Lake Rotorua Tours

A great way to experience the wonders of Lake Rotorua and the surrounding area is to book one of the many tours available. With Rotorua City a very important destination for both domestic and international visitors, the tour options are plentiful on the water, in the forests, and in the air.

1 - Zip-Line Tours

A zip-line tour, also called a canopy tour, makes use of zip-lines, bridges, and platforms built in trees in order to provide a route through a forest, often in a mountainous landscape. Visitors are harnessed to a cable for safety. With heights varying from close to the ground to really high up near treetops, many of these tours are restricted to adults. 

Zip-line tours are popular around Lake Rotorua as well, and if you want to take such a journey through prehistoric native forest, the best option is Rotorua Canopy Tours. Explore the canopy on a network of ziplines, tree top platforms, cliff-walks, and swing bridges, and take in the beauty of nature at its best. Rotorua Canopy Tours offers tours for couples, for families, for groups, or for older adults.

2 - Boat Tours

As you might have guessed, there are several boat and jet boat tours available on the large Lake Rotorua. Some of the most popular experiences include:

- An adrenaline-pumped adventure on a jet boat at top speed around Lake Rotorua, which will take you to some iconic landmarks, such as Kawaha Point, Mokoia Island, and Sulphur Bay. This tour is provided by Katoa;

- A cruise on Lake Rotorua aboard the only paddlewheel boat on Lake Rotorua, provided by Lakeland Queen. You can choose between an 1-hour breakfast cruise or an 1-hour lunch cruise on this authentic replica of a Mississippi River paddle boat, and see beautiful sights such as Kawaha Point, Mokoia Island, and Sulphur Bay at a leisurely pace;

- Mokoia Island tours, which will take you to the beautiful forested wildlife sanctuary that is Mokoia Island. You will be able to do a short hiking tour of the island, which is home to many species of birds, including some endangered ones. Tours to Mokoia Island are also provided by Katoa;

- Go aboard a World War II amphibious vehicle, which can travel on both land and water, with Rotorua Duck Tours. This tour will first take you on land through Rotorua City, before splashing down into Lake Tikitapu and Lake Okareka.

3 - Helicopter and Floatplane Tours

If you want to take your adventure to the air, you will be able to do so through Volcanic Air, which offers various experiences such as a 15-minute crater lakes flight by floatplane, a 15-minute crater lakes flight by helicopter, but also helicopter and floatplane tours of Mount Tarawera.

4 - Paddleboard Tours

If you want to get closer to the water, you can try paddleboard tours and experience the grace of surfing combined with the power of paddling. Explore, surf, work out, and relax, all at once. Rotorua Paddle Tours is one of the most important providers of paddleboard tours in Rotorua, offering tours through Ohau Channel, but also Lake Rotoiti and Lake Tikitapu.