New Zealand’s premier visitor destination is a geothermal wonderland exceeding the wildest imaginings of the mind.

Rotorua city and its environs have an astounding range of weird ecosystems, volcanoes, hot springs, mud pools, geysers, forests, lakes and wetlands.

Visitors are warmly welcomed here with a polite request to ‘Feel the Spirit’ – the ‘Manaakitanga’, so enchanting is the raw beauty of the landscape in the Rotorua area. The city is also a showcase for Maori culture and traditions. There are many activities and adventures to be had within a short drive of the city as follows:-

Start with an orientation walk along the Lake Rotorua foreshore and the Government Gardens
The 1906 Tudor-style Bath House and Museum was once an international spa.

Walk through the main shopping precinct including the Tutanekai Street Mall
The Visitor Information Centre in Fenton Street can make bookings for every activity around Rotorua.

Drive down to the ancient Ohinemutu Village on the shores of Lake Rotorua
View the beautiful hand-carved meetinghouse on the marae and the stained glass window in St Faith’s Church.

Drive to the Fletcher Challenge Forests Visitor Centre and experience the Redwood Forest
This magnificent groves of Californian redwoods, European larch and Douglas fir, offer wonderful walks from half an hour to all day treks.

Nearby is the Whakarewarewa Forest entrance to New Zealand’s best mountain bike challenge circuits
There are more than 30 kms of specially designed tracks, plus orienteering and horse trekking routes.

Drive out to some of Rotorua’s 14 freshwater fishing lakes
The best scenic gems are the Blue and Green Lakes, Okareka, Tarawera, Rotoiti and Okataina, all within 30 minutes driving time.

Visit Te Wairoa, The Buried Village on the way to Lake Tarawera
See the fascinating remnants of the massive eruption of Mt Tarawera in 1886.

Take the skyline gondola ride up the slopes of Mt Ngongotaha
Enjoy the luge rides, giant swing and sweeping views of the lake.

Take part in a traditional Maori ‘hangi’ feast and attend a concert
The feast includes succulent meats, local vegetables and seafood cooked in an underground oven.

Visit Whakarewarewa, the most famous of Rotorua’s thermal areas
This features an authentic Maori village, Arts and Craft Institute, palisaded pa, steaming mud cauldrons, strange silica formations and the famous Pohutu Geyser.

If time permits visit the other five major thermal areas outside Rotorua
These are Tikitere (Hell’s Gate), Wairakei, Waimangu, Waiotapu and Orakei Korako.

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