We did Viking's Scenic Bay of Plenty free excursion for 2.5 hours. It was okay. It was quite a long drive to Te Puke, the kiwi growing region, where we drove by some kiwi farms but weren't allowed off the bus for bio security reasons. Then we visited the community center to sample kiwis as well as other local products and to see a short maori dance.
We did our tour very early (7am) so that we ...
This is a lovely little town, easily walkable to shops and restaurants from the ship. For those who love LOTR it’s also the closest port to Hobbiton. ...
Tauranga has a lot to offer. Previously we had done an excursion through Celebrity which took us to TePuia, the Geothermal park in Rotorua so this time we were looking for something different. We chose another Celebrity excursion, this time a visit to a Kiwi fruit farm. The excursion was quite interesting, the orchard owner being an expert in this area. We wrapped up the excursion with morning tea ...
Didn't go into the city of Tauranga, just enjoyed the port town. Walked around the extinct volcano, and admired the very pleasant views. Others in our group walked up to the top of the volcano. On a previous visit we hired a car to see Hobiton. It turns out that when the cruise ship is in town, seats on the Hobiton tour are limited. If you organise to do it yourself, don't go without booking your ...
We took the Lord of the Rings Hobbiton tour private excursion through Zealandier tour and it was excellent! There were six guests in our minivan (four Viking passengers and two Viking crew). It was about a 45-60 minute drive to Hobbiton. Once there, there is a holding area that has a cafe and gift shop. We had about a half hour until our tour time. You then get on a separate Hobbiton bus with a ...
I went on the excursion called, "Highlights of Tauranga & Maori Culture" and enjoyed the drive, time in the culture centers and the overlook photo op. ...