We got the ticket for the full guided tour, dinner, and the show. It's pricy but we enjoyed it very…read moremuch and it's a unique experience. The tour starts with some quick stops at the traditional way the food is cooked and at a carved canoe to give a glimpse of Māori life. You get to see some kiwi birds, then cruise around the geyser area. Lots of lookouts and viewing sites. You finish the tour in the art center where the intricate carvings and weaving are done. Next is dinner. The buffet has a ton of meat (meat coma) along with vegetables, salads, desserts, etc. so many options. You are given a seating assignment so we conversed with folks from Denver and California. Funny we go all the way to New Zealand and end up hanging with folks from the US. Finally, you end with the show. It is well done. You get a good variety of battle, love, and storytelling songs. It was an educational and enjoyable experience.

Great place to learn about Maori culture. Highlights & Recommendations for Te Puia:…read more1) NZ Maori Arts & Crafts Institute (NZMACI) - A fascinating school that allows Maori adult students to study (tuition free) traditional crafts such as wood, stone, and bone carving and weaving, using tradtional methods. This allows the students to perpetuate Maori culture. Recommendation: NZMACI should offer classes (for a fee) for Pākehā (non-Maori people) who could also learn the techniques, and their fees would also help subsidize the school. The classes could range from the full course for NZ residents, to shorter courses for tourists. 2) Geyser- Spectacular! 3) Cultural Show - Interesting, Informative, Entertaining. Recommendation: Do a full Haka, and outside where everyone can see. Also, give a more full explanation of all the parts. 4) Maori Staff - All of the staff were superb! I was with Kia (sp?) and she very patiently answered all my many questions about the Maori language. Recommendations: I would like to have known a little about each Staff member- origin, tribe, etc. 5) Maori Culture- I cannot imagine a better place to learn about Maori culture! Recommendations: I would like to have known more about Maori tattoos - designs, placement, symbolism, etc. It's such a visible part od Maori culture that it should be featured. If it would be offensive to do so, I would withdraw this comment. Overall, and exceptional visit to a very entertaining place. Nga mihi!

Took our 15 month old with the wife and I and wow, way better than we thought it would be!…read moreThe majority of the toys/dolls are in interesting displays, such as wombles in a hill, shops, bars, etc. Also, it's not just for the girls, there's a massive train track taking up an entire wall, models, loads of boys toys and displays the guys will appreciate. To top it all off, the coffee is some of the best I've had, they obviously have spent a lot of time tuning the coffee machine, use of thermometers in the milk jug shows they really care. Scones are huge and tasty too, if you come just for the coffee in the magnificent stag hall, you won't be disappointed. The grounds are perfect for a picnic under the trees after a museum visit too.

The best way I can describe this place is the "Pompeii of New Zealand". I have to be honest to say…read moreI was not expecting more than another tourist trap, but it far exceeded my expectations! Firstly, the gift shop you enter the ladies are dressed in era appropriate garb and you automatically feel like you have kinda gone back in time a bit. So that was comforting. One of the nice ladies behind the register even gave me a bit of a "rainy day discount" since it was raining pretty hard at that point and she took pity on me. She also provided an umbrella upon request, which was very nice. You get an informative little laminated map card that tells you your route and all the things you are looking at. You start in the museum, which was one of my favorite parts! The Maori art they had in the museum were just incredible! Seriously, some of the woodworks were jaw-dropping in the grandeur of the piece and the ornate details. There is a piece below the story of the day the volcano erupted about the ghost war canoe that had me mesmerized for what felt like hours! It was just so beautiful and intricate! They did an excellent job explaining what happened, why the village was such a tourist hotspot prior to the eruption, and the aftermath. They even had handwritten excerpts from a journal of a family member who lost his family in the eruption that day. It was extremely poignant and I highly recommend taking your time to really appreciate the museum portion. There were a group of people who came in after me that literally just walked through it w/o even stopping once before going outside. The grounds are pretty spread out and you basically just see the excavation sites of the different features that existed in the village. Some have artifacts that were recovered on display, which are pretty neat, especially the bottles, tea cups, and welding tools. It is a bit somber. As you come to one of the last excavation sites, you start to walk along a stream and it is simply gorgeous! Because of the rain, I basically had the place to myself as the group that ran through the museum was long gone, and it was just very tranquil standing by the little waterfalls of the babbling brook with the sound of the rain on my umbrella. It was a great experience to have in a place like this. When you end the grounds tour you have a choice to hike down to a waterfall. This is a must! The waterfall is just wow and you can get right up to it! You hike down steps and dirt and then hike back up a different way, but the boardwalks by the waterfalls are just awesome! I had it to myself and it a pretty spiritual experience. I could have stood there in front of the initial thundering falls all day! The hike back to the visitor center is about 5mins and they have some great Maori inspired pieces and art work to purchase for souvenirs. All in all a great experience for the price of admission (with my discount it was $22US) and I left with a little trinket that will have sentimental value tied to that experience here!

So going to all the touristy places this is one that you definitely want to come and see. In 1886 a…read morevolcano my tarawera had erupted in the early hours of the morning and molten lava and mud had covered a little village. Recently excavations have happened and items and parts of buildings have been discovered and restored. You'll walk through a museum to see the history of the town and then walk outside and see buildings around. Eventually this will lead you down a path to a beautiful waterfall and great views of the lake below. Entrance to the museum and walk is about $50 for a family if 2 adults and 2 kids but it's well worth it. Also you'll need comfy and sterdy shoes for the walk to the waterfall preferably runners, and be relatively fit it has a lot of steps! But so good for the views

Magical city! Rotorua is located alongside a volcano crater lake, and a bunch of geothermally…read moreactive hot springs and geysers. This place is unlike any other town I've ever been to! How many other cities have steaming pools along the main road? The whole town smells of sulfur, mildly like rotten eggs. It's that volcanic activity! There's even a Best Western hotel along the main strip that has a fence that unexpectedly sprays hot steam out of it. The geothermal activity is everywhere here! Rotorua knows how to capitalize on it too- there's ample parks, Maori villages, Zorbing, a cable car, bungee jumping, and museums! This little town is quite the tourists' paradise. There things to keep everyone entertained on their trip to NZ. Rotorua is in the middle of Maori country, where there are lots of villages set up to receive tourists, feed them, and put on a bit of a show! There's plenty of spas, and places to relax in the hot springs, or go swimming in the lake. At the center of town, under the big clock tower is the tourism bureau where you can get info on what there is to see and do around town. They'll even book your tour for you. The city is clean, and felt safe.

Lovely little town in the middle of nowhere! They have sort of turned it into a tourist…read moretrap/destination of sorts with all kind of roadside attractions. It does have a relaxed feel to it, but we found the food to be quite uninspired with menus comprised of much fish and chips (and other fried foods). The best thing I ate here was a veggie burger. For such an agricultural area I was surprised salads and healthful eating have not really reached this busy little place. I didn't feel bad supporting the local Maori people by coming out to visit their land, but I thought the "adventure" parks all lined up along the main highway were a bit contrived.

Great local museum. See the natural and local history of the Taupo region. Māori and settler…read moreartefacts and stories. Loved the quirky 1960's caravan and the huge trout caught in the lake. Attached to art gallery, tranquil health garden and beautiful rose garden next door. Well worth the time.

A modest museum in a former courthouse. There are two rooms filled with various artifacts. It's…read moreworth a visit if you are in Cambridge. Admission is free.

We had no idea this place even existed until browsing the information in our hotel room. After…read morespending a few hours wandering around the museum, taking lots of photographs, and dreaming about taking one or two cars home.

We came Classics Museum today and it's not a happy experience. The sign in the museum are quite…read moreconfused . Some cars have the sign says 'keep out of the car' or'do not open the door'. So we followed the signs and chose to pop in one car without the sign. Suddenly，the staff noticed us we can't do that. We felt sorry for that and kept us off the cars immediately. After couple minutes, another family was yelled by the stuff and we were shorked by his bad manner. After our visit, we found the staff and advised him to tell other coming visitors clearly to avoid the misunderstanding. However, he said the sign was absolutely clear and he didn't need any further explanation with annoying attitude. If you like classic cars just like us，you can come and please notice that keep out of all the cars！！！All，all，all the cars. And you only need 30 mins not 60mins like they recommended on their website.

Very cool collection of old Kiwi building have been transferred to the site - a classroom, a…read morechurch, and others. The grounds are beautiful. Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area.