The 15 Best Shore Excursions in New Zealand

Tauranga Shore Excursion: Rotorua Highlights

1.Rotorua Highlights

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

Review of Tauranga’s Rotorua shore excursion, with Māori culture, geysers, kiwi tasting, forests, gardens, and practical cruise-day advice.

“Tour never provided Harbor Master Closed Port ! Ship denied entry due to unsafe conditions in seas and high winds! No one who booked with Viator or anyone else able to receive services. Refund Requested but two months have elapsed and Viator has ignored and or denied to credit original form of payment”

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New Zealand Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions, Tour Reviews, 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

Review of the Bay of Islands glow worm caves tour, with Haruru Falls, kauri forest, chocolate tasting, cruise timing, and practical tips.

“The day was better than expected as we packed a lot in in a short time but it didn’t feel rushed. Our guide, Rob, had a great sense of humour and made the experience one to remember - top marks. Even the chocolate shop was better than our local one.”

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New Zealand Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions, Small Group Shore Excursions, Tauranga Shore Excursions, 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

Review of Tauranga’s Rotorua shore excursion, with geothermal pools, Maori culture, Redwoods Treewalk, glow worms, and port-friendly timing.

“Wonderful excursion! Each stop was so interesting. Favorite was the treetop walk through the huge beautiful trees. The bubbling mud and steaming lakes of Kuirau Park along with birdsong as we walked was such a delight. Our guide AlastaiRead more”

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New Zealand Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions, Small Group Shore Excursions, 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

Review of Dunedin’s small-group shore tour, with Baldwin Street, the railway station, Otago Peninsula views, beaches, and sea lions.

“It was so nice to cruise Dunedin & Otago Peninsular in a small bus with our awesome, knowledgeable and good sense of humoured driver!!!”

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New Zealand Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions, Tauranga Shore Excursions, 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 six-hour Hobbiton shore excursion from Tauranga, with practical advice on transport, walking, timing, value, and cruise safety.

“This is a well organized tour. Covering the shire from Lord of the rings. Participants need to know that the terrain is not flat. Many up and down hills and valleys..The surface is mostly gravel and may be difficult for those that have difficulty walking on this type of surface. There are some steps along the way.”

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New Zealand Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions, 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, Botanic Gardens, earthquake sites, timing, value, and tips.

“It was a nice tour winding roads to get to Christchurch. Seeing the city sights was really cool. There were some buildings damaged from a resisted earthquake which was said but interesting to see. What was really sad to hear that most of their historic buildings are long gone.”

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Christchurch Shore Excursions, New Zealand Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions, Tour Reviews, Tours

Lyttelton Shore Excursion: Christchurch City Sights

7.Lyttelton Shore Excursion: Christchurch City Sights

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

Review of the Lyttelton to Christchurch shore excursion, with Mona Vale, Summit Road views, earthquake history, timing, value, and tips.

“Great trip. Very well organised. We were picked up at the port and taken to our bus .Driver was very informative on route. We then transferred to trip with Joseph, who was very informative and enthusiastic. Great guide, we had a lovely time”

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City Highlights Shore Excursions, City Highlights Shore Excursions in New Zealand, New Zealand Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions, 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

Review of Dunedin’s V8 Trike tour, with Otago Peninsula views, city sights, practical tips, pricing, weather advice, and cruise timing.

“Great fun to ride a trike, our guide was knowledgeable and we got good photos of a beaut scenery. Bring a warm jackets and a beanie”

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Christchurch Shore Excursions, City Highlights Shore Excursions, City Highlights Shore Excursions in New Zealand, New Zealand Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions, 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

See Christchurch, earthquake recovery sites, Mona Vale Gardens, Riverside Market, and the Antarctic Centre on a cruise-friendly tour.

“We had very little time off the bus and seemed to go round and round the city seeing nothing of interest only the gardens”

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Napier Shore Excursions, New Zealand Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions, 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 fun, lunch, local stories, transport, and cruise timing tips.

“Deon was a fantastic guide and highly knowledgeable. He managed pickup for us on top of the float. We had a wonderful time.”

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New Zealand Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions, Tour Reviews, Tours, Wine Tasting Shore Excursions, Wine Tasting Shore Excursions in New Zealand

Picton Cruise Ship Shore Excursion Marlborough Wine Tour

11.Picton Cruise Ship Shore Excursion Marlborough Wine Tour

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

Explore Marlborough’s wine country from Picton with a small group, four to five tastings, vineyard views, chocolate, and cruise-safe timing.

“This tour was disappointing. Four or five winery tastings were advertised. Only three were provided. A complimentary subpar glass of wine was provided at a lunch we paid for so I guess that’s how they came up with 4. Unfortunately only one of the three wineries visited could be considered by someone who enjoys wine as an above average Marlborough vineyard. The other two lower tier wineries included an organic vineyard and a two acre vineyard winery in the hills outside of Marlborough valley. Disappointingly, this winery didn’t produce a Sauvignon Blanc which is what Marlborough is known for. The only better than average winery visited, the tour only provided…”

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Canoes & Kayaks, Guided, New Zealand Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions, 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 guide, spotting dolphins, penguins, seals, birds, and dramatic rock formations.

“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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City Highlights Shore Excursions, City Highlights Shore Excursions in New Zealand, New Zealand Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions, Tauranga Shore Excursions, Tour Reviews, Tours

Tauranga Shore Excursion: Top Half Day Curated Highlights Tour

13.Top Half Day Curated Highlights Tour

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

Review of Tauranga’s 4.5-hour shore tour, with McLaren Falls, kiwi and honey tastings, local history, views, snacks, and port transfers.

“We had a fantastic tour with Marina. She was very knowledgeable about the area and she took us to every place advertised in the tour description plus so much more. She allowed time for my husband to walk in the water so he could Read more”

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City Highlights Shore Excursions, City Highlights Shore Excursions in New Zealand, Guided, Half-Day, New Zealand Shore Excursions, 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 by mini-coach on a three-hour shore tour with Devonport beach, Mount Victoria views, Queen Street, and Westhaven Marina.

“This is a good intro tour to Auckland if you are short on time or just to get the lay of the land. We drove past major places of interest in Auckland and finally the view point to see Auckland skyline, It was beautiful. Tour was well organized”

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Food & Drink, Food & Market Shore Excursions, Historical Tours, New Zealand Shore Excursions, Shore Excursions, Tauranga Shore Excursions, Tour Reviews, Tours

Tauranga Shore Excursion: History & Kiwifruit Tasting – 4 Hours

15.History & Kiwifruit Tasting – 4 Hours

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

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

“Fabulous day today with Russell. His information about the Bay of Plenty was amazing. We were fascinated by the kiwi plantation and his kiwi presentation was really well done. Thanks.”

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