Private Waimangu Steaming Cliffs Kayak Tour

This was an amazing experience from the start to finish. Jess,our guide, is so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the area and history. Loved the tour, the kayaking. One of our favourites during our first week in NZ. Thank you.

Such a unique, amazing and intimate experience with Taiao Adventures. Your guides were amazing and natural features were outstanding. We all felt well taken care of and had an awesome time! 10/10. Thank you!

This was a beautiful hike and kayak experience. Our guide, Jess, was really knowledgeable about the area and kept us engaged in the experience. We were able to appreciate the steam and eruptions and enjoyed learning about the history of it all.

SO AMAZING! We went on the Waimangu Valley Walk & Steaming Cliffs Kayak Tour with Jess. This was the BEST activity I've done in Rotorua. It was astounding to walk along and stare into the abyss of the rift that ripped open after the Tarawera volcanic eruption and created this, the world's newest volcanic valley. The lake was alive with steaming cliffs and geysers, the water a swirl of volcanic heat and chilly lake water. All I could was tremble in awe feeling the power and energy of Earth reverberating around us. Jess was the best guide! She shared her profound and extensive knowledge of NZ's volcanic forces, te ao Māori and for the history of the place in an engaging way. These added dimensions added a level of depth to our visit that made me appreciate the valley even more. Thank you Jess and the Taiao Team!

Jacob did an outstanding job leading us down into the valley. Unfortunately our kayak tour portion was unavailable but the walk was fascinating and lovely. If for some reason they haven’t reopened the launch site we would recommend the guided hike alone if you have any interest in the flora, fauna, and geology of the area. With the kayak portion it would have been even more spectacular.

Fantastic tour - highly recommended! The scenery was spectacular and our guide (Forest) was amazing with local knowledge.

It was amazing to be out on the lake, with stunning views all around, and steaming cliffs and boiling water by the shore. It is such a dramatic landscape! Our guide Zita was wonderful, and even though we were very late for our tour (leave extra time for the bus to get to the lake) and we were constrained by the last bus up, she made it fun, informative and made sure we saw everything (including an erupting geyser!). She also took fantastic photos of mom and me amid this incredible nature. Thank you!

We had a great time during our daytime kayaking tour with Jacob. Not only was the scenery beautiful, but Jacob was extremely knowledgeable on the area and environment. We learned a lot and really enjoyed our time. Would highly recommend!

This was a fantastic way to see the lake and geysers. The whole scenery is wild, with steam constantly coming off the cliffs and the geyser going off every eight minutes or so. The kayaking itself was relatively easy and perfect for beginners. Our guide, Zita, was very knowledgeable and experienced. She showed us to the best viewing spots, took photos of us kayaking, and did a detour at a hot water beach which was pretty cool. Would thoroughly recommend :)

Had so much fun kayaking with my friends on Lake Rotomahana! Our guides Tom and Forest were amazing and very patient with us. They explained the geothermal underground activity and why is it visible to us in the surface of the lake. 100% will recomend this activity.

Kayaking in the lake was so much fun. It was our first time in a kayak and our guides were extremely helpful. Tom and Forrest explained the volcanic crater and the geothermal history of the lake. It was a great experience!

What an amazing trip, such a beautiful way to experience tranquil Lake Rotomahana its geyser and steaming cliffs. Our guide was lovely and knowledgeable too. No kayaking experience needed at all.

The views of the cliffs were amazing and we even got to view a large number of birds throughout the tour as well.

The views were amazing. Watching the geysers erupt from the cliffs so close to the water was spectacular. Jess our tour guide was wonderful and patient. We have never kayaked before and are both a bit on the hefty side so I'm sure it was a challenge for her. She got us out on the water and paddling like champions. We both loved the experience and consider that a highlight of our NZ trip.

The geyser was unexpected surprise. Our guide Jessica was fantastic and share a great deal of information and stories. We meet at the visitors centre so we could do the self guided walk. We arrived about 11 and spent all the time exploring before the kayaking trip. Perfect day!!!. We meet Jessica for the 1.30pm kayaking trip

The day was awesome. Great way to experience the lake views and photos were amazing! Guide was excellent

My friend and I had an amazing day! Our guide Zita was informative and filled us in on the history and lore of the area and was very fun to be around. Experiencing the geysers up close was breathtaking and being the sole kayakers on the lake made it extra special. I was expecting to walk through the valley with our guide to get to the water but instead we were driven down. Luckily I had also booked the self-guided tour separately (thru bookme) so when we finished kayaking we were able to experience Waimangu Valley on our own taking the tour in reverse. You will get a wet bottom so if it's a cool day you may want to bring extra pants to change into. I highly recommend this option and this tour!

This was great fun, the scenery out on the water was so beautiful and isolated from civilisation that it felt very magical. We were lucky enough to be the only ones on the water with our guide Zita who made the experience super enjoyable. This is great if you want to see the geysers up close, and for a longer time than other options in the area!

Great experience at Lake Rotomahana kayaking to see the steaming cliffs. Lucky to witness the geyser that only erupts every 4-6hrs. Our guide, Jess was well prepared and gave us the option to opt out and join the boat tour as the wind picked up significantly but was still within the company’s safety parameters. We chose to proceed which gave us a great work out. As these are sit-on kayaks, be prepared to get wet! Definitely a worthwhile choice for those visiting Waimangu Volcanic Valley and wanting a more active experience.

This is a must do if you plan to go to the Waimangu Forest. We had an awesome time paddling along the calm shores. We lucked out with a beautiful overcast day. The tour guide was super knowledgeable, relaxed, and patient. I never felt rushed when taking video/photos and we even got a few impromptu facials from the steam! We wish we had more time to take the guide’s evening glow worm kayak tour.

Wonderful way to visit the steaming cliffs- up close to gurgling and steam. Friendly cheerful guides made for a great experience

I loved the idea of this and was extremely excited about it. Not the cheapest, but it sounded great. UNFORTUNATELY we had an experience lasting barely an hour on the water (significantly less than advertised) and during which the guide frequently commented that she had just considered cancelling it when she met us if we didn't say we had kayaking experience. Overall gave the impression that she really hadn't wanted to do a tour that day, and just wanted to get it over with as fast as possible, even if that meant cutting short what was advertised and paid for. Additionally, the guide brought her child with and put him in a dual kayak with a member of our group when we had expected that he would go with his parent if he was coming with (which we didn't have a problem with at all). The child did not participate in paddling so with a bit of a current, our group member ended up paddling him around as well with no assistance (would guess child was over 10 so thankfully not young enough that he was having to be watched to make sure he didn't fall overboard). Would have been best for them to just say that the guide had childcare duties and actually couldn't work that day and instead cancel the tour.

Loved the idea of seeing the lake/geothermal features in an active way. Unfortunately this trip is seriously overpriced. We spent a scant hour in a kayak. Around National Park we had almost 3 hours for the same price.

Such an interesting and fun afternoon. A little bit of kiwiana sightseeing by water, seeing our classic Rotorua thermal activity at its best. Super casual, easy kayaking tour. Great to have double kayaks to make the kayaking easy. Just an hour and a half on the water but it felt like a real adventure that is so different to the norm experiencing our volcanic activity in New Zealand. Our guide was super lovely sharing the history of the volcanic eruption and the pink terraces etc. Definitely recommend and also to do the walk half way down to the lake. Or all the way if you have time but the first half is interesting with the different thermal lakes and bubbling river. You don’t need to be an international tourist to enjoy this trip!

Great way to explore up close the steaming cliffs and fumaroles at your own pace, enjoying the peace and tranquillity of the lake. Very informative and friendly guide. I recommend doing the self guided walk from the car park to the lake shore which takes you down volcano valley. It’s all very well done.

Seeing the geyser on the shore made me feel amazing. I definitely recommend this experience. Friendly tip: stay within 10 metres !

The whole experience was beautiful, I would definitely want to do this again. Thank you so much Tom!

This was a fantastic experience! The self-guided walk down to the lake is a must do. I was with 2 x 14 year old boys and the 4km walk kept their attention the entire time - not single moan or asking "are we there yet"! The paddle itself was awesome. Seeing the steaming cliffs up close like that is not something you get to see anywhere else in NZ. The water close to the thermal activity is hot to the touch and the history of the lake is fascinating. Our guide was superbly knowledgable and provided lots of details about the area and how the lake was formed. Easily the best day of our short holiday to Rotorua and I highly recommend this as a great half day out.

the guide was so cool, had a very good time. Feeling the heat when u approach the cliffs was amazing

Jonathon was a superb guide - friendly , helpful, courteous, careful and attentive. We had a beautiful morning out on the lake and thoroughly enjoyed our Steaming Cliffs experience. Really recommend this tour - the kayaks were very well balanced and extremely easy to paddle. Anyone could enjoy this tour. I would also like to add that we also found the coach driver super friendly too and his commentary on our way up the hill later was very interesting.

Amazing experience with super fun and informative guides , Ideal for families and individuals. Two of our children came along aged 15 and 11 and they both thoroughly enjoyed this trip too! Recommend to anyone wanting to see and experience another unique part of NZ. Can't wait to experience another great tour with these guys!

Felt very privileged to be one of the first groups to go on the Steaming Cliffs Kayak Tour - Nev and his guides are wonderful humans, who genuinely love and care for their guests. My husband is in a wheelchair so going on a kayak tour isn't quite that straightforward - but they made it easy on so many different levels. So that was fantastic........the tour itself is great, getting to see nature and geothermal activity up close. I would highly recommend doing any of their tours, and we'll be back to do the glow-worms.....

What a unique experience. We felt very lucky to be able to get so close to the steaming cliffs. It felt like we were in a different world. We love kayaking but this took it to another level. Thank you to our friendly guide Jonathon.

Such a unique experience to share with my kids. Very cool to be able to hear the bubbling and gurgling of geothermal activity all from a safe distance in kayaks. Nev and Jonathon were friendly, professional and good company. Great to be a tourist in our own country.

I have wanted to kayak Lake Rotomahana for a long time and now these guys make it possible. Brilliant trip and i can highly recommend!