Table of Contents
About
Rotorua city on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua from which the city takes its name. It is located in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand’s North Island. It is at a distance approx. 250 kms southeast of the nation’s most populous city, Auckland.
It is known for its geothermal activity, natural geysers and hot mud pools. There are very few places in the world where geothermal phenomena of such intensity, is as extensive and easily seen as here in Rotorua.
Rotorua’s volcanic activity has drawn visitors to the region for generations who enjoy exploring its spectacular thermal parks and attractions. Ardent explorers and adventurers are impressed and amazed by Rotorua’s geothermal features which include spouting geysers, bubbling mud pools and colourful sinter terraces. Rotorua is an adventure playground with a huge range of activities and attractions to enjoy. The stunning natural environment is the result of the surrounding volcanic landscapes, lakes, rivers forests and natural geothermal activities which attracts a lot of visitiors.
History and Culture
Rotorua is the heartland of New Zealand Māori culture. The Maori tribe are the original indigenous inhabitants of the New Zealand islands. The founder of Rotorua was a Māori explorer named Ihenga in the 14th century. The first Māori inhabitants arrived shortly after the island’s discovery from Eastern Polynesia.
Rotorua has been welcoming visitors for more than 200 years and is one of the original tourist destinations in New Zealand. A “special town district” was created in the 1880’s, in order to promote Rotorua’s potential as a tourist destination because of the presence of many geothermal hotspots, spouting geysers, boiling mud pools, warm geothermal springs and silica terraces.
Local Maori share their culture, history, music, art, language, and their homes. Whether it’s an encounter with a Maori guide, a hongi greeting, talking to a carver or weaver, eating indigenous food, experiencing traditional massage and spa treatments, hearing age-old stories, visitors can experience the heartwarming local Maori culture.
A ‘hangi’ (food cooked in an earth oven) and their cultural performances are few of the many popular ways to experience traditional Maori culture. There are also ways to explore contemporary Maori culture such as art, fashion, national school of wood carving, weaving, stone and bone carving.
Things ToDo in Rotorua
Wai-o-tapu Thermal Valley
Waiotapu, is an active geothermal area at the southern end of the Okataina Volcanic Centre, in New Zealand’s Taupo Volcanic Zone. It is 27 kilometres south of Rotorua.
Spread across 18 square kms, this geothermal landscape has many naturally forming hot springs and mud pools which is the result of thousands of years’ of earth’s crust’s natural activity. The dramatic geothermal conditions below the surface has resulted in the formation of spectacular colourful hot springs on the surface. It is a must to visit place when in Rotorua.
The whole area can be explored individually on foot or through one of the many guided tour service providers. The visitors can admire the bright orange and turquoise ‘champagne’ pool, bubbling mud, impressive volcanic craters, steaming fumaroles and bright silica terraces.
Te Puia
Situated five minutes from central Rotorua and spread over 70 hectares within the historic Te Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley. Te Puia is an iconic destination for visitors featuring the world famous Pohutu Geyser, boiling mud pools, hot springs, silica formations and local Māori cultural performances. It also houses the native Kiwi bird sanctuary surrounded by it’s natural habitat . You can also visit the national schools of wood carving, weaving, stone and bone carving. Te Puia is also home of New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute.
Overall Te Puia is the perfect destination to experience the geothermal wonders of New Zealand complemented by the exhibition of the local Maori culture and their age old traditions which also provides the opportunity to see the native Kiwi bird in it’s natural habitat. Thus making it must to visit attraction in New Zealand.
Hell’s Gate
Situated within Rotorua’s most active geothermal area, Tikitere, also known as “Hell’s Gate”, is a suburb in between Lake Rotorua and Lake Rotoiti in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.
It is one of the most active thermal parks in Rotorua and New Zealand’s only Mud Spa complex. It is the home to the Southern Hemisphere’s largest hot water waterfall as well as examples of land coral and large areas of sulphur deposits.
Hells Gate is the only place in New Zealand where you can soak and relax in an outdoor Mud Bath. Visitors can enjoy a mud bath or unwind in a Sulphur Spa overlooking a spectacular geothermal landscape, before cooling off in a beautiful spring-fed waterfall and plunge pool.
The geothermally heated mud pools are famous for it’s healing properties and people use it both for recreation and as a therapy. The mud pools at Hell’s Gate was historically used by Māori warriors to heal their battle-scarred bodies. Visitors can now use the nutrient-rich waters and mud to ease inflammation and arthritis, as well as rejuvenate the skin. The use of these mud pools for these natural healing properties is a has been a part of the Maori culture for more than 800 years.
The visitors have the option of experiencing it individually or with a guided tour. They may choose among the three types of mud pools namely Black Mud, Grey Mud and White Mud, depending on it’s healing properties.
Rotorua Redwood Forest
Redwood Forest is a forest of naturalised coastal redwood on the outskirts of Rotorua, New Zealand, adjacent to the Whakarewarewa thermal area. It is spread over 6 hectares and is part of the larger Whakarewarewa State Forest.
It has become the most popular for adventure trail for recreational use, containing mountain bike tracks and the Redwoods Treewalk canopy walkway suspended between the trunks of the redwood trees.
The Whakarewarewa Forest Track, which winds its way through the biggest Redwoods in the country, is one of the oldest mountain bike networks in the country, with master crafted trails, unbeatable riding surfaces, well draining volcanic soils, varying topography and fantastic scenery. All these topographical features has established Rotorua as a premier riding destination. among mountain bikers. A mountain biking haven, there’s a track here to suit everyone’s abilities.
For travellers who prefer to explore the region on foot there is Tikitapu/Blue Lake which is only a short drive from The Redwoods is, where you can enjoy a picturesque short walk around the lake and take in views of both lakes Tikitapu and Rotokakahi/Green Lake.
How to get to Rotorua
By Air – Rotorua Airport handles daily flights from Auckland, Wellington, Queenstown and Christchurch. There are twice-weekly flights from Sydney.
By Car – Rotorua is a direct 3.5 hour drive from Auckland and 6 hours from Wellington. This road trip in New Zealand is highly recommended for solo as well as couple travellers. From Taupo it’s just over an hour while from Tauranga it’s an hour 15 minute drive.
By Bus – You can also take advantage of the highly efficient nationwide coach operators to travel to Rotorua from neighboring cities.