'Four Shore Excursions of Distinction'

Introduction

Indigenous Trails has a proven track record of providing quality and affordable Cruise Ship day excursions in multiple Port locations around Aotearoa, New Zealand for small tour groups. We proudly introduce to our 'Visitors' - 'Manuhiri Tuarangi' a 'brief snap-shot' of genuine 'Manaakitanga - Hospitality' for the short time they are in Port, whilst understanding the importance of creating a 'meaningful' and 'purposeful' shore excursion of distinction.

Indigenous Trails offers Cruise Ship visitors the opportunity to experience 'Four Shore Excursions of Distinction' in four port locations around New Zealand, Dunedin, Christchurch, Tauranga/Rotorua, and Auckland.

We have chosen the 'four' best 'shore excursions' and packaged them together to present a combination of 'Wild-life', 'Nature', 'Culture', and 'Heritage' ... All under the one umbrella!

KATORO HERITAGE TRAIL - CHRISTCHURCH

'Takahe Look-out' / Maori Village - Haka / Katoro Waka - Canoe & Flax weaving / Wild-life Sanctuary & Kiwi bird / City Sights & Shopping 

On arrival at the Port of Lyttelton, Christchurch you will be met by your Guide and board your transport for your Tour. Your Guide will brief you on the day’s events and safety procedures, before embarking on this unique trail.  

Description: Firstly, leaving the  Port of Lyttelton we make our way past the  'City of Christchurch' heading toward the 'Cashmere hills' and arriving at  'The sign of the Takahe' - look-out. Here you will see unsurpassed views of Christchurch, Canterbury Plains and the Southern Alps. Thereafter we make our way to the ‘Maori Village' where you will be greeted with a ‘powerful challenge’ by a ‘fearsome warrior’. You will come face to face with the South Islands premier 'Maori cultural experience' and be entertained through song and dance by these noble people. There is an opportunity for the men to learn and participate in the famous   ‘Haka’ - Maori war dance, performed nowadays by New Zealand's premier Rugby sports team the   'All Blacks' Your next activity will be on water. Enjoy the locals up close and personal with ‘Kiwi hospitality’ and paddle a Maori ‘war canoe’ in the historic ‘hunting grounds’ of Christchurch. Our story tellers will teach you the art of paddling a 'waka', the meaning and usages of waka, and the importance it played in the earliest interactions between European settlers and ‘Ngai Tahu (local) Maori’. Included in this excursion we will teach you how to 'weave' with natural 'flax', swing the 'poi - ball', a maneuver used by Maori to increase  flexibility and strength in their hands and arms as well as improving coordination. The 'Wahine' (females) also enhanced this practice in the form of a dance with balls attached to flax strings, swung rhythmically.  A 'Barbecue lunch' will be enjoyed before moving to the next activity, a visit to a 'Wild-life sanctuary', with the main highlight bringing you within millimeters of our National icon, the ‘Kiwi Bird’. See this bird in its most ‘natural surrounding’ up close without glass and concrete to spoil the view. We promise, you will not be disappointed. Your day is about to come to an end, but first a stop in the City for some 'sightseeing' or 'shopping' is scheduled before arriving back at the Port of Lyttelton concluding your visit to Christchurch.  DURATION: 6 – 7 HOURS General information: This tour is suitable for all ages and excursion times are determined by the arrival and departure times of your Cruise Ship. We will make sure you will be back at the Cruise Ship on time for departure. All tours are escorted by experienced guides.   Includes the following: Pick-up from Ship Maori Guides / Chaperones Coach transport Bottled water onboard 'The Sign of Takahe' - look-out Maori Village - Haka Waka (Maori canoe) experience Light Barbecue lunch   Wildlife Reserve  City Sights & Shopping Drop-off at Ship Goods Service Tax Schedule for the day's tour: Pick-up from the Ship 'Sign of Takahe' - Look-out Maori Village - Haka & performance Waka - Canoe experience (including training & flax weaving demonstration) Light Barbecue lunch & Refreshments  Wildlife Reserve - Kiwi Bird  City sights & Shopping Drop off at the Ship

'LEGACY TRAIL' OF TAURANGA / ROTORUA

 Kiwi Fruit / Museum /Geothermal & Geysers / Maori Culture & Concert / City Sights

On arrival in Tauranga, you will be met by your guide and board your transport for your 'Cultural Trail' of 'Tauranga Moana' & ' Rotorua'. Your Guide will brief you on safety procedures and the day's events, before embarking on this trail.  

Description: Nau mai Haere mai … Welcome... Firstly, we stop at a 'Kiwi Fruit Orchard' enroute to Rotorua, where you will learn of one of New Zealand's major export products the "Kiwi Fruit". Located on a unique pocket of land, you will enjoy a "Cart-Ride" through the lush orchards of this establishment and find out why "Kiwi" is regarded as one of the world's "healthiest" fruits. Arriving in Rotorua, prepare yourself and discover the essence of its people, culture and volcanic landscape. Let us share with you the great stories which have shaped the past and present of "New Zealand's premier visitor destination". Your first encounter starts at the ‘Rotorua Museum’. Be thrilled by the museum's high impact ‘Cinema Experience’ – ‘Rotorua Stories'. Visitors are taken on an educational adventure, plummeting 13km into the belly of the earth to learn the ‘scientific’ and ‘mythological’ reasons for Rotorua's volatile landscape. Other highlights of the movie include the arrival of the ‘Arawa people’, a visit to the ‘Pink and White Terraces’ and the early days of the ‘Rotorua Spa’. The movie's active portrayal of the 1886 eruption of ‘Mount Tarawera’ leaves the audience under no illusion as to the impact of that frightful night. Explore the beautiful ‘Bath House’ building, once known as the ‘Great South Seas Spa’, and unravel Rotorua's history as our fascinating history is unraveled in dynamic exhibitions that capture the imagination of all ages. We travel to the ‘The Buried Village of Te Wairoa’ offers an insight into the devastation and mayhem that transpired on the night of June 10 1886 when ‘Mount Tarawera’ erupted. Te Wairoa Village, in a valley above Lake Tarawera, was established by a Christian missionary in 1848. By the 1870s it had become a busy staging post for travelers to the "Pink and White Terraces". The village's excavated dwellings are connected by a meandering pathway, set amongst trees and meadows beside Te Wairoa Stream. Remnants and artifacts recovered from the rubble help to display life at the settlement before, during and after this monumental event and help portray the villager's stories of both tragedy and survival. Complete the journey with a visit to the 30 meter "Te Wairoa falls" and "native bush walk" before making our way to Whakarewarewa and Lunch. This is where family members took survivors of the eruption as they endeavored to rebuild their lives. With the demise of the ‘Pink and White Terraces’, the ‘Whakarewarewa Village/Reserve’ became a showcase for the geothermal wonders of the district, and now ‘Tuhourangi/Ngati Wahiao’ are the guardians of Whakarewarewa's spectacular geothermal activity – ‘Pohutu’ and ‘Prince of Wales Geysers’, pools of boiling water and bubbling mud. The village is a living village where geothermal resources are still used for cooking, bathing, washing and processing the flax plant. Be entertained in 'song' and 'dance', as your hosts showcase their culture for you to enjoy.  Under the watchful eye of the ‘Whare Tupuna’ (ancestral house), Tuhourangi/Ngati Wahiao have adapted to this unique way of life as they once did at the Pink and White Terraces. Before leaving Rotorua, we take time out to see the "City Sights" of this famous and iconic destination of New Zealand. Your "Cultural legacy Trail" is about to come to a close as we leisurely make our way back to Tauranga and your Ship.   DURATION: 7 - 8 HOURS General information: This tour is suitable for all ages. Bottled water will be supplied on-board during the day. The 'Nature Walk' is classed as easy. Tour times are determined by the arrival and departure times of Cruise Ship. We will make sure you will be at the Cruise Ship on time for departure. All tours are escorted by Maori Guides / Chaperones Includes the following: Air-conditioned Coach Transport from and to Ship Bottled water onboard Live commentary  Maori Guide(s) / Chaperone(s) Kiwi Fruit Orchard visit & Cart Ride Rotorua Museum & Cinema  The Buried Village Lunch  Whakarewarewa Maori Village Geothermal & Geysers Maori Cultural Performance City Sights, Rotorua Good Service Tax  Schedule for the day's tour: Pick-up from the Ship Kiwi Fruit Orchard visit & Cart-ride Rotorua Museum The Buried Village Whakarewarewa Thermal Village Maori Cultural Performance Geothermal & Geyser activity City Sights Return to Ship

'WAITOMO CAVES TRAIL' - AUCKLAND

 ‘City Sights’ Auckland / Mt Eden Look-out / Waitomo Glow worm Caves / Kiwiana Show

On arrival in Auckland you will be met by your guide to board your 'Auckland – Waitomo Caves Trail'. Your guide will brief you of the day’s events before embarking on this trail.

Description: Your excursion starts with a ‘City Sights’ drive and a breif visit to the highest volcanoe in Auckland, ‘Mt Eden', taking in panoramic views of Auckland before heading south over the Bombay Hills into the ‘Mighty Waikato’ toward Waitomo. After stopping for morning tea, we arrive in Waitomo where an ‘underground boat-ride’ of the ‘Waitomo Caves’ waits. The ‘Waitomo Glow Worm Caves’ is a magnet for both local and overseas visitors. Thousands of tiny creatures radiate their unmistakable luminescent light in their cinema-like environment as expert guides provide informative commentary on the Caves historical and geological significance. On completion of this activity, lunch is scheduled thereafter you will be entertained at New Zealand’s first ‘Kiwi Culture Show', a combination of pioneer history and a farm show, you will see ‘sheep shearing’, ‘bush animals’, the ‘kiwi bear’ and the ‘dancing pig’. This show has it all!  … audience participation is also included! Our day is coming to a close as we make our way back toward Auckland and your Ship. DURATION: 7 - 8 HOURS General information: This tour is suitable for all ages. Bottled water will be supplied on-board during the day.  Tour times are determined by the arrival and departure times of Cruise Ship.  We will make sure you will be at your Cruise Ship on time for departure. This tour will be escorted by Maori Guides / Chaperones. Includes the following: Air-conditioned Coach transport from and to Ship Maori Guide / Chaperone Live commentary Bottled Water onboard Morning Tea  ‘Waitomo Caves’ – guided underground boat tour Lunch ‘Kiwiana Culture Show’ Good Service Tax Schedule for the day's tour: Pick up from the Ship ‘City Sights drive’ - Auckland ‘Mount Eden’ Look-out Morning Tea ‘Waitomo Glow worm Caves’ Lunch ‘Kiwiana Show’ Return to Ship

  Price: $ 650.00 NZD / person

>> BOOK NOW <<  

Terms and Conditions:

This 'Cruise package' - 'Four Shore Excursions of Distinctions' is for the following Port locations stated below:

• Dunedin
• Christchurch
• Tauranga/Rotorua
• Auckland

Bookings will be made on a 'First in Basis'.

In the event that your Ship should for any reason miss any of the Port(s) stated in this 'Cruise package' due to:

• bad weather,
• unforseen mechanical failure

Indigenous Trails will fully refund your monies.In the event of any other occurance forcing you to cancel, our standard   Cancellation Policy  applies.

This 'Price offer' expires 31 August 2009. Indigenous Trails reserves the right to extend this offer after the initial expiry date.

Payment:

• no deposit required
• payment can be made by credit card or cash on first port of arrival in New Zealand

Numbers for this 'Package':

Minimum numbers: 6

Maximum numbers: 20

What to bring for all tours:

• Sunhat / Cap
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Warm jacket 
• Raincoat
• Reasonable Walking Footwear
• Camera