Excellent trip ...walk through the bush so enjoyable with Paul’s knowledge and humour making the excursion a real experience. Great for all ages ...driving the rail carts a real novelty ....highly recommend doing.

I had the pleasure of joining the owner of Awakeri Rail Adventures for a trip during a visit to the area during October. The tour was much more interesting as you have complete control of your car unlike others rail tours I have taken with cars that are computer controlled. The tour guide - owner was super friendly and thoughtful as we stopped along the trip for an informative short trek through the bush and also for an animal feeding, as well as refreshments at another venue. The trip was really most enjoyable, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to have an entertaining few hours.

Lots of fun, feeding the chooks, the bush walk and the cuppa, all stops along the way. Self drive the carts. very informative and low key. great for families also.

Fantastic trip with Paul, a very pleasant and knowledgable man. Loved the ride and the forest walk.

Really loved the experience. Great guide.

Well set up and organised - not spectacular scenery but not many railways are! Patrick the guide was very relaxed but professional.

A great day of memories for me personally as I am a retired NZR Loco Engineer who drove trains on the Awakeri line. Paul and his team have done a terrific job, looking after our NZ history. Recommended to everyone to take the journey.

Super activity to do with the grandkids or without them! Paul is an awesome tour guide, engineer, health & safety officer, tea maker and entertainer!!

George was a wonderful pilot and seems to have a lot of flying experience ! He took us over the volcanoes with lots of interesting informations, and always gave me time to translate for my parents. The plane was comfortable and we didn’t have to wait at the beginning. George gave us lots of information about what to do for the next days, and always with a big smile. He is highly recommendable, and the flight lasted 1 hour and 50 minutes, awesome !!!! You need to do this if you are in N.Z. !!

This tour is an absolute must do. Not only is this tour the only way that you can get up Mt Tarawera, it is also a real privilege to be able to walk up there. We had two guides who shared lots of information with us as we went around. They were kind and very patient. In our group there were young and old people. One person was afraid of heights. So one guide stayed back with them and gently encouraged them. The other guide went on ahead with the rest of the group. No one was left behind and no one was held up. It was really really good. Together everyone was able to complete the walk. From the top we were able to see Whakaari ( White Island) , whale island, Tongariro, Ngaruhoe and Mt Ruapehu.... amazing Loved it and would definitely do it again.

This was our first ever guided group hike, but it exceeded expectations. The trip started with a one-hour drive on roads that become quite bumpy as you ascend. This was followed by 1.5-2 hrs of hiking, which provided brief workouts on a couple ascents. Tour guides were friendly and knowledgeable of the geology and area culture. The mountain displayed rich earth-tone colours and scenic views of the volcano and area. A steep scree slope provided a fun descent and the guides insured the two children descended safely. Suggest hikers wear pants to keep rocks out of your boots, and bring hiking poles if you own them. The group pace was slow which allowed time to soak up the views. Recommend this as a relatively easy Alpine hike on a dormant volcano. If you are less fit, we saw groups coming via helicopter.

Unfortunately it was wet and visibility was poor, but we still enjoyed the experience. Even though you couldn't see much you still got a good sense of the power and history of this mountain.

This walk was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever done. We had a perfect day. It was a bit cloudy at the beginning but then the sun came and we could see unique landscapes. Our tour guide Dan was amazing! He knew a lot and told us all the history of this place. He also showed us the different types of rocks you could find there and ALWAYS checking on us (He was also really patient because we stopped a lot to take pictures haha). A must do if you’re around Rotorua. I definitely recommend doing this. I can’t wait to come back :)

Would highly recommend this hike, it was fairly easy going with a bit of rock climbing up the Hillary stairs. The 360 degree views from the summit are amazing so definitely aim for a clear day! I was a bit unsure about the scree decent into the crater but the guides gave some good tips and once I got the hang of it this part was lots of fun! Even the van ride to the car park is an adventure (just make sure you empty your bladder first lol).

Not an easy hike, but it was explained clearly, with the challenges of each section outlined. Guide was fairly inexperienced but clearly well trained, and there was a very experienced guide also on hand. Well worth doing!!!