Cruise Port Guide · 43 cruises visit Rotorua →
The bucket-list things to do — and the private, expert-led way to do each.
Here’s the bucket list for your day ashore: the most extraordinary thing to do at each stop, and the private, small-group, or expert-led way to make it yours — your own pace, real access, none of the crowd.
Land on the smouldering crater rim of Mount Tarawera — the volcano that famously erupted in 1886 — by private helicopter, with a geologist-guided walk along the fissure. An utterly untouchable New Zealand bucket-list moment.
Stand beside Pohutu — the Southern Hemisphere's largest active geyser — and immerse yourself in a living Māori cultural centre where master carvers and weavers practise their ancestral arts daily. Rotorua's single most iconic experience.
Walk among neon-hued champagne pools, emerald lakes and bright-orange silica terraces at New Zealand's most vividly coloured geothermal landscape. Private guided access turns a sightseeing stop into a geological masterclass.
Thunder over Tutea Falls — at 7 metres, the world's highest commercially rafted waterfall — on the Kaituna River, guided by Kaitiaki Adventures' award-winning team. The most thrilling 90 minutes in the North Island.
Soak in naturally acidic and alkaline geothermal pools perched on the edge of Lake Rotorua, choosing between invigorating mineral waters that have drawn visitors since 1878. The ultimate luxury recovery experience in Rotorua.
Ascend Mount Ngongotahā by gondola for panoramic views of Lake Rotorua, race the gravity luge through forest trails, and settle into the Stratosfare Restaurant for a celebrated buffet with one of New Zealand's most dramatic vistas.
⚓ Your bucket-list concierge
Tell us your sailing and we'll send the bucket list for every port — the most extraordinary thing to do at each, and the private, expert-led way to make it yours.
No spam. The honest plan, even when it says skip the ship’s tour.