The 15 Shore Excursions Tours in New Zealand That Earn Their Price

Tauranga Shore Excursion: Rotorua Highlights - Redwoods and Rotorua’s Government Gardens

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 427 reviews · from $152Our pick

Review of Tauranga’s Rotorua shore excursion, with Māori culture, Pohutu Geyser, kiwi tasting, redwoods, timing tips, and honest value advice.

“Maori village experience was great. It was about one and a half hours. The driver's commentary during the travel was informative. The rest of the stops were either too long or a bit pointless. The female guide on the bus was disorganised and failed to give clear instructions to the passengers about how long we were supposed to be at each stop. People had to simply follow each other to suss out what was happening.”

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Bay of Islands Tours, Shore Excursions, Tour Reviews, Tours, Waitomo Glowworm Caves Tours

Bay of Islands Glow Worm Caves & Scenic Shore Excursion

2.Bay of Islands Glow Worm Caves & Scenic Shore Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 317 reviews · from $139

Explore glow worm caves, Haruru Falls, ancient kauri, and chocolate on a practical 5.5-hour Bay of Islands shore tour.

“The country-side tour was most enjoyable, and the glow worm cave was fascinating. That said, the tour guide did not seem to have the knowledge our other tour guides have had. Additionally, being on an excursion that stops at specific businesses - attempting to have the tourists make purchases - is VERY off putting.”

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Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions in Tauranga, Tauranga Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

6.5 hour Small-Group Rotorua Naturally Shore Excursion – Tauranga

3.6.5 hour Small-Group Rotorua Naturally Shore Excursion – Tauranga

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 283 reviews · from $135

Explore Rotorua from Tauranga with geothermal pools, Maori culture, a Redwood Treewalk, glow worms, and a warm foot bath.

“Had Excellent experience thanks to our tour guide. He shared with us his passion about New Zealand.in Visited hot springs, kiwi’s orchard, royal gardens, etc.”

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Dunedin Tours, Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions in Dunedin, Tour Reviews, Tours

Dunedin Shore Excursion: Small-Group Tour of Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula

4.Dunedin Shore Excursion: Small-Group Tour of Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 270 reviews · from $86

See Dunedin, Baldwin Street, the railway station, Otago Peninsula views, and wild sea lions on a flexible 3.5-hour cruise shore tour.

“Very,very small bus. Seating is for little children. No room at all for legs and knees. Tour was ok .”

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Hobbiton Movie Set Tours, Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions in Tauranga, Tauranga Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Hobbiton Movie Set Shore Excursion from Tauranga (6 Hours)

5.Hobbiton Movie Set Shore Excursion from Tauranga (6 Hours)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 267 reviews · from $198Top rated

Review of the 6-hour Hobbiton shore excursion from Tauranga, with port timing, transport, walking advice, costs, highlights, and drawbacks.

“This was the highlight of our cruise. Viator took care of everything. Coach driver was friendly and we had nothing to be concerned about extremely professional. We have told multiple people already about not only our experience at Hobbiton but how we saved so much by going through Viator. We will 100% be using them again”

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Akaroa Tours, City Tours, Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions in Akaroa, Tour Reviews, Tours

Akaroa Shore Excursion: Banks Peninsula and Christchurch City Sights Tour

6.Akaroa Shore Excursion: Banks Peninsula and Christchurch City Sights Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 228 reviews · from $89

Review of Akaroa’s Banks Peninsula and Christchurch tour, with scenic drives, earthquake history, gardens, timing, costs, and practical booking advice.

“This was a great trip. Beautiful scenery and very interesting. Excellent and informative commentary by our driver Bruce.”

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Christchurch Tours, City Tours, Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions in Christchurch, Tour Reviews, Tours

Lyttelton Shore Excursion: Christchurch City Sights

7.Lyttelton Shore Excursion: Christchurch City Sights

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 209 reviews · from $62

See Christchurch from Lyttelton, Mona Vale Gardens, Summit Road, Cathedral Square, and Riverside Market on a practical half-day shore tour.

“Good tour via coach, and a knowledgeable guide/ driver. Tour starts via short shuttle from Littleton port to village centre, changing to tour coach across high hills into and around Christchurch, back via a different route. VFM”

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City Tours, Dunedin Tours, Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions in Dunedin, Tour Reviews, Tours

Shore Excursion: V8 Trike, Peninsula and City Tour

8.Shore Excursion: V8 Trike, Peninsula and City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 207 reviews · from $86

See Dunedin and Otago Peninsula from a V8 trike in one lively hour, with city sights, beach views, warm jackets, and guide Andrew.

“An absolute blast! Andrew was a great guide. Was a little tough hearing his commentary in the back seat but otherwise it was fabulous! Beautiful scenery! Highly recommend!”

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Christchurch Tours, Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions in Christchurch, Tour Reviews, Tours

Lyttelton Shore Excursion: Christchurch Sightseeing with Antarctic Center

9.Lyttelton Shore Excursion: Christchurch Sightseeing with Antarctic Center

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 194 reviews · from $114

Explore Christchurch from Lyttelton, visit Mona Vale and Cathedral Square, then face Antarctic cold, penguins, and a Hagglund ride.

“Great Tour! Our driver was a really funny guy with lots of jokes and interesting facts about the City. We had enough time to experience each stop at our own pace. During lunch break our tour guide gave us some recommendations for the best food in Town. The Antarctic Cener was worth the visit and we had enough time to enjoy everything!”

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Napier Tours, Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions in Napier, Tour Reviews, Tours

Shore Excursion: Scenic Rafting from Napier

10.Shore Excursion: Scenic Rafting from Napier

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 179 reviews · from $139

Review of Napier’s scenic Mohaka River rafting tour, with gentle rapids, family-friendly guides, lunch, transport, and cruise-port advice.

“It was absolutely awesome! Great communication before we got there, picked up just as we were told from our cruise ship, the river was beautiful & suitable for our family (3 kids, 16, 14 & 11) very friendly. Definitely recommend it!!! So much fun!”

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Boat Tours in Marlborough, Cruises & Boat Tours, Marlborough Tours, Shore Excursions, Tour Reviews, Tours, Wine Tours, Wine Tours in Marlborough

Picton Cruise Ship Shore Excursion Marlborough Wine Tour

11.Picton Cruise Ship Shore Excursion Marlborough Wine Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 165 reviews · from $155

Taste Marlborough wines on a small-group Picton shore excursion with vineyard visits, lunch, chocolate, and reliable cruise-ship timing.

“A great day in Marlborough. Bruce picked us up early and even rearranged the schedule a bit to hit the Chocolate Factory before it got busy. The Cellar Doors we stopped at were excellent and completely different from each other to show the diversity of the region. The cherry on top of the day, I think Bruce was more concerned about getting us back to the boat on time than even we were. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable day.”

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Akaroa Tours, Canoes & Kayaks, Guided, Kayak Tours in Akaroa, Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions in Akaroa, Tour Reviews, Tours

Shore Excursion Guided Sea Kayaking through Akaroa Marine Reserve

12.Shore Excursion Guided Sea Kayaking through Akaroa Marine Reserve

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 160 reviews · from $83

Paddle Akaroa’s volcanic harbor with a small guided group, scenic rock formations, and a chance to spot Hector’s dolphins, seals, and penguins.

“Our kayaking tour of Akaroa was awesome. We were able to meet the guides after a short walk from our cruise ship. Two guides accompanied the small group and provided excellent safety and paddling instruction. During the trip, which mostly followed the shore, they gave interesting information about the wildlife, flora and geology of the area. The paddling was easy and very enjoyable. We're so pleased that we chose this excursion in Akaroa.”

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Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions in Tauranga, Tauranga Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Tauranga Shore Excursion: Top Half Day Curated Highlights Tour

13.Tauranga Shore Excursion: Top Half Day Curated Highlights Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 152 reviews · from $69

Explore Tauranga’s waterfalls, kiwi orchards, Māori history, sweeping views, local tastings, coffee, muffins, and hokey pokey ice cream in 4.5 hours.

“Marina was a very good guide and showed us Tauranga and the surrounding areas. Very knowledgeable and helpful. Would definitely recommend this tour if you are just in the area for a day e.g. cruise stop.”

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Auckland Tours, City Tours, Guided, Half-Day, Shore Excursions, Tour Reviews, Tours

Auckland Shore Excursion: Half-Day Guided City Tour

14.Auckland Shore Excursion: Half-Day Guided City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 148 reviews · from $65

See Auckland’s Queen Street, Devonport, Narrow Neck Beach, Mount Victoria, Westhaven Marina, and more on a 3-hour small-group tour.

“Great look at this beautiful city. Had done Hop on and off tour but this was a more in depth look with additional experiences. Guide was great.”

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Food & Drink, Historical Tours, Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions in Tauranga, Tauranga Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Tauranga Shore Excursion: History & Kiwifruit Tasting – 4 Hours

15.Tauranga Shore Excursion: History & Kiwifruit Tasting – 4 Hours

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 146 reviews · from $65

Explore Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, local history, and a kiwifruit orchard on this small-group shore excursion with tastings.

“Small group experience. Unrushed comprehensive tour of Tauranga and Mt Maunganui. Great commentary with lots of interesting history. Kiwi fruit experience was an added bonus.”

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