Rotorua Tours
This article is a basic tourist guide to travel in Rotorua that highlights and evaluates the main sites in the district.
Introduction:
If I only had one day in the North Island of New Zealand and wondered where I should go that day, I would say Rotorua without hesitation.
This article is my personal guide to Rotorua from someone who has visited more times than I can remember and would visit again if given the chance. This article is not commercial and is intended to be general information.
To lease:
Rotorua is approximately 2.5-3 hours drive south of Auckland. Head south through Hamilton and Cambridge, or a quicker route through Mata Mata. Shortly after Cambridge turn left and take number 5 which will take you directly to Rotorua. Coming from Wellington head to Lake Taupo and take the number 5 to Rotorua. Train and bus routes also serve Rotorua.
Attractions:
Rotorua is a jewel in the North Island, with geothermal wonders, a center of Maori culture, parks, lakes, natural history and numerous modern attractions. Most visitors comment on the smell when they arrive. It’s hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg gas) and while it’s different at first, if you stick around for a long period of time, you’ll adjust and rarely even notice.
Geothermal Parks
Major geothermal parks in and around Rotorua include Whakarewarewa Thermal Area, Waimangu Volcanic Valley, Waitapu Thermal Paradise, Orakei Korako Geyser and Hell’s Gate. All of this requires payment.
What are you doing:
Visiting this site used to be standard fare on any visit to Rotorua. Unfortunately, the park has now been split into two parts, and I personally don’t think either site has enough to stand on its own. So what you used to get for one price of entry now costs two (warning). At the entrance to Hemo Road is the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute with its master carvers. It also includes a weaving house, a kiwi house and a Maori meeting house. Pohutu (big splash) and Prince of Wales Geyser are also on this side. (Prince of Wales Geyser so named because the 3 directions it shoots out resemble the feathers on the Prince of Wales crest.) At the entrance of Tyron street you have another meeting house where a cultural show is organized, a village, shops and some thermal pools, etc. Here too, outside of school hours, you can find the local Maori children willing to jump off the bridge into the stream in exchange for chasing your loose change thrown into it.
Waimangu Volcanic Valley:
A pleasant walk through a valley with numerous hot pools, lakes and, near the end of the track, the Warbrick Thermal Terrace, a multicolored silica terrace, probably the most colorful terrace in Rotorua. It’s worth a visit if you’ve already seen a few hot spring parks and want more, or if you want a more extensive tour, you can pair it with a boat tour. (see gallery for some photos courtesy of the Waimangu website). Pink and white terraces once existed in the area before the 1886 eruption.
Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland:
My personal favorite, about 20 min. south of Rotorua towards Taupo. Prepare to walk a bit. Numerous rainbow pools, the huge champagne pool, artists palette, sulfur vents, boiling mud, and a huge silica deck. If you arrive early in the morning, before 10am, a short drive will take you to Lady Knox Geyser which is activated once a day by feeding it soap, the cost of this is included in your admission (was $25 per adult) . Also on this trail is a natural mud pool which is the best display of boiling mud I’ve ever seen and it’s free.
The Orakei Korako Geyser:
Closer to Lake Taupo than Rotorua on a side road connecting Route 5 with the main Route 1. You need to take the ferry across the lake to start exploring the park. Like most parks, there are good trails that require you to walk to see mud pools, a large cave, the Emerald Terrace, and the largest silica spring in the country. It’s worth a visit if you’re passing through.
Hell’s Gate:
Another thermal park with lots of boiling stuff, including Adam’s frying pan, a mud volcano, hot waterfalls, and one of the few places I found where I could buy the multi-colored sand in a glass container (pretty nice). Once visited by Mark Twain, who said that he would gladly have paid for not having gone there. I will have to disagree; I think it’s worth the visit.
maori culture
Rotorua has many Maori attractions. These include Tamaki Maori Village (I have yet to visit). The New Zealand Institute of Maori Arts and Crafts (already mentioned), the Buried Village and numerous cultural performances and Hungi.
The buried town is what it seems, a half-buried town. During the 1886 eruption, several local Maori perished buried in the mud. Since then, part of the village has been excavated and rebuilt to give tourists an idea of a Maori village.
I haven’t been to Tamaki Maori Village so I can’t give a review.
If you really want to get a good taste of the food and hospitality of Maori culture, book one of the many parties and concerts put on by local hotels. The food, the music and the friendship are always top notch.
Other attractions
Rainbow Springs Park:
A nice park with trout as a centerpiece, beautiful crystal clear waters and a high mountain. Lovely walking trails and you can feed the fish. It also has a farm show attached.
Skyline Skyride:
The main reason to take this gondola ride is not just to get to the top to enjoy the view, the main reason is to ride the sleigh. Great fun, as long as you don’t fall off. They have a small working chair lift so you can ride the toboggan for as long as your budget allows.
Agrodome:
Everything you wanted to know about sheep. Surprising, a show about sheep and farming in New Zealand is interesting and entertaining.
Rotorua Art Museum:
One of the first buildings built in New Zealand solely with tourists in mind. Originally built as a bathhouse and hot water treatment center, it has now been converted. Good museum, but the highlight is the movie about the local history, sit back and be sure to wait – a total multimedia experience. Definitely must do. The building itself is one of the best examples of Edwardian design and is a work of art in itself. The surrounding gardens are always very well kept.
Wonders of nature
There are numerous things to do, totally free for nature lovers.
Huka Falls:
Just north of Lake Taupo on the M1 is Huka Falls and the world famous Huka Falls Lodge (for the nouveau riche of the world). Huka Falls itself is free for all. Near the beginning of the mighty Waikato River (New Zealand’s longest river) it is not the height of the falls, but the sheer volume of water passing through that is impressive, few people have jumped the falls and survived. Boat trips now run to the base of the falls for those who want a different perspective.
Whakarewarewa Forest Park:
On the way to the blue and green lakes. Contains beautiful stands of redwoods, trails for hiking and horseback riding. Redwoods are relatively young for trees, but they are already enormous in size.
Government Gardens:
Outside the Rotorua museum are manicured flower beds, rose gardens, bowling greens and more.
Kuirau Park:
Opposite the main hospital on Kuirau Street is Kuirau Park with numerous boiling pools and geothermal activities. It contains some foot pools to relieve sore feet and a playground with a miniature train. On my last visit there was a huge hole in the ground and several trees overturned or covered in mud due to a localized eruption. It is a reminder that the entire area is geothermally active and has the potential to be dangerous.
Blue and Green Lakes:
Just past Whakarewarewa Forrest Park is the blue lake, great for swimming or boating, clear water with a pumice bottom, those further out have a weed problem. Continue up the road for a view of Mount Tarawera. The green lake is off-limits and tapu (Māori for cursed, sacred, special) and no one is supposed to enter it.
Mount Tarawera:
For true adventure fans. Take the secondary road and go up Mount Tarawera. Enter the crater and run to the bottom at full speed. The huge crater was caused by the eruption on June 10, 1886, which destroyed the pink and white terraces and buried many villages.
Lakes:
The number of lakes is simply too many to mention. Ideal for trout fishing, boating or picnics. Some lakes even have black volcanic glass and/or pumice stone on their shores.
Hamurana sources:
If you want to see a beautiful spring-fed stream, it’s well worth a visit, pure water with a hint of blue flowing over a bed of white pumice. There’s also a nice stand of redwoods and I’d be surprised if you didn’t see any trout in the creek (no fishing, sorry).
This list is not exhaustive and, like any tourist destination, new places are always opening. I hope this gives you a basic list of things to do when you visit. To view images, go to the website in the resource box below.
