Private Van Full-Day
Private Van Full-Day
Maori first discovered this area in the 13th Century and named it "Tauranga" meaning 'the place of rest or anchorage.' The area has grown rapidly in recent years and now shines as a cosmopolitan city with a combined easy-going, friendly atmosphere. A stunning coastal paradise, this region offers a multitude of choices appealing to everyone for entertainment and activities. From the mountains to beaches, world-class culinary to outdoor markets, it will not be difficult to create very special memories when you are here.
Maori are the Tangata Whenua, the indigenous people, of New Zealand. They came here more than 1000 years ago from their mythical Polynesian homeland of Hawaiki. Today Maori make up 14% of the population and their history, language and traditions are central to New Zealand's identity.
After being met at the port area by your friendly, local driver/guide you can determine exactly what you would like to do for your day in port. Your customizable tour will be conducted in a comfortable, luxurious Mercedes Van with cool bottled water, snacks, and complimentary Wi fi. Maximize your day in port and create an itinerary that is suited just for you.
In the city you can view historic buildings like the Elms Mission Station, an 1847 Georgian-style home. Travel over a harbor bridge that connects Tauranga to Mount Maunganui, a beach town with hot saltwater pools and an extinct namesake volcano with winding walking paths.
Some options for your day can also include exploring the wine region and travel to some of the local wineries for wine tastings. Feeling thirsty? Does a locally brewed cider sound delicious, perhaps a craft beer or a glass of fine wine? Discover there are many thirst-quenching choices, all located in the Bay of Plenty.
Getting out on the water is another great choice for the adventurous type. Ever tried river rafting? From a quiet glide through picturesque forest wilderness to a white-knuckled, wide-eyed journey going over rapids, rafting covers the full adventure spectrum.
How about some beach exploration? This region is renowned for white sandy beaches and the choices seem almost endless. The wide, welcoming coastline stretches for 125km (almost 80 miles) where lifeguards patrol most of the popular beaches during summer months so relax and enjoy the surf.
But of course, no trip to this area of the world would be complete with an immersion in the area of Rotorua and the famous geothermal region. New Zealand is located where two tectonic plates of the earth's crust meet causing a large amount of geothermal activity, allowing warm water to bubble up through the earth's crust to form hot pools. These pools often contain minerals dissolved from the rocks they have seeped through. View the gushing geysers and bubbling mud pools in your private group for a more personal and intimate experience. For centuries locals have enjoyed these hot pools, with some believing that sitting in mineral water helps with medical problems. Rotorua, a city built on top of an active volcanic zone, offers a selection of hot pool complexes.
Please Note: The entrance fee to the Maori Village is $35 US per person (not included). Vehicles available for this tour accommodate groups of up to 11 or 14 guests maximum. Groups with more than 14 guests will need to book multiple vehicles. Please consider this information when booking.
Shore Excursions Group was created with one goal in mind: to provide exceptional travel experiences to cruise passengers in the ports they visit around the world. To accomplish this, we have compiled an exceptional array of tours delivered by local experts with decades of experience serving travelers and delivering excellent tours. Our owners and management team are comprised of seasoned travel industry executives who leverage their considerable experience to deliver memories of a lifetime.
We are experts in providing exceptional shore excursions. We understand that in today's fast paced world, vacations have become an increasingly important way to relax, reconnect with family and friends, and experience new and interesting places. With this in mind, we provide the highest quality tours by performing extensive research, and detailed reviews. While other companies also offer excursions, we strongly believe our expertise and approach set us apart. The large cruise lines sell shore excursions - typically in very large groups visiting high traffic sites. We focus on smaller groups visiting more interesting and authentic locations using more personalized local operators. While the cruise lines are experts in delivering cruises, we are experts in delivering shore excursions.
Our Approach
We believe quality service is not only highly valued by customers, but ultimately leads to better experiences and higher satisfaction. Unlike the cruise lines and other tour companies that rely almost entirely on websites, we encourage customers to call us. We want to invest our time answering your questions, providing input, and selecting the excursions that best meet your needs.
Our Tours
Our goal is to provide customers a wide array of exciting, appealing, and enriching tours. For those customers who prefer to travel in smaller groups with more personalized service, we offer a wide variety of small group tours around the world. These tours generally range in size from 2-12 people compared to larger tours which can number up to 50 people. While exploring the destinations and ports on this website, feel free to search for these "Small Group Tours". For those customers interested in private tours, we offer many outstanding excursions that allow you to travel with your party alone and, in many cases, to fully customize your tour. Search for "Private Tours" if you are interested in this experience. Our "Scenic" tours provide up close and personal access to some of the most spectacular natural environments on Earth from majestic glaciers in Alaska to spectacular reefs in the Caribbean. Our "Cultural" tours allow customers to experience local customs, entertainment and culinary delights ranging from tribal dances in Alaska to an outstanding local meal in Santorini, Greece. Our "Active" tours offer a multitude of exciting and adventurous ways to experience our destinations. Our customers can kayak the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, hike to a spectacular waterfall in Hawaii, or bicycle through quaint villages in France. Our "City" tours allow travelers to see the highlights of great cities around the world with unique insights provided by our expert tour guides.
Our People
In our experience, exceptional travel experiences are almost always delivered by exceptional people. With that in mind, we utilize a comprehensive approach to select and employ the leading tour guides and tour providers around the globe. We hold our people to very high standards which we measure by our comprehensive Quality Control process and, most importantly, by our customer feedback, which we will actively seek from each of our customers.
Our Owners
Shore Excursions Group is owned by seasoned travel executives possessing extensive experience across many sectors within the travel industry.
Bradford J. Miller
Mr. Miller is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer for Abercrombie & Kent, the World's leading luxury travel company. In that role, Mr. Miller was responsible for contributing to Abercrombie & Kent's international growth through the development and acquisition of tour products and travel experiences around the world with a specific focus on cruising and land based experiences. Prior to joining Abercrombie & Kent, Mr. Miller held a variety of executive positions with Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises for more than a decade. These positions included Vice President of Guest Sales & Service, Vice President of Brand Development, and Vice President of Onboard Revenue (which included shore excursions). Mr. Miller also led Celebrity Expeditions, a collection of outstanding and unique tours around the World.
Michael Bonner
Mr. Bonner has over a decade of experience working in the cruise industry in a variety of roles for both Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Viking River Cruises. Most recently, Mr. Bonner was the Chief Operating Officer for The Scholar Ship, a Royal Caribbean program aimed at providing college students onboard educational programs in conjunction with enriching shore excursions around the world. Mr. Bonner also helped co-manage Viking River Cruises U.S. Operations, and he ran the corporate, strategic, and deployment planning functions at Royal Caribbean. While at Royal Caribbean, Mr. Bonner was responsible for forming Royal Celebrity Tours, Royal Caribbean's land-based tour operation in Alaska, which takes cruise passengers on multiple day tours through the interior of Alaska either before or after their cruises. Prior to working at Royal Caribbean, Mr. Bonner was a consultant for Booz Allen & Hamilton.
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