his wife Jo are great. It was so relaxing and a lot of fun.. It’s a mild river, so it’s great if older family members want to attend. I highly recommend this tour.”
Review of Jade Tours’ Picton Marlborough wine trip, with four to five wineries, chocolates, small groups, lunch advice, and cruise timing tips.
“Very interesting tour. We learnt a lot about the region, particularly the wine making industry. We visited four wineries and a chocolate shop. Our guide Lucinda was informative, well organised and fun! Highly recommend this tour.”
Explore Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, and a kiwifruit orchard on a four-hour small-group shore tour with local tastings and port pickup.
“Great!! Russell was so informative and friendly. The kiwi/avscado tasting 8n the kiwi orchard that he set up, was just the best!”
See Dunedin’s steepest street, railway station, Signal Hill, and more on a small-group Port Chalmers tour with local guides.
“Great introduction to Dunedin. Such a beautiful place and so interesting. Guide was friendly and knowledgeable.”
Review of Wellington’s guided eBike cruise excursion, with waterfront views, Maupuia Hill, café stop, practical tips, price, and itinerary details.
“Fun experience from start to finish. We rode all along the coast and up into the mountains to get spectacular views of the harbor. Using an electric bike definitely made the ride easy and enjoyable. Our guide was great( very informative and pointed out sights we would have never seen if we had just explored on foot.”
Review of Napier’s Art Deco and Hawke’s Bay wine tour, with winery tastings, Bluff Hill views, honey, practical cruise-port tips, and value advice.
“Kirsty was an outstanding host. Her in depth knowledge of the local area meant that we got to see a number of sights that might not have been covered on another tour. We learned a lot of Napier history with a local. Highly recommend.”
Sorted by what you actually want to do that morning.
