My first trip to Rotorua was a short stop on my Kiwi Bus Pass. This time I went down with 5 friends for a couples weekend. We rented a nice house on a lake and did some new activities that I have to share!
View from our deck off Lake Rotoehu
- Redwood Forest: For all ages and activity levels, this park can see mountain bikers to walkers. Stroll any of the paths and find natural beauty everywhere you look. The park is free but there is a “Tree Walk” that is elevated in the height of the trees for a nominal cost. You can do the “Tree Walk” day or night, however I would suggest night as they light up the forest.
Immersed in the trees
Legit no filter
- Eat STEAT: A pedestrian street downtown, there are lots of options to eat and drink. Don’t worry, there is ample parking around. Just be sure you pay the meter during posted hours.
- SKYLINE, Gondola, Luge and much more: For the best view of Rotorua, lake and surrounding area, go up the gondola and have a meal at one of 3 restaurants at the top. This area is very family friendly, as they also have the luge tracks. From “Scenic” to “Advanced,” there are three tracks. You will need to wear a helmet (provided) and take a test run, but after that you can go as many times as you like (after paying of course). I thought it was somewhat scary as you can go very fast, but it was pretty cool to see people of all ages and sizes get into it! There are deals for the gondola ride to the top of the hill and then a certain amount of luge rides. After the luge down the hill you take a ski lift back up the hill. This also offers some great views of the trees, tracks and wildlife.
THE Rotovegas Sign
You could also bring up your mountain bike and do some trails down the hill, zip-lining or stargazing!
- Hells Gate Geothermal Park: Maori’s have been bathing here for over 700 years. Around 650 years ago it began being called Tikitere, in honor of a young Princess who threw herself into the boiling water to remove the shame of her people (her husband and Chief was abusive). In the early 1900’s the local Maori allowed the grounds to keep the English name after an atheist visited. It was changed to “Hells Gate” after George Bernard Shaw, a British playwright, was so taken aback from the thermal park that he converted to Christianity.
Hot Mud!
The park is bigger than you would think, and can take about 1.5 hours to walk completely. There is a Sulphur Bath and Lake, Mud Volcano (photo above), Cooking Pools and a Bush Walk.
Only pro of rain: we had the park to ourselves
Orange trees from the Sulphur
My favorite thing about Hells Gate was Kakahi Falls. It is the largest natural hot spring in the Southern Hemisphere! Maori warriors would come here and “cleanse” themselves in the water before returning home to their families.
Kakahi Falls
While at Hells Gate you can go to a spa from the natural springs. The main draw is the mud spa, as its one of a kind in New Zealand. We opted out as it was raining, and we had done the Polyenias Spa’s downtown the day before.
-
Hamurana Springs Experience: This Wildlife Reserve used to be free. We were disappointed when we drove up and saw it was now $18 per adult. A member in our party said he would come here with his family and it had the most amazing waters. If the weather was nice, we might have splurged on it, as there are 2 Springs and a steam. It has the largest fresh water spring on the North Island and produces about 4.5 million liters of crystal clear water per hour.
Tip: Bring gloves, especially for the luge. The walk around Redwood’s was a little chilly as you do not get much direct sunlight, and going down the luge at night was bitter cold!
Have you visited a city for the second time and it impressed you more than the first?