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Rotorua & Taupo Explore New Zealand, Australia & Fiji!tune
Join us for a relaxing cruise along the magnificent Lake Taupo aboard The Ernest Kemp, a beautiful vintage replica steamboat!
Highlights
- Experience an amazing two hour cruise along the spectacular Lake Taupo!
- Enjoy your cruise in a beautiful vintage replica steam boat
- Visit the famous Maori Rock Carvings
- Enjoy complimentary tea, coffee and cookies!
Lake Taupo, one of the largest freshwater volcanic craters in the world, is home to the famous Maori Rock Carvings.
Only accessible by boat, we will get you the closest to these incredible 10 metre high carvings which tower high over New Zealand’s largest lake. Learn about the spiritual and cultural significance of the area from your skippers interesting and informative commentary.
With comfortable seating both inside and out, bathroom facilities and a licensed bar, we’ll ensure your cruise on the Ernest Kemp will be warm and comfortable. Your skipper even welcomes you to join him in the wheelhouse and take a turn at the wheel! Bring a towel as there may be an opportunity for a swim *at skippers discretion.
The Ernest Kemp cruise is an enjoyable outing and a great way to see the Maori Rock Carvings and to get out onto Lake Taupo.
Cruise Duration:
10:30am, 2pm, 5pm and 7pm = 2 hour (approx).
9:00am, 12:30pm, 4:30pm = 1.5 hour (approx).
All prices are shown inNZD ($)
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult -$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$11.00
- Adult -$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$11.00
- Adult -$31.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$11.00
- Adult -$31.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$11.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$15.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$10.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$15.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$15.00
- Adult$27.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$15.00
Authenticated Reviews & Photos All of our reviews are from people who have booked and paid for this activity thru Bookme
Showing all 1734 authenticated Bookme reviews
Verity fromNew Zealand wrote on 27 August 2025
NEW Maori rock carvings
Perfect day for a pleasant trip on the Lake. Carvings a bit disappointing when we'd thought they were ancient, but were only a few years old! Sparse commentary as we went. Otherwise good.
From Ernest Kemp - Lake Taupo and Maori Rock Carvings Cruise
Hi Verity, thank you for your feedback and for joining us on our cruise. We’re glad you enjoyed the beautiful day on the lake. While the carvings are relatively recent, they represent an important and meaningful tribute to Māori culture and heritage, making them just as fascinating. We appreciate your comments about the commentary and will work to improve it with more detailed and engaging narration. We hope you have a lovely day!
varinderj fromNew Zealand wrote on 22 August 2025
The Ernest Kemp cruise was absolutely fantastic!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Ernest Kemp cruise was absolutely fantastic! The vintage replica steamboat itself is full of charm and made the whole experience feel unique and special. The staff were warm, welcoming, and very knowledgeable, sharing fascinating stories about Lake Taupo and the history of the Māori rock carvings. The cruise was smooth and relaxing, with plenty of time to take in the breathtaking scenery. The highlight, of course, was getting up close to the Māori rock carvings – such an incredible cultural and artistic treasure. Complimentary tea, coffee, and biscuits onboard were a lovely touch too. Highly recommend this cruise to anyone visiting Taupo – it’s the perfect mix of relaxation, culture, and history. A must-do experience!
From Ernest Kemp - Lake Taupo and Maori Rock Carvings Cruise
Thank you Varinderj! We appreciate you taking the time to write this wonderful review. We’re absolutely thrilled to hear that you had such a fantastic experience with the warm hospitality of our crew and the trip itself. It’s always a pleasure to know our guests enjoy learning about the history. We’re happy to hear you enjoyed our services. Thank you for your kind recommendation. We hope you have a wonderful day!
julies52 fromNew Zealand wrote on 18 August 2025
Something for everyone
What an interesting cruise. Great history, humour and facts. Throughly enjoyed this and what a spectacular day.
From Ernest Kemp - Lake Taupo and Maori Rock Carvings Cruise
Thank you so much, Julie! We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed the cruise and had a spectacular day. Have a lovely day!
joannem17 fromNew Zealand wrote on 13 August 2025
Good trip
Very impressive trip, 2 very friendly ducks and awesome carvings. If I could fault anything it would be that the windows needed cleaning, it was hard to see anything through them. Very friendly boat staff, would recommend
From Ernest Kemp - Lake Taupo and Maori Rock Carvings Cruise
Thanks for your kind review Joanne! We're glad you enjoyed the trip, the ducks, and the carvings. We appreciate your note about the windows and will keep that in mind for future improvements. Have a lovely day!
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IAN BROWN fromNew Zealand wrote on 29 August 2025
A most tranquil interlude
We thought we'd take it down a notch or two and cruise the lake before skiing the next day. Nice surprise. An interesting trip with the carvings as the highlight but traveling close to the shore meant you took in a lot of the uniqueness of this stunning lake. Well catered for with wine, beer and nibbles. And Captain Haddock was informative while not intrusive. Will do it again