Lake Taupo - Maori Rock Carvings Package (Mountain Biking & Kayaking)

We got incredibly lucky with having a beautiful sunny day out on the water, and very calm conditions. The whole experience was food for the soul, made even more magical by the carvings. They truly are a magnificent sight. Loved the opportunity to stop halfway and enjoy a refreshing swim in the lake. The best part however, was the generous and insightful conversation with our tour guide ‘Legend’ along the way. Learning about the rich history of the lake, the surrounding whenua and it’s people was remarkable. Would highly recommend !

Our guide Brett was fun and professional! Also met Lisa, the owner. Both were so friendly! Mountain biked for the first time in my life! Great views for both the mountain bike and kayaking! Loved being on lake Taupo! And lunch was delicious!

WARNING! Only for serious Mountain Bikers! When I signed up for this trip with my daughter, the title of this new tour did not include the word Mountain bike.The description makes it seem as if any tourist would enjoy a day on the trail With a mountain bike, but doesn't explain the difficulty. As we began the journey, we discovered that we were heading up EXTREME hills. We had to walk them up most. What goes up, must come down, and that was even more difficult! The path is very bumpy, very narrow with sharp S-curves and sharp drop-offs over the edge. I was scared for my life! My daughter enjoyed the adrenaline rush, but she is an athlete.I fell multiple times, got the wind knocked out of me, and ended up with scrapes and bruises all over. I am pretty athletic and in very good shape, but this is not a trip for those who have never or rarely ever mountain-biked.Or for moms who are trying to have a memorable day with their daughter! I gave up towards the last 2 kilometers and walked the bike back down. On a positive note, I survived and the rest of the day was nice. Lunch was delicious and there was plenty to go around. Kayaking on Lake Taupo was great. We each sat in the front of the kayak with a guide in the back. Four hours of kayaking was exhausting, but the views and seeing the Maori carvings were worth it. We had a nice picnic stop to finish up what we didn't eat at lunch time. Our guides, Ryan, Andy and Jake were lots of fun and very talkative. I think they felt bad for me with all the falls, but I take partial blame for not researching the bike trails beforehand. They took lots of photos of our trip, but I never did receive them. If possible, there should be an option to duck-out of the biking trails if it becomes too much, or have alternate bike trails for the beginner / intermediate skill level participants. This should be done for safety reasons too. I'm giving this tour a 4-Star, because even though I had a tough time, it would be a blast for those who have the experience to handle the trip.