Our experience started with a cultural experience that gave me goosebumps. The Māori performers are talented, energetic and passionate.
Then we did a tour with the guide Paul. He was knowledgeable, funny, and patient with questions and insights.
Worth the trip, great time overall.
*we did not get to see the geyser erupt but it was still really cool
Reserve in advance! Cultural performances are in the morning/afternoon, or you can do an evening/dinner.
We went around with a guide which adds value to the experience. There are opportunities to see, hear, smell and feel the thermal park. You can feel the heat in the ground and on some of the 'hot seats' they have. Also worth a mention is the Kiwis you can see in their dedicated nocturnal enclosure; you have to be patient and ideally quiet and give time for your eyes to adjust to the dark, but it's worth it if you are fortunate enough to see them
Did the Te Po experience which includes a geyser tour, buffet dinner and Maori cultural experience. The geyser walk is nice, guide was funny and the geyser going off was nice to see. The buffet was good, great selection of local cuisine, unfortunately we had very little time at the buffet. Our tour was meant to be 4-5 and Maori experience at 6:45 which would have given us enough time to eat and enjoy the buffet however our guide was a bit late and then the transport to collect us from the geyser ran really late which meant we only got to thw buffet at 6 and had 45 minutes to scramble and eat before the show.
The show itself was phenomenal, truly the best part of the experience. The performers emotion and spirit could really be felt. Definitely the best was kept for last.
The guided tour started with seeing Maori students learning to carve wood, stone and bone. Also, we saw examples of weaving before going to the kiwi conservation house. A male and female kiwi are kept in separate living areas and they were both out foraging when we were there.
Next was the thermal area, including the Pohutu Geyser.
The guide was knowledgeable and funny but unfortunately, if you stopped to take a photo or couldn't keep up with the front of the tour, you missed out on the commentary of the quietly spoken guide.
The tour was over in 1hr 15min, but you are welcome to stay in the grounds or visit the cafe and restaurant.
Excellent buffet dinner with MANY gluten free items and absolutely everything is labeled. The show after was a real treat and we enjoyed learning more about Māori culture. I brought kids ages 11, 12, 14 and 15 and everyone had a great time. Most of us skipped the hyper afterwards due to heavy rains. We hope to come back tomorrow for a full tour with history lesson.
Loved it. It was such a good experience. This is a must visit for New Zealand. Interesting to learn about Mauri culture. The guides were very good. Although our tour was around 2 hours it felt a bit rushed. We probably could have spent more time.
We saw Geysers, Kiwi, hot stones, stone work, wood work and weaving.
We had the hangi included in our ticket which was surprisingly good. We are vegetarians and had low expectations but that was not warranted. There was loads of choice and it was too much to eat. I wish I had a smaller lunch!
After dinner we had a Maori cultural show which was very good. Again I would advise you go for this in your ticket.
A large proportion of the ticket goes to support the community so I felt it was great value for money.
This is a total must do in Rotorua or even as a day trip from Auckland. There’s so much history and nature to explore here and it was definitely the highlight of my trip! The Māori people who own this land were so friendly so welcoming and I feel like I learned so much about their history and culture. Don’t miss out on this place! There’s also a lunch buffet that was delicious and filled with all kinds of food!
Had a great time here . The reception staff were very helpful in explaining what you get for the cost. Had a great walking tour around the grounds
Shout out to ⭐⭐ HICKS ⭐⭐
our guide he was full of knowledge and had great humour for the crowd and conversation . After the tour is done you can walk around at your own pace and revisit places / lookouts in your own time and get that perfect shot.
Our day started at 10am and we left at 2pm . Have always wanted to see a geyser naturally do its own thing at its own time so If you have the time definetly wait to see the geyser , very impressive.
Also another guide in which we weren't in her group helped us out with lots of questions I had . The grounds are well kept and easy to navigate
A great little place to visit .
Truly impressive site- you will be able to experience local Māori culture, see their crafts, as well as enjoy the natural wonder- thermal mud pools and geysers. I would say it probably a must in New Zealand. They also have a nice souvenir shop, restaurant and cafe on site
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I did the guided tour, booked the Haka and lunch at the restaurant. What a fabulous experience! I enjoyed and loved everything about Te Puia.
Our guide told the facts about this stunning geothermal region, the Kiwi birds and about the Maori traditions, way of living, producing pieces of art, a.m.m. in an interesting and easily understandable way for me as European tourist. I also liked his sense of humor and that he answered all our questions. The electric shuttle back to the entrance was a comfortable and easy return, thank you so much!
The entry explanation for the Haka was due to the crowd of people fully unclear for me. The complete performance of the Maori women and men in their gathering house though was gorgeous and stays in my memory for ever!
The Grande Finale of my day in Te Puia was the absolutely delicious buffet in the restaurant, me sitting at the big windows watching Pohutu Geyser erupt while eating excellent meals with lamb, chicken, potatoes, rice, chocolate mousse and vanilla ice cream.
What an extraordinary experience in Te Puia in Rotorua! DANKESCHÖN!
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