Your tour starts in New Zealand’s largest city. As we drive out of the city, your guide will not only set the scene for your adventure today, but also point out and guide you past some of the city’s top highlights.
Exiting Auckland we drive south through the stunning Waikato countryside, the most extensive farming area in the world. Encounter stunning scenery, mighty rivers, great photo opportunities, beautiful mountains and several farm animals along the way. During this journey we pass through Taupiri which has many interesting sites of cultural significance including local Maori burial grounds & cultural totem poles.
Continuing our adventure we enter Otorohanga “The Kiwiana capital of New Zealand”. See all things Kiwi as you pass through this unique and charming town.
Arriving at our first feature attraction you will be guided through the ancient and amazing caves seeing many different cave formations including Stalactites, Stalagmites and Lime Columns before descending even further underground for your Glowworm experience. Board your glow-worm boat for a cruise on the grotto river with thousands of Glowworms sparkling above you. Unique to New Zealand for over 120 years, Waitomo Glowworm Caves are a must-see for any traveller.
Arriving at our second feature destination, Te Puia, you will receive a fully guided 90 minute tour to best experience the geothermal and cultural wonders including: Pōhutu Geyser, Māori Architecture, The National Māori Arts School, geothermal craters, geothermal events and even the chance to view a Kiwi bird in the Kiwi viewing house.
Nga Manu Ahurei is Te Puia’s native bird enclosure, where you can see New Zealand’s unique native birds up close, including the elusive kiwi. Learn about these precious species and the conservation work helping to protect New Zealand’s native wildlife.
Pohutu Geyser is New Zealand’s largest active geyser, erupting spectacularly several times a day and reaching heights of up to 30 metres. Located within Te Puia, it’s an impressive display of Rotorua’s geothermal power and one of the region’s most iconic natural attractions.
To finish off our Rotorua experience we do a guided driving tour seeing the most famous sites in Rotorua city including: Lake Rotorua, Rotorua Museum, Government Gardens, Whangapipiro (Rachel Spring) & the Blue Baths.
Sadly we must start to head north again but your day is not over with a fully guided return trip to Auckland with secret stops along the way.
Excellent pick up convenience from Hotel Crowne Plaza - Excellent Time management of tour- Excellent Guide friendliness / helpfulness & Information provided - excellent.
This is a must do. Very enjoyable. See the country side and learn about the countries history along the journey.
The guide Trent was very kind. We don’t understand english well so he sent us a link for passenger live commentary. He also took the time to explain things to us. Thank you Trent :)
We had an amazing time on this small-group day tour from Auckland! The itinerary was well-paced, and it was incredible to see the glowworms up close at Waitomo Caves and check out the kiwi birds. Huge thanks to our guide, Trent, for organizing everything seamlessly. Great experience!
Excellent tour - destinations were great and Trent was extra helpful.
The visit to the glow worm caves was great.unforgettable experience Visit the geysers and the school of carving and weaving was very good our guide was very friendly and informative. A day well spent
We had an amazing experience with the tour of Waitamo Caves and Rotorua. I thought the visit in Rotorua was a little rushed, as we didnt get enough time to visit the souvenir shop. The atmosphere was good. Crowd size was great. Staff at both glow worms and Te Puia were very enthuthuastic and great. Very well explained about the culture of the Maori people.
The glow worm cave did not disappoint. Our guide Trent did a good job of getting us around and giving interesting tid bits about the locals and flora and fauna of NZ. Te Puia was interesting and added a lot of great information about the local culture. The ride was long but I’m not sorry I went, it’s a once in a lifetime experience.
Simon was an excellent guide, he was friendly, informative and always encouraged curiosity. The length of the visit was perfect, and lunch break was 1 hour giving plenty of rest time in between the breath taking landmarks. The waitomo caves were truly once in a lifetime, out of this world wonder. We were awestruck at how it resembled the galaxy as we went through the cave on the boat. The overall tour experience was fantastic, special thanks to Simon again, definitely worth every penny.
Had a fantastic time exploring the Waitomo Caves, Te Puia and Rotorua with Trent and Kent from Cheeky Kiwi. Such a great way to spend a day and not have to worry about driving yourself! Glow worms, geysers, kiwi, mud pools and endless Maori art and culture to explore throughout the day. Couldn't have asked for more!
The Waitomo Caves, Rotorua and Te Puia tour from Auckland was a great representation of New Zealand's special features and culture. Liam was friendly and kept our group on schedule, pointing out things of interest throughout the day.
Had an excellent experience with this tour. Grant the guide was entertaining knowledgible and accommodating. We highly recommend this tour and if you get Grant it will be a bonus.
The experience was good. I wish Rotorua trip included a mud bath and/or Mouri cultural performance experience. Glow worm cave was amazing, i wish the boat tour was longer.
Experience was exceptional. Guide was absolutely outstanding, Jeoff was able to answer any questions thrown his was, he was actually a wealth of knowledge.
Liam was exceptional, so knowledgeable, kind and friendly
Very well organised, comfortable and some great sights to see. Be warned, though, it is quite a long day! Our guide, Trent, was excellent.
Our guide Trent was punctual and reliable while providing informative and helpful insights.
An all day event that was great from Beginning to end. Timmy our guide provided safe travels from Aukland to Rotorua. Great advice and suggestions. The glow worm event was first and well worth attending. The Māori culture event was equally good. Loved the surprise stops along the way.
This was a very cool experience! The caves are stunning in their own right, and add the glowworms (plus a little signing from the guide)...it was truly spectacular! The geothermal park was also cool to watch - albeit stinky! But that's nature! It's a long day but our guide Timi made it fun and interesting! Definitely recommend doing!!
The trip was awesome, the guides are super nice and friendly. They added very interesting information beyond the trip including what we saw in the way, Auckland and the local culture.
Pick up was great. Driver was right on time. Hanoz was knowledgeable about the area and the sites we visited on our tour. He kept the group engaged and his banter was friendly. The glow worm caves were spectacular. At Te Puia, we learned a lot about the Maōri culture. This activity seemed a bit fast-paced...wish we had more time to enjoy the area, learn their customs, and experience the hot springs.
We had an absolutely wonderful experience with Cheeky! Everything was so well organized, and the experience was even more special thanks to our guide, Grant! He was truly exceptional, incredibly patient, kind, caring, and clearly someone who genuinely loves what he does. Grant was so knowledgeable, but what stood out the most was the way he connected with us and made everyone feel comfortable. You can really tell when someone is passionate about their work, and Grant is exactly that kind of person. He went above and beyond to make the experience memorable for us. If you book with Cheeky, I highly recommend asking for Grant. He is honestly the best guide we could have asked for! Thank you, Grant, for making our experience so special. We will definitely remember it! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
John was amazing. He was very friendly and made sure everyone had a great time. There was a fair bit of driving and he did an excellent job of balancing talking to us, whether it was to point something out or play some silly game, and just being quiet and letting us enjoy the scenery. The sites themselves were exceptional. The glowworm caves were everything I hoped they'd be and more, and I really enjoyed Rotorua as well. Strongly recommend this tour.
The tour was excellent and the tour guide was kind.
I really enjoyed my visit, especially our tour guide, Dave. He made the tour so much fun and made sure to explain everything we were seeing along the way. His knowledge and enthusiasm made the experience even more enjoyable. Rotorua is truly a must-visit destination—I absolutely loved my time here and can't wait to come back!
Grant (a.k.a. "Enrique") was just wonderful throughout the tour. He shared the history of New Zealand and the neighbourhoods we drove through. The drive between each location was long but Grant ensured our safety and it was a very comfortable ride. The tours themselves were great - you can really tell the New Zealanders truly cherish their land and their culture.
We had an amazing time on this tour. Grant was an amazing tour guide. He was so informative and we learnt so much. He was a great driver too and expertly navigated through the sudden mists that formed on our way to Waitomo and never made the drive feel unsafe. Waitomo was magical and I recommend it as a can't miss to everyone considering their itinerary. We loved Te Puia and saw the geyser erupt and Maori art and craftsmanship as well. Overall, it was an amazing trip with a really considerate guide and I'd recommend both Grant and this tour to everyone.
Hanoz was a safe, informative and entertaining guide during our day of driving to Waitomo and Rotorua.
Our experience with Cheeky Kiwi exceeded our expectations. The tour guide, Vicki, provided exceptional service, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable experience. From the initial pickup to the return journey, everything was expertly managed, making us feel like we were at home. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!❤️
The tour was exceptionally well organized and offered a great balance of nature, cultural, and educational experiences. Everything was comfortable and ran according to the full-day-long schedule, while Grant enriched the journey with interesting insights, additional information, and excellent time management.
Great tour, definitely worthwhile. Tour guide, Grant, was very helpful and informative.
The time flew by with Timmy who gave us so much information during the tour and took us to some great spots for food and snacks. He was also quite the DJ and a very entertaining host. Waitomo is truly something that is unique and was great to learn about and we also were able to see some kiwis, see the geothermal activity and learn a lot about the Māori culture.
Great trip with Tim. Well organized, comfortable, fun, professional, and safe. Family had a great day out.
It was an amazing experience. Grant was a great tour guide, happy to help!
great expericience with a perfect guide
Our guide, John, was incredibly kind and thoughtful. Even though our group was small, he created a lively and enjoyable atmosphere throughout the tour. In addition to the scheduled itinerary, he also shared recommendations for local food, culture and charming hidden spots, which made the experience even more memorable.
The tour arrangements are excellent. We arrived the Waitomo cave at 9 am. Well ahead of crowd. We travelled in small group.
Great tour and amazing experience! It was an early day as there is quite a bit of driving but our guide stopped a couple of times and was attentive to what the group wanted. The Waitomo caves were so cool and a fun story and local guide. Te Puie was a great demonstration, geyser viewing and even got to see some kiwi birds. A long day but well worth it!!
I had a great time during this tour! Our guide was knowledgeable, kind, and prioritised our comfort throughout the day. Depending on the time of year, your small group tour could end up being fairly close to a private tour, so even better value for money! The Waitomo caves were a dream, and learning more about Maori culture at Te Puia was exactly what I hoped for and more. We even had a chance to see a kiwi bird during our visit to the Kiwi Conservation Centre on site! I'd highly recommend this experience for anyone looking to make the most of their time in New Zealand.
Great driver aka tour guide and service
An amazing experience, definitely recommend. Guide Jeoff was excellent, very knowledgeable and friendly. Made me feel safe and informed the whole time.
Great trip with Hanoz as our guide. I enjoyed the effort to get to know the guests and the extra stops and commentary
Our tour guide John has a lot of fun facts to accompany our journey! He is also knowledgeable in all the places we visited or passed. I wasn’t sure that there will be lunch stop and snacks, but we stopped for lunch and snacks in a very good place. That should be added in Klook on what’s included, could be a selling point.
Our driver Ben was very good. I was disappointed that at Te puia we didnt get to see the dancers or singers or the Maori building which would have been a highlight of the tour. Instead, we spent too much time in the art gallery.
Professional & Knowledgeable tour guide / driver. Kept us informed, entertained and pointed out various attractions throughout the journey. Highly recommend.
Excellent day trip to Waitomo caves and Rotorua. Our guide, Trent, was brilliant. Very knowledgeable about Māori culture and the region. He made sure we were comfortable, well looked after and had an enjoyable day.
What a wonderful day. Was a fantastic group and our driver and tour leader Hanoz was just lovely. Lots of knowledge and incorporated everyone in the day. A big thank you to him. The day itself was long but well worth it, we saw everything that was included and Hanoz added in a couple of other things. Definitely recommend this tour. This is the second time I have used Cheeky Kiwi and would recommended them to any body looking to do a tour in NZ. X
Seamless booking and logistics and great experience! Thank you to both Simon and Matt for being helpful, professional, knowledgeable guides and also interesting and kind people. Would definitely travel with them again!
tour was excellent with a very good tour guide (john) . just hoped that the tour would start with Rotorua 1st then to Waitomo...because at Rotorua there's a Maori dance show that most of the tourist would not want to miss. the last Maori dance ends at 1200hrs or 1230hrs.
This tour was great!! The destinations, Waitomo Caves and Te Puia, were amazing. With this tour, we made the most of our short time in New Zealand. Our guide, Jeoff, was very knowledgeable and informative. He not only provided great insight into New Zealand but really made our day with a stop to visit his favorite ostrich. The tour took us to see caves and glow worms, geysers, kiwis and the Maori cultural experience. We could not have asked for a better experience!
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