Walking Legends is based in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand’s North Island. Rotorua City is our nearest service town so this is where our mainland tours begin and end.
We have 7 North Island guided hiking tours – these are the standard pick-up and drop-off locations, below, that are available for each. We are the only North Island guided hiking company that accesses all of these locations.
For large, private groups we’re happy to make special pick-up arrangements, please enquire about your particular needs.
Pick Up and Drop Off Locations
Tour | Picks up from | Drops off to |
| Bucket List Walk | Rotorua or Matamata | Turangi, Taupō or Matamata |
| Great Barrier Island Escape | Great Barrier Island | Great Barrier Island |
| Coromandel Explorer | Rotorua or Matamata | Rotorua or Matamata |
| Waikaremoana Discovery Tour | Rotorua | Rotorua |
| Tongariro Hiking Tour | Rotorua, Taupō or Turangi | Rotorua, Taupō or Turangi |
| Tongariro Northern Circuit | National Park Village | National Park Village |
| Taranaki Discovery Tour | Rotorua | Rotorua |
When Should I Arrive?
Our tours start first thing in the morning. If you’re on a tour that is departing from Rotorua we recommend you arrive the day beforehand and spend the night in Rotorua. We’ll send you a list of helpful places to stay in your booking confirmation email.
When Should I Arrive for the Great Barrier Island Escape walk?
If you’re flying into Auckland and then connecting with a local flight to Great Barrier Island on the same day, we recommend a healthy window of time to complete the connection. Auckland Airport recommends at least 3 hours in order to clear customs, transfer to the domestic terminal, then check in for your Barrier Air flight.
Barrier Air requires all passengers to check-in at least 60 minutes before a flight. Their check-in closes 30 minutes before departure.
You can find more information on navigating between the International and Domestic Terminals at Auckland Airport.
Arriving by air
If you’re flying into New Zealand, please note that Rotorua Airport is not an international airport. If you’re landing in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch or Queenstown you’ll need to get a connecting domestic flight to Rotorua from there.
City of Departure | Arriving | Duration (approximate) |
| Auckland to | Rotorua | 45 minute flight |
| Wellington to | Rotorua | 60 minute flight |
| Christchurch to | Rotorua | 1 hour, 30 minute flight |
Getting from Rotorua Airport into Rotorua City
Rotorua Airport is a small regional airport located approximately 10 minutes drive from central Rotorua. There are taxis and shuttles available to take you into the city as well as a local bus service. There is no rail connection between the airport and the city centre.
There are a number of rental car offices located within Rotorua Airport, but these are not staffed 24 hours a day so we recommend you book any rental cars before you land.
Arriving by Car
If you’d like to drive yourself to Rotorua to meet us, you’re most welcome to do so. We don’t have any dedicated parking facilities in Rotorua so we recommend:
- Parking your vehicle at Rotorua Airport
- Selecting a pre-tour accommodation location that is happy to have your vehicle parked on site while you’re out walking with us, like the Novotel Lakeside Hotel or the Ibis Rotorua.
You’re also welcome to drive yourself to meet us in any of our tour locations, for example, you might like to drive yourself to meet us in New Plymouth or the Tongariro National Park. Depending on how Day 1 of the itinerary is planned, you may miss the first or last walks, so please get in touch if you think you’d prefer to do this and we can explain how that might affect your tour experience.
Arriving by bus
Rotorua City is well-connected via the Intercity bus service. Here’s where you can view and book tickets with Intercity.
Arriving by train
There is no passenger train service to Rotorua.
Getting To Great Barrier Island
If you’d like to join us on the Great Barrier Island Escape walk, the easiest way to get to the island is to fly with Barrier Air. Barrier Air has regular departures from Auckland Domestic Airport, in Mangere, Auckland.
Barrier Air also offers departures from Tauranga, Whitianga, Kaitaia; and North Shore Airport, Auckland, though these smaller centres often have fewer flights that aren’t well-timed with the beginning of the Great Barrier Island Escape walk and therefore may require either a night spent on the island before or after the tour. We can happily make recommendations to you on where to stay on the island before or after your walk with us.
Our reservations team can book flights on your behalf that are well-timed with the tour. You’re most welcome to make your own flight bookings as well. You can book online through either Barrier Air’s direct website, or through Go Great Barrier, the main tourism ticketing agent or Aotea/Great Barrier Island.
There is also the SeaLink ferry which departs Hamer St Wharf in downtown Auckland and arrives at either Port Fitzroy or Tryphena on Great Barrier Island. This ferry tends to be more of a cargo & vehicle ferry, but passengers are very welcome. If you’d like to travel to Great Barrier Island on the SeaLink ferry, please plan an additional day either side of your tour for ferry travel. We strongly recommend travel insurance to cover you or any cancelled sailings due to inclement weather, and for any unforeseen additional costs that may be incurred by either a delayed arrival to, or an extended stay on, the island.
Aotea/Great Barrier Island is a remote, off-shore location – for all the tips and tricks on visiting Great Barrier Island check out our handy guide; “How To Visit Great Barrier Island.”
For more information on your particular situation, please contact our friendly team on:
NZ Freephone 0800 925 569
AUS Freephone 1 800 646 584
International 0064 7 533 3157
Or send an email to [email protected]