Hells Gate Geothermal, Mud & Sulphur Spa
Tauranga, New Zealand
- 6 to 8 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
What's Included
- Bottled water
- Snacks
- Lunch
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Port of Tauranga Ltd2 Salisbury Avenue, Mount Maunganui 3116, New Zealand
Meet at the TINO PAI TOURS sign board on the grassy mound directly opposite the port gates by the flag pole.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Arranged start time
Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.
Select your preferred tour option to see hours.
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Itinerary
1
Hell's Gate Geothermal Reserve & Mud Spa
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
2
Government Gardens
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Redwoods, Whakarewarewa Forest
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Comfortable footwear is recommended
- Bathing at Hells Gate is not recommended for pregnant travelers
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Our guide was very nice and knowledgeable. She made stops along the way to enhance our experience and explained all the beautiful things we were seeing. The spa itself was also something really neat to do. Highly recommend.
Reviews
3.8
based on 10 reviews
Great day on this small group tour (12 people) with Maria our driver and guide. Maria was very knowledgeable about the region and was really friendly. we had a brief stop at the redwood forest, then made our way into Rotorua for a scenic drive and a stop at the Government Gardens to see the beautiful building and flowers. Then onto the fun at the mud baths of Hells Gate. There was an option of a self-guided or guide-led tour of the site before jumping into the mud pools. Then a relaxing time in the hot springs. Beware of the rude staff at the cafe at Hells Gate - not a great experience with them. There was also a breif stop at a Kiwi fruit farm to view how this delicious fruit is grown. Then it was back to the ship at Tauranga/Mt Maungunui. Fantastic Day!
Response from Host, Nov 2026
Kia ora and thank you so much for the fantastic review. It is pleasing to hear you had such an enjoyable day exploring the Redwoods, Government Gardens, and the Hell's Gate mud baths with us. Maria loves sharing her knowledge of the region and making our group tours special. We also appreciate your feedback regarding the cafe staff at Hell's Gate; while they operate independently of our tour, we take our guests' experiences seriously and will certainly pass this feedback along to their management team.
Thank you for choosing us for your shore excursion, and we hope to welcome you back to our shores.
Left my jacket there and they tried to extort $40 to send it back to me even though it was a $20 jacket. Also, I would not advise anyone to go into those sulfur pits as you will never get the smell out of your clothes or nostrils. I wish I was joking but it's true.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Thank you for your feedback. We’re glad to hear that Hell’s Gate staff were able to locate your jacket. Please note the shipping cost was quoted directly by Hell’s Gate and reflects their international postage rates which are consistent with New Zealand Postal rates. We have always found the Hell’s Gate team to be friendly and professional, and there was certainly no intent to overcharge.
Regarding the sulfur and mud pools, these are natural features of the geothermal park and the strong smell is part of that environment. We do advise guests that the smell can cling to clothing and recommend bringing suitable gear. Hireage options are also available on-site, and Hell’s Gate staff provide a full orientation on arrival, including guidance on what to expect before entering the pools. We appreciate you sharing your experience.
Very informative and nice tour with impressive experiences.
Hell gates and glowworms are both worth visiting.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Kia ora and thank you for choosing Tino Pai Tours. Hells Gate is impressive so glad you thought so too. Thank you for your positive feedback I will be sure to pass it on. Delighted you enjoyed your day with us. Safe travels.
The tour operator was very unorganised. We were told to join the tour but were not told that this would leave us no time to experience the actual mud bath which is what we paid to experience.
The tour operator then lied to us and said that she received notification from cruise liner that we were with advising that the ship was leaving earlier and rushed us to leave. When we got back to our ship, we found out that the ship was leaving at the scheduled time. We then realised that the tour operator lied to us as she wanted to leave early.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you for your feedback. We would like to provide clarification regarding the events and decisions made during your tour.
You arrived at Hell’s Gate at approximately 2:00pm. Upon arrival, the driver provided a briefing advising that the planned departure from Hell’s Gate would be around 5:00pm. While the tour description allocates approximately two hours at Hell’s Gate, on this occasion we allowed closer to three hours at the site.
The Hell’s Gate guides also conducted a briefing, outlining approximately one hour for the walk, around 20 minutes in the mud pools, and advising that the remaining time could be spent in the sulphur pools.
At approximately 4:30pm, we received notification of deteriorating weather conditions approaching the port, along with advice that your ship would be required to disembark earlier than originally scheduled. Based on this information, I instructed all drivers that vehicles were to return to port to ensure passengers arrived safely and on time.
According to the port schedule, the ship did depart earlier, and all passengers were returned to port safely only minutes before the storm began. The total time spent on the tour that day was approximately seven hours, which is consistent with the advertised 6–7 hour duration.
Passenger safety is our highest priority, and we work closely with port authorities to ensure guests are returned safely and in a timely manner, particularly when weather conditions change unexpectedly.
Our guide was great and the mud bath was great but we felt rushed because the only lunch available was a very slow snack bar at Hells Gate. I recommend the tour incorporate a quick lunch before instead of the garden stop so that the soaking time isn’t rushed. Otherwise 10/10
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Kia ora Teresa, many thanks for choosing Tino Pai Tours. We will take the suggestion about lunch on board thank you. The baths are great and super relaxing so glad you enjoyed the experience. NZ has alot to offer hope you get to see more of it.
Our guide was very nice and knowledgeable. She made stops along the way to enhance our experience and explained all the beautiful things we were seeing. The spa itself was also something really neat to do. Highly recommend.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Kia ora Quinn, many thanks for choosing Tino Pai Tours. Wonderful to hear you enjoyed your tour with us. Sherril really does deliver for her passengers. The spa is lovely a very popular tour this year. We hope to see you again.
No information upfront on what to bring and what to expect. No overview before the trip began. Very difficult to plan and anticipate anything. Glorified taxi service at best.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry you felt unprepared and didn’t receive enough information before or at the start of the tour. We’re reviewing our communication and briefing process to ensure guests know exactly what to bring and what to expect. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and will use it to improve future experiences.
As a cruise passengers this was an amazing experience to see beautiful vicinities of Tauranga and Rotorua and experience Hell’s Gate geothermal wonders and mud spa. Comfortable vehicles (Mercedes Sprinter Van). Our guide Greg was very energetic and knowledgeable and everything went smoothly and efficiently.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Kia ora Leo and thank you for choosing Tino Pai Tours. You are correct in that Rotorua is a must see with so much on offer. Greg has recently joined our team so he will be very happy to hear your wonderful review. We hope to see you on NZ shores again.
Hell’s Gate mud bath was fun, glow worm tour was interesting. Small group size made it very enjoyable.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Kia ora Kevin, thank you for choosing Tino Pai Tours and for your kind words. Hells Gate is truly a gem of Rotorua amongst many others. Maybe next time you will have longer in Port and we can show you the extras. Many thanks.
Member Pricing
From
$157.95
per personWas $166.27(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Hells Gate Geothermal, Mud & Sulphur Spa
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