Published on Feb, 2025
If you have time while in Auckland this small group tour was the best. Our guide/driver, Matt, picked my husband and promptly at 6:45am from our hotel in a very clean Mercedes van. We picked up four others and proceeded to Whakarewarewa the Living Māori Village which was about a 2 ½ drive, but Matt made two pit stops for us along the way, one was a rest area that had food and coffee to go and the other was Tirau, a funky spot that has corrugated metal artwork. We drove by Lake Rotorua and then proceeded to the Whakarewarewa Māori Village where we joined a group guided by Jesse, a resident and guide of Whakarewarewa and Jesse’s trusty sidekick, his dog, Jax. What a fascinating place. Definitely try the corn on the cob that is cooked in the hot springs. Jesse shared many personal stories of his childhood growing up in Whakarewarewa and he ended his tour by singing to us. We finished our visit at the Village with a Māori performance of song and dance; yes it included a riveting Haka. We noshed on Hangi Pies (not included) for lunch and then Matt had us set off to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. It was about a 2 hour drive, but so well worth it. Experiencing the caves and seeing the glowworms illuminate the caves was mind blowing. Our guide at the caves was Sasha, who informed us he was relatively new at being a guide, but he did a fabulous job - he sang at a part of the cave where the acoustics were pristine - just so we could experience it. Upon the completion of that tour and a visit to the gift shop, Matt, drove us back to Auckland and to our hotel. He knowledge of the areas we traveled is appreciated and we could not have a more pleasant experience. The whole tour took 12 ½ hours - but we would do it again in a heartbeat!
