Experience the unique landscape and history of Mt Tarawera. Infamous for its eruption on June 10th, 1886, Mt Tarawera created the world’s youngest geothermal valley of Waimangu, at the same time destroying the legendary Pink and White Terraces. This fully guided walking experience encompasses the unique landscape and history of the area. With unmatched scenic vistas and 360 panoramic views this experience is ideal for all ages and includes an optional scree run in to the heart of the volcanic crater.
It was an awesome experience with breathtaking views and an adventure of running down into the crater. The guides Hux and Perez were very friendly and guided us well. They also gave us few history lessons about the crater and their culture.
We booked the hike and the raft tours and everything exceeded our expectations! From the convenient pickup and drop-off service to the incredibly kind and friendly staff, everything was fantastic. We had so much fun, enjoyed every moment, and made unforgettable memories. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience and would highly recommend them! Thank you Tai and team :)
Wow what a team! We had 3 guides, Cruze, Tai and Hux who were really amazing, very knowledgeable and made the experience a memorable one. I was ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED to go down the scree slope to the point of tears, the fear was so real and without any judgement or hesitation, 2 of the guides helped me get down, I am forever grateful and will never forget their kindness.. my son I am did the last little bit together. Mt Tarawera was an incredible experience, one that I would encourage others to do. I will definitely be back to do the scree slope on my own! We look at the photos and think “Gosh, we did that!!” Keep up the great work kaitiaki Adventures AAA+++ 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
10/10 hike! Was beautiful and fun, the guides were kind and helpful. Would recommend!
Amazing experience hiking Mount Tarawera with Kaitiaki Adventures! The views were breathtaking, and the guides were friendly and knowledgeable. A unique adventure with stunning scenery and memorable moments. Highly recommend to anyone visiting the area!
The scenery and views are breathtaking and almost surreal, but what makes this experience so much more than just a hike with beautiful views are the guides sharing their deep connection to the land and their culture. Our guides’, Īhaka and Perez, enthusiasm and pride was infectious, adding so much to the excitement of the experience. We felt incredibly privileged to learn about the spirituality of the land and the culture behind it from two people with so much knowledge and reverence. From beginning and ending the experience with a karakia, to being able to place rocks at the summit in memory of loved ones, every detail made the experience feel truly special and personal. We feel so lucky to have been able to take part, and have already found ourselves sharing the stories learnt with people back home. A massive shout-out to Īhaka and Perez, who made the experience even more memorable! (Perez also did an incredible job driving us up and down the off-road section for the first time!) Both Īhaka and Perez took such genuine care of everyone whilst having so much fun along the way. In particular, the kindness and encouragement they showed some of the older members of our group was lovely to see, helping them feel safe while still giving them the confidence to achieve so much. I would recommend this experience to absolutely anyone- the guides make you feel safe, supported and included every step of the way, all whilst having fun too, particularly racing down the scoria (although I don’t think anyone will beat Īhaka’s record). It was honestly one of the best experiences of our trip, and I really hope I get the chance to come back and do the full-day hike soon! Saskia x
Absolutely amazing trip from start to finish! 🙌 Fantastic guardians of the mountain, great communication throughout the whole process, and our guides were absolutely awesome. We loved every minute of the adventure, but the highlight had to be the scree run! 👏🔥 Such an epic experience — highly recommend! 🌋🥾
Very cool and definitely something different. Our guides, Hux and Ty were absolute legends.
An amazing experience walking around the crater of tarawera. Great guides, very informative and helpful. Thanks it was fabulous.
An interesting morning out and very well organised. Great mix of the outdoors + Maori culture. The maunga and crater are spectacular! I enjoyed it all. Thanks. Nga mihi.
Amazing experience.2h30 walking up the Mount Tarawera,then we descended in the crater.Stunning views of the Bay of Plenty lakes. The descent to the crater was a cool experience and once there it looks amazing. Our guides were amazing,took time to explain their culture and their spiritual connection to the place. All over a great experience.
What an incredible experience at Mt. Tarawera! 🌋 This was definitely one of the highlights of my trip to New Zealand. The weather was windy, misty and cold, but it actually made the whole adventure feel even more special. Reaching the summit, seeing the volcanic crater and walking down through the loose volcanic sand and rocks was such an amazing experience. The views were simply breathtaking. A big thank you to Mr. Tie, our guide, for making the experience so enjoyable. He was friendly, knowledgeable and made us feel safe throughout the adventure. I absolutely loved this experience and would highly recommend Katiaki Adventures to anyone visiting Rotorua. An unforgettable adventure that I’ll remember for a long time! 🇳🇿🌋🥾
Easy hike Beautiful landscape Knowledgeable guides Can get cold and Windy. Be prepared with windbreakers and maybe gloves
A great experience. The guides are amazing, supportive and have a lot of knowledge about the history surrounding the volcano. A must do if in the area.
Our team from Waimangu Volcanic Valley visted and it was for sure 10/10, very privileged to have been able to hike Mt. Tarawera, definitely worth the workout🤣. Massive shout out to Ihaka for his work, amazing guide💯. We all enjoyed being hosted by the Kaimahi over at Kaitiaki Adventures, keep up the good work guys.
Amazing experience, the views from the top are breathtaking. The two guides were very experienced and always explained as stuff and made sure we are safe. 100% would do it again
Would highly recommend! Such an amazing hike and amazing scenery. The staff were all awesome and special shout out to Perez for making it an extra fun experience! From Aussies Maddy and Jacquie
An amazing walk around and into the Tarawera mountain. Excellent guide who connected with all participants and respected the mana of the maunga and local culture. The hike had challenges but was more than achievable for those with moderate fitness. Spectacular location.
It was one of my best hikes the knowledge and information provided was so nice and so friendly guides Only this i wish is they should allow people to fly drone at their own risk
Excellent communication about what to expect. Very knowledgeable guide who made the experience interesting and fun. He made our safety a priority. Great photo opportunities throughout the hike. 4wd drive going up the mountain to the start point was an adventure in itself!
This is a special experience and different from other volcano hikes in NZ. As the mountain is privately owned and your trip is overseen by Māori as guardians of the land, you are provided with cultural understanding of this unique environment. We were a small group of five and our guide was excellent. The hike itself is much easier that Tongariro, Ruapehu, or Taranaki, as you are taken up to the crater by 4x4. The views were spectacular, as it was a bluebird day and you could see most of the volcanos along the fault line (from White Island to Ruapehu), as well as the lake system. You are guided along the rim and down into the crater. Beautiful colours and shapes. Highly recommend.
We did the hike with the whole family including our 8 and 12 year old. We were a bit afraid about the run down to the volcano with the 8 year old but she enjoined it very much. In general the hike is quite easy but absolutely worth it. The views and the colours everywhere were amaizing. It reminded me the rainbow mountains in Iceland. Only drawback might be the price of the experience, however we are very much happy that we booked this experience.
One word amazing. From pick up to drop of and everything in between. 2 Very knowledgeable guides gave us un unforgettable tour. Highly recommend Kaitiaki Adventures.
I had an amazing experience. First of all the guides were the best ! They were very friendly and gave us some informations about the place. Also the transport were good also and they even helped me and dropped me on the way back which was super helpful ! Thanks also to the office person who helped me with that :) Then the place was so beautiful with a walk not too hard and landscapes with all colors around. I really enjoyed it !
Mum (48yo) & daughter (16yo) from Aus. We both, beyond loved, this guided hike that amazed in every way. We loved learning about the region, NZ & Māori folktales from our wonderful hosts Tai, Perez & the ultimate Corey our driver & host. At the first stop on the mountain, make sure to swap to the loan hiking boots & shoe gaiters as they will make the hike easier & more enjoyable. A small backpack would be handy to carry a water bottle & rain jacket. Views from the mountain top to the volcano crater, surrounding mountains, rising steam from towns below, numerous lakes, rivers & ocean was spectacular. Wonderful unique walk down into the crater. Super fun. Kudos & thanks to Kaitiaki Adventures, our hosts & Māori tribe for allowing us to visit & appreciate this magical mountain & volcano! An absolute highlight & experience we treasure!!
Wow what an amazing experience! Our guide was so friendly and kind, plus the views were out of this world we were so lucky with the weather. The hike is a challenge but our guide made it seem so do-able and was super helpful with tips along the way. This was such a cool and unique way to explore the area, highly recommend!
Privileged to have done this hike on Tarawera. The volcanic landscape was stunning and the guides Ihaka and Tai were passionate and knowledgeable. They told us the heavy story and spirituality of the maunga and their iwi. Easy to moderate hike with a few stops to wait for each others for safety. Overall a meaningful experience that I'll remember, I highly recommend to book with Kaitiaki Adventures ! Ngā mihi nui 🙏🏼 Lise
Definitely a proper hike with good downhill gradient. Gaiters are provided. Bring strong knees and good footwear. Wind and cold can be brutal at the summit in winter. Excellent guides which provides a huge wealth of information about the mountains and Māori traditions. Also kind support to navigate the mountain.
Amazing experience with friendly and knowledgeable guides. Highly recommend going, especially on a clear day. The views were 10/10
We were taken care of by two friendly, professional guides. he hike they offered was simply incredible. Accessible to everyone, you'll be guided through this pristine natural area, clean and respected thanks to the locals. We experienced one of the most beautiful hikes of all our travels.
Full of history yet so much fun, awesome experience...
Unfortunately it was completly cloudy, so you couldn't really see anything, due to this situation the hike to the summit wasn't passible. But that is not the fault by the Tour, it is just the nature. The Guides made best out of it and I really enjoyed the tour. It was very funny but also informative.
Great experience hiking in NZ. The two tour guides were amazing at accommodating for all fitness levels. Solid blokes that were great to have a chat to and get a feel for NZ / Maori Culture. Even though it was quite cloudy and the view was obscured it was still a great experience.
Awesome guides, great hike, and despite the weather, still was able to see the craters. The guides were so kind they even offered to reschedule if we wanted to wait for a clearer day to see the views, but I loved the fresh air and enjoyed the experience.
A must do in New Zeland ! Such a wonderful and unforgettable experience. The place is so surprising, colorful and the beauty is breathtaking. We had awesome guides, who explained us so many things about the land around also share with us knowledge about their Māori culture. Definitely worth it
Amazing trip, great communication from the local provider to explain a change in meeting time and then some great safety decisions due to the weather. Would recommend to others
I'm 61 tear old, bloody great experience, guides were ace, highly recommended.
Me and my friend had such a good experience with the Mt Tarawera guided volcanic hike. The landscape was incredible and the guides were all really nice. We drove with Huxy who created a nice atmosphere in the bus and was really good at answering all of our questions during the hike. Would definitely recommend it!!
I had a great time wandering on top of Mt. Tarawera and learning about the stories that were passed from the Māori ancestors, reminded me of the stories from my grandparents back home.The ticket price is reasonable. I was picked up at the location I indicated during booking at around 8:00AM and dropped at the same location after the trip at about 1PM. I thought it was a great day as it was so clear, we could see as far as the White Island and Ruapehu, which was so nice. We had enough time per station to have rest and take photos. Our guides, Hux (?) and Rangi, were very nice and made sure everyone was okay and that nobody is left behind. There were 20 members with 2 guides which was a good ratio in my opinion. Best for people who have no access to these great spots and for people looking for a short, adventurous trip in Rotorua.
We had such a great day, stunning scenery and a fun adventure! Our guide Perez was awesome and we had a nice small group size. Highly recommend this tour for views like no other!
Best ever, guide are so nice, accommodating
Fantastic hike around Mt Tarawera with amazing guides withmuch courage to take care of the environment around en the legends in Maori culture. It made me dance on the rocks
Epic- the guides had a great sense of humour, knowledge and respect for the mountain- the cultural aspect was insightful
Our group of trampers (16) really enjoyed the guided tour, excellent knowledgeable tour guides and everybody had a memorable experience would highly recommend
Great Guides on this hiking adventure in a Volcano. The landscape is absolutely surreal, it feels more like Mars than New Zealand. It’s a massive, scarred reminder of the 1886 eruption, which was a colossal, landscape-changing explosion.
A very unique experience for hikers and non-hikers alike. For avid hikers, this route will be special as they bring you along into the crater. For non-hikers, no worries as the route is relatively easy, being fit just helps with the process but be prepared to walk up and down slopes, it is not a walk in the park. You also get to learn about Maori culture and history which is something I never thought I would get from a hiking tour. Expand both your fitness and knowledge with this experience. 10/10 would recommend!
Amazing Experience, the team were so fun and knowledgeable. I can't recommend this enough, and the price is great for a half day activity. It's one of the best tours i've done in Rotorua hands down.
This must be one of Rotorua's most outstanding half day adventures, it has it all from action, adventure, great views, engaging guides and tasty food. The hike is manageable, and the views are absoultley outstanding! With the small group the guiding was personal and a nice blend of history, culture, natural environment and humour. Highly recommended. Thank you.
Rangiora was fantastic. I didn't realize the walk would be so difficult but I made with help from our guides. They were informative and funny. I do have a fear of heights, along with several other folks in our group, but with the help of our guides we all made it safely back to the vehicle. Rangiora also was singing along the way. He has a great voice and it was nice to hear traditional songs along the way.
This was an unforgettable experience of a truly unique kind. Hiking up, around, and down the remains of Mt Tarawera along its striking scoria trails, surrounded by breathtaking scenery, was something special. We were fortunate to have an almost perfect afternoon—the clouds rolling in behind us only added to the drama and beauty of the landscape. From hotel pick-up to drop-off, every guide we encountered was exceptional. Their encouragement, support when the climb got challenging, and genuine care when we stumbled or needed a hand were all given with such kindness and warmth. Thank you for such outstanding hospitality. We were celebrating my brother’s 60th birthday, and you helped make the day even more memorable.
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