Waimangu and Lake Rotomahana from Tauranga, with Redwoods and a Kiwifruit Orchard

A full day out of the Tauranga port gates that puts the geothermal valley in the middle and fills the drive on either side. It starts along the coast: past Mount Maunganui and a stop at Mount Main Beach, white sand, surf, and Mauao standing over it. Then inland across the Kaituna River and south through Rotorua. Waimangu is the youngest geothermal valley in the world, because the eruption of Mount Tarawera made it in 1886. The guided walk runs an hour, downhill through steam, native bush and craters, past Frying Pan Lake, which is the largest hot spring on earth, and Inferno Crater with its colour. A shuttle covers the bottom of the valley to Lake Rotomahana, where a 45-minute boat cruise crosses the water. The commentary is the Tarawera eruption and the loss of the Pink and White Terraces, called the Eighth Wonder of the Natural World before the mountain buried them. Along the shoreline: steaming cliffs, springs, geysers and water spouting straight out of the bank. After Waimangu, the Wai-O-Tapu mud pools, which bubble and spit rather than sit still. On the way back, the Redwoods Forest of Californian trees, and a kiwifruit orchard at Paengaroa where the growing side of the Bay of Plenty gets explained. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.