Rotorua Travel Guide: Travel and tourist information, things to do and see in Rotorua

Rotorua is arguably the home of tourism in New Zealand. Sitting on the edge of the North island Volcanic Plateau, the area is sizzling with thermal activity. Thermal lakes, street-side miniature geysers, craters, forests and many miles of walking tracks are here to be explored.

The Maori people have long been settled in Rotorua and is one of the best places in New Zealand to see aspects of their culture. View wood carvers and flax weavers at work at the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute, traditional buildings, maraes and regular concerts and hangis (traditionally cooked Maori feast).

Rotorua is situated in the North Island 200km south east of Auckland, conveniently located on Fairy Springs Road, Rainbow Springs features New Zealand's wildlife within a natural bush setting and Rainbow Farm Show presents a fun and interactive insight into New Zealand's farming history. Tour around the natural freshwater springs teeming with thousands of Rainbow trout and see the living 'dinosaur', the tuatara.

The area is rich in Maori history, and as the original settlers, Maori were attracted to the hot thermal waters for bathing and cooking.

Around Rotorua, the upheavals of old have left craters transformed into shimmering lakes surrounded by native bush, large ferns and farmland. These lakes provide an abundance of trout for keen fishermen, walking tracks in the surrounding bush and the opportunity for many water sports.

Bubbling, boiling mud pools, beautiful coloured lakes, sulphur cliffs and magnificent spouting geysers are readily accessible to visitors at Waiotapu, Waimangu and Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserves. A visit to the massive crater of Mt Tarawera and the nearby excavated Maori village are also fascinating excursions.

Generations of visitors have enjoyed the healing, soothing waters in the thermal pools. The Polynesian Spa featuring thermal waters is a popular bathing spot and many hotels also have their own pools. The Grand Tudor style Bathhouse near Lake Rotorua had its heyday early this century and now houses the local museum and art gallery. It is situated in the pretty Government Gardens.

Many native birds are on display in the free flight aviary but the highlight is viewing New Zealand's endangered national icon - the Kiwi. At Rainbow Farm don't miss the only honey bee display in Rotorua or take in one of the five Farm Shows held each and every day.

World-renowned Whakarewarewa Thermal Village is a unique mix of Maori culture, art and thermal wonderland. A tour around the village takes visitors among bubbling mud pools and thermal takes, View the famous Pohutu geyser, meander amongst the art and crafts on offer and enjoy Maori song and dance at daily concerts.

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Population: 4.035.500
Languages: English, Maori (both official)
Currency: New Zealand dollar
Currency code: NZD
Local Times:
New Zealand - Auckland

New Zealand - Chatham Island

New Zealand - Wellington

Country Dialling Code: +64
Voltage: 240V 50Hz
Electrical plugs:
Flat prongs, inverted 'V' positioned with earth connector

Flat prongs, inverted 'V' positioned with earth connector

It's been Middle Earth and Narnia in the movies but New Zealand's beautiful landscapes are no fantasy.

With a varied and dramatic landscape, a long and significant cultural heritage, and some of the world's rarest and most fascinating plant and animal species, New Zealand is an ideal adventure travel destination. Take a trip here and discover why New Zealand has it all - from flightless birds to breaching whales and breathtaking fjords to erupting geysers.

New Zealand comes with a reputation as a unique land packed with magnificent, raw scenery : craggy coastlines, sweeping beaches, primeval forests, snow-capped alpine mountains, bubbling volcanic pools, fast-flowing rivers and glacier-fed lakes, all beneath a brilliant blue sky. The far north is a subtropical haven of unspoilt beaches, citrus fruits and hibiscus flowers, while volcanic mud pools and geysers feature in the central part of North Island. The South Island boasts whale watching, ice glaciers and rugged snow-covered Alps. And yes, there are many wide-open spaces.

What's more, everything is easily accessible, packed into a land area little larger than Britain and with a population of just 3.8 million, over half of it tucked away in the three largest cities : Auckland, the capital Wellington, and the South Island's Christchurch. Elsewhere, you can travel miles through steep-hilled farmland and rarely see a soul, and there are even remote spots which, it's reliably contended, no human has ever visited.

Geologically, New Zealand split off from the super-continent of Gondwanaland early, developing a unique ecosystem in which birds adapted to fill the role normally held by mammals, many becoming flightless through lack of predators.

Only in the last couple of decades has New Zealand come of age and developed a true national self-confidence, something partly forced on it by Britain severing the colonial apron strings in the early 1970s, and partly by the resurgence of Maori identity. Maori demands have been nurtured by a willingness on the part of most pakeha to redress the wrongs perpetrated over the last century and a half, as long as it doesn't impinge on their high standard of living or overall feeling of control. More recently, integration has been replaced with a policy of promoting two cultures alongside each other, but with maximum interaction. In this way New Zealand is set to forge through the new century with considerable dignity and a good deal of uncertainty.

The British represent the second largest group of visitors to New Zealand - after neighbouring Australia. But at 12,000 miles away from the UK it's a once-in-a-lifetime destination for many and takes a bit of planning.

Most British travellers either tack New Zealand on to the end of an Australian holiday and regret not having enough time, or take two or three weeks and race around like mad to see the whole country. While New Zealand is small enough to 'do' in that time, a more enjoyable option is to spend longer at just a few places - and then you have an excuse to go back!

Rotorua Travel Guide

Rotorua Suitability Profile