Te Puia and Pōhutu Geyser from Tauranga: Haka, the Carving School and a Kiwi House

Six hours from the Tauranga port gates, weighted towards Te Puia rather than spread thin across the region. The drive out goes past Mount Maunganui with a stop at Mount Main Beach, golden sand under Mauao, then inland over the Kaituna River and south through the Bay of Plenty to Rotorua. In town, Sulphur Point for the view across Lake Rotorua, then the Government Gardens and Rachel Spring, whose mineral water is the reason Rotorua became a spa town in the first place. Te Puia holds the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute and the Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley. The cultural performance is waiata, poi and haka, presented by Te Arawa, whose ground this is. The national carving school is on site, where the wood carving tradition is taught rather than displayed. The Kiwi House keeps a nocturnal enclosure, which is the only realistic way to see a kiwi awake. The valley itself has mud pools, steaming vents and silica formations, and ends at the Pōhutu Geyser, the largest active geyser in the Southern Hemisphere, which erupts regularly through the day. After time for souvenirs, the return stops at the Redwoods Forest and at a kiwifruit orchard in Paengaroa. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.