Instead of lining up to be piled like cordwood on one of the ship’s bus tours today, we chose to trust our first day in port to Paul of Tauranga Tasting Tours. It was a great choice, because we got personalized attention for about half of what the cruise ship passengers paid.
We got in early today — very, very early, in fact — and Paul was already waiting for us at the pier. Paul picked up a handful of other folks, then lit out for Rotorua, the geothermal wonderland of New Zealand. Along the way, he took us on a drive-by tour of multi-million dollar waterfront homes, let us get up close and personal with a kiwi fruit orchard, took a detour to a shady spot along a white water river, and even stopped the bus so a couple of the other people in our small group could photograph some honest to goodness New Zealand sheep.
But where Paul came in especially handy was outfoxing all the crowds on those pesky cruise ship busses. At every stop, we arrived long before the crowds appeared, swooping in, seeing the sights, and getting on our way before the unescorted hordes could gum up the works. As a result, we pretty much had the geysers and boiling mud pits at Te Puia all to ourselves and snagged front-row seats at the Maori cultural show there, too.
Meanwhile: at every stop, Paul took time to give us the historical and cultural details of each spot. In my experience, guides with Paul’s sense of how to scale information appropriately for his guests are rare. In every case, he gave us just enough information to keep us grounded and informed, but stopped before we ever felt lectured to or overwhelmed. He’s got that comfortable, easy-going Kiwi attitude … and good stories and jokes to boot.
We’re indebted to Jim Archer of Archer Tours, who, when he couldn’t accommodate us, pointed us to Paul. I’m glad to say that I’d recommend Paul, too — because he helped us make the very best of our limited time in Tauranga and Rotorua.
Add comment