After a fairly soggy visit to Auckland during our 14-day Princess cruise aboard the Royal Princess, we awoke the next morning in Tauranga, in the Bay of Plenty, to a brisk breeze and lovely sunny blue skies. Here again we chose to embark on a Viator shore excursion, as the sights we wanted to see were quite a distance from the immediate port area. The Bay of Plenty is known (as you might have guessed from the name) as a fertile agricultural area, particularly for its cultivation of kiwifruit. It also provides a gateway to the interior region famous for its geothermal activity. Our Rotorua Highlights tour promised to give us a taste of all of that and more.

Of all the ports we visited, I would have to say Tauranga was the prettiest. The cruise berth lay right alongside a low, narrow peninsula that ended with Mount Maunganui, a forested terminal punctuation mark with paths that traverse its slopes, making it a popular hiking destination. The peninsula was lined with vacation homes and low condo buildings, as the area proves popular with visitors who enjoy the long white-sand beaches and all kinds of water sports and recreation. Our motorcoach driver and guide traded off a narration that provided information about the settlement of the area and present-day details, including the high and ever-rising price of homes here.

We gradually transitioned from residential and city neighborhoods to more rural scenes, eventually gaining elevation as we rose above the coastal plain and into the mountains. After about an hour, having wound past Lake Rotorua and learning more about the volcanic eruptions that had shaped the land, and some of the Māori legends and stories related to the landforms we saw, we arrived at our first stop. Located just 5 minutes from the center of Rotorua town, part of the extensive Whakarewarewa Forest holds a rather surprising stand of California coastal redwood trees.

These are only about 125 years old, so not as large as those that tower along the coast about 90 minutes from where I live, but they are impressive nonetheless, as the climate here allows for rapid growth. Originally planted with the intention of being part of a plantation for lumber production, the grove instead was dedicated as a memorial to service members who died in the world wars, and in the 1970s it was opened to the public. It now offers trails for horseback riding, mountain biking and hiking and multiple camping sites. There’s also a very popular elevated Treewalk, allowing visitors to walk above the forest floor and high among the branches.

We did not partake of the Treewalk, but we did enjoy a tasting of manuka honey and a variety of kiwifruit under the trees. Manuka honey is believed to have many health benefits, and we learned it is DNA-tested and government-regulated to guarantee the percentage of actual manuka nectar in the honey, with prices growing proportionally higher as the percentage increases. We also sampled both green and golden kiwi and learned a little more about how it came to be grown in New Zealand (originating in China). We found the golden kiwi to be especially sweet and learned that a red kiwi has been developed, though it is still fairly rare.

After a quick lunch in a food court in a mall (not very atmospheric, but an efficient way to feed a busload of people), we made our way to the edge of town and the Whakarewarewa Living Māori Village, located at the Te Pula geothermal preserve. Descendents of the original iwi (tribe) that have provided New Zealand’s oldest continuous Māori tourism experience (since the late 19th century) live here, their families inhabiting this spot for over 200 years. A local resident guide welcomed us at the memorial arch that marked the boundary of the village and led us up through the narrow streets, explaining how the residents live among and use the steaming vents, hot springs and pools in their daily lives. There was a sulfurous smell that hung in the air, and the heat and steam made a warm day even warmer. We stopped to admire the elaborately carved meeting house at the center of the village, its figures relating ancestral history and stories. We viewed a covered pit in which residents cook their meat and moved on to a steaming pool where a mesh bag in the water held cobs of corn. After cooking for about 10 minutes there, they were pulled out and served up to us. We learned many of the small homes scattered throughout the village don’t have full kitchens, as Mother Nature provides these facilities instead. We also visited the communal bathhouses, where the hot water from the springs follows channels inside the buildings.

We passed brightly colored cottages and small storefronts and the school building, where primary-aged children are taught in Māori before transfering to the public schools in town. We also passed through the cemetery, learning that the tombs had to be above ground due to the heat from the earth. Active geysers edge the town, creating stairsteps of white mineral deposits. The largest geyser, Pōhutu, meaning “Big Splash,” erupts up to 20 times per day, but it was just gently steaming when we observed it. We ended our visit with a lively half-hour cultural performance with men and women performing the haka and demonstrating stick games and sharing other dances and songs. Our front-row seats gave us a close-up opportunity to observe the costumes and tattoos of the dancers.

On our way back to our ship, we made a few quick stops. The first offered a view of some waterfalls on the Kaituna River, a favorite of kayakers and whitewater rafters. It was clear why this region is so popular with outdoor enthusiasts.

We also pulled over to get a close-up view of a kiwi plantation. The fruit was still a few weeks away from harvest, but the vines were crowded with the golden fruit. It was interesting to see the system of cables and posts which supported the vines and allowed sunlight to reach the fruit, and I imagined how uncomfortable it would be to crouch under the 4- to 5-foot-high canopy to pick it.

We returned at last to the ship, our heads filled with stories of the Māori, images of steaming pools and lush forests, and lingering tastes of sweet honey and kiwi. We sailed away past Mount Maunganui and a host of sailboats in the harbor, appreciating these final views of the aptly named Bay of Plenty.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor