smac
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Rotorua ▷
Te Pō Maori Cultural Experience and Dinner
Know going in that this is a "touristy" thing to do.
That said, it felt fairly authentic and because it is Maori owned, proceeds go to the facility. The weaver and carver craft institute was wonderful, keeping the traditional crafts alive. We were pleasantly surprised at how good the meal was. The performance was also very good. Our only disappointment was that our young guide through the geyser area was not as well informed as he could have been about Maori history and native flora/fauna, although in his defense we did ask pretty in-depth questions. Perhaps an older guide might know more. That said, he was very engaging. We would highly recommend this experience if you have only limited time in Rotorua as we did.
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Auckland ▷
Budget Rent a Car
We had EXCEPTIONAL service from the Budget Rent-a-Car people at all service points: the Blenheim airport terminal, the Picton Ferry drop off, the Wellington downtown pickup, and the Auckland airport drop
off. Every single employee we had contact with was friendly, professional, competent and helpful. The cars were clean and what we had reserved. The service was vastly superior to any we've received from any car rental firm anywhere else in the world. We will only rent from Budget on future visits in New Zealand.