31 ReviewsThe geothermal areas around Rotorua belong to the Taupo Volcanic Zone. Wai-O-Tapu is an active geothermal area just south of Rotorua on the road to Taupo. The name is Maori for 'Sacred Waters'.
It...
9 ReviewsOne thing that is great to do at the mount is walk up it, but why not try and run it. Locals every day are running up and down , faster than i can walk up it , and with a steep incline you will surely...
19 Reviews…or Whakarewarewa… or Whaka is one the most visited thermal areas in Rotorua. It is still a living Maori village in the middle of hot water pools, bubbling mud and mineral springs.
After paying the...
3 ReviewsHot Saltwater Pools
I love to go here, especially at night, and soak in the naturally heated salt water pools. Set outdoors with lovely furns overhanging and of course the dominant presence of Mt...
16 ReviewsTake a leisurely uphill Gondola ride and enjoy the extensive views of Rotorua, the surrounding lakes and geothermal areas. At the top, the thrill of the Luge, our relaxing buffet and grill restaurant,...
18 ReviewsThe Agrodome can be defined as an amusement park mixing adrenaline and family attractions.
There is no entrance ticket, you just pay for the attractions you try.
We stopped in the Agrodome to...
26 ReviewsA visit to the Pohutu Geyser is a must when staying in Rotorua.It is situated in the Whakarewarewa thermal valley.The largest of several geysers within the valley which erupts on average once or twice...
8 ReviewsHells gate is really interesting, especially for those who have never experienced a thermal area before.
Be wary though, and obey the signs, stick to the paths as the ground is not exactly safe.
9 ReviewsYou HAVE TO try zorbing while in Rotorua!
Just think there are only 2 places in the World where you can do it: Rotorua and the Smoky Mountains in the USA and it would be absolutely a shame not having...
9 ReviewsThis is the second chruch to be built on this site. The original but smaller church was built in 1885. It was moved to make way for a larger building which was consecrated in 1918.
The interior is...
13 ReviewsThis is really interesting, The story of the eruption of the mountain and the aftermath is great, and the sight of a sewing machine lodged up a tree is different.
The pink and white terraces story...
10 ReviewsWe do enjoy going there - the facilties are great, however had a bad experience with a very rude staff member. When they ask you where you are from this person made an inappropriate comment about our...
10 ReviewsThis is quite a compact wildlife park centred around a working Kiwi hatchery and nursery with 100% of the Kiwi Encounter ticket price going to the National Trust.
My main purpose in going to Rainbow...
4 ReviewsAs a Spa town Rotorua offers a good choice of spas and thermal baths. Among the most famous Polynesian Spa, there are also smaller but cheaper and less crowded thermal pools.
Blue Baths is one of...
9 ReviewsThe Rotorua Museum of Art and History is housed in the old Bath House building, located in the Government Gardens. The museum opened in 1969 in the south wing of the old building followed by the Art...
2 ReviewsHaving seen some very expensive offers of guided tours with helicopters (don't understand why this noisy machines are allowed !!!) or 4WD's, we decided to some hiking.
From the car park at Ash Pit...
8 ReviewsThis volcanic lake has its own geothermal system, lying right in the shadow of Mt Tarawera. Boat rides are available (visit the web site for more). See the hot shores of the lake, and the volcanic...
11 Reviewsi paid 82 (or 92) NZ $ for the round trip to this interesting maori village, we saw a show about their tradition, had a maori dinner (not sure if the food was really cooked under the stones tough) and...
6 ReviewsLake Rotorua is a volcanic crater lake and is the second larest in the North Island after Lake Taupo.
The town of Rotorua is located on the southern shore.
Fishing is popular activity as are...
3 ReviewsKuirau Park, on the western side of downtown Rotorua has plenty of parking and lots of free mudpools to look at! This public area is a nice place to picnic or wander during the day. When I was a kid...
2 ReviewsSituated at some of Rotorua's natural hot springs, the Government Gardens began in 1883 as a gift to the town from its original Maori owners. Now administered by the Rotorua District Council, the...
2 ReviewsOn our way from Taupo to Rotorua we followed the signs for Orakei Korako and we don’t regret this ‘detour’. It is situated about ½ hour from Taupo and ¾ hour from Rotorua.
The visit to this thermal...
2 ReviewsMaori concert I is the main key feature when you visit Maori Arts & Crafts Institute. It runs through out the year and you could enjoy and learn about Maori cultural. But make sure that you get their...
1 ReviewWingspan is a very interesting bird recovery and education centre that specialises in Birds of Prey. Injured birds are rehabilitated here, with the main aim to return to their natural habitat. On...
3 ReviewsParadise Valley, we went along the Thermal Explorer Highway from Auckland. Had a good look around Paradise Valley, saw the big pig and the trout and the lions. Had some lunch and then patted the lion...
We thought this town was located in a pretty spot. Located on the Whakatane river where it enters the sea, it has nice sandy beaches, and high hills away from the beach.A walk along the Beachfront found a display of several Maori canoes that are worth a look at.Muriwai’s Cave located near Whakatane Heads and opposite the boat ramp car park, is a small cave we ventured into. It is named for Muriwai, who was a powerful and influential woman who is reputed to have lived there. The cave is sacred to her memory, so don't eat or drink in the cave.50ks away is White Island, this is a live Volcano and can be reached by Boat, Helicopter and Plane.
'BARRY'
by balhannah
"BARRY" in the photo, is located in the main street. He's a dinkum Kiwi bloke! The sculptor used his friend as a model, then commandeered his clothes, shoes and cap to outfit the friendly fellow on the park bench. He looks so real, you can't help but stop and have your photo taken with him!
Mural walk of Katikati
by balhannah
Take the time to stop at this delightful little town and have a walk around looking at the Murals. There is quite a history to them.Information on photos......Rev Kattern had a small experimental Ostrich farm to supplement his small income. They often escaped and made their way to the main street as shown in the photo.Local info is that Robert & Charles, dressed in midshipman uniforms, would often row Captain Macmillan from the jetty in front of Castle Grace up the Harbour to the landing. On arrival, they would ships oars in navy fashion while he stepped onto the wharf.Dr. Joe was Katikati's doctor for more than 40 years.Pioneer kitchen shows a picture of the time.
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Tourist Information Centre @ KATIKATI
by balhannah
The first thing you should do, is go to the centre. Inside, its worth having a look around. I bought a set of information cards on the Murals, they give a photo of every one of them and all the information that you need on each one. I found this to be very handy when it came to sorting out my photos, plus, once home, I had time to read up about all the Mural photos that I had taken. They also supplied you with a town map of where they were all located, this made life easier."HUMPHREY' in the photo, is a chainsaw sculptor of a sea elephant that visited parts of Katikati. He missed his mates so much, that at one time, he thought a 'cow" was one of them, becoming good friends with her, following her quite a distance from the water.He visited from 1985 to 1989
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MOUNT MAUNGANUI
by balhannah
Our New Zealand friend said to come here for a look, so we did, and spent the night at the Caravan Park. As he was a surfer, I can understand why he liked it, the Beaches were lovely in this area, and they are patrolled by lifeguards. Evidently, they say this is New Zealand's answer to Australia's Gold Coast.The area, even so, was nice, with Mt. Maunganui towering at the end of the Beach.Mount Maunganui is also the name of the extinct volcano which rises above the town which you can climb to the summit. I imagine the views would be fantastic from the postcard that I bought. Neither of us felt energetic enough to do this uphill trek, probably 2hours return, perhaps another time! You can also do a walk around the base of it!
KIWI 360 @ TE PUKE
by balhannah
Kiwi fruit, in New Zealand, and especially around the Te Puke area, we saw plenty growing. When we saw the large Kiwi fruit sign, we decided to go in for a look, after all, Kiwi fruit is a national emblem, just like "sheep" or the "all blacks". I enjoy Kiwifruit! It was interesting to find out, that Kiwi fruits has twice the amount of vitamin C of an orange, and very high levels of Vitamin E (twice as much as an avocado) and is also high in fibre content, so it is very good fruit to be eating.Kiwifruit grown at Kiwi 360 will keep under refrigeration in beautiful condition for up to 9 months meaning that the fruit they pick in April can still be eaten ‘fresh’ in January the following year!100 million trays of Kiwifruit are sent from New Zealand to 62 countries across the globe, that is a whole lot of Kiwi fruit! We didn't do it, but there is a KiwiKart and tour through the orchards, where...
WHAKAREWAREWA VILLAGE @ ROTORUA
by balhannah
We decided that a good way to learn about Maori life, and to see the thermal activity, would be to visit the people of Tuhourangi - Ngati Wahiao (a Maori family tribe) that have lived in and around the geothermal activity of Whakarewarewa for over 200 years. The area of land which we walked over, belonged to numerous family groups here, who allow visitors to participate in their communal lifestyle incorporating Maori culture and traditions.Some sights are the The Whare Tupuna (ancestral house) with its carved and woven panels. We found that all the pools, geysers or fumaroles in the entire valley have a name. These features are named after their ancestors, events or incidents and are a part of the history of the tribe.Unfortunately, the Pohutu and Prince of Wales Feathers geysers, a natural event which demonstrates the powerful forces within earths core, were hardly performing,...
Tauranga
by didgeridorien
Tauranga is the main city of the Bay of Plenty. Tauranga is Maori for The Resting Place of the Canoes. Actually, Tauranga is one of the main ports of New Zealand. There's not much to do in the city, but the beaches around are great.
Dive White Island
by kiwiwahine
There are a number of boat operators offering dive trips in the warm waters surrounding the islands.The Island offers some of the countries most spectacular diving with 20 plus metre visability being very common.There are a number of dive sites in the area and it is common to see huge numbers of fish. Blue Mao Mao , Kingfish , Golden Snapper, Moray Eels , Stingray are just a few of the fish you could see . Also in season the giant Pack Horse Crayfishare a spectacular sight.
White Island (Whakaari)
by kiwiwahine
White Island (or Whakaari as it was named by the Maori before Europeans arrived) lies 48 kilometres off Whakatanes shore in the ewastern B.O.P. This active volcano and private scenic reserve is accessible by boat and helicopter. It is unique in that you can walk right inside its main crater just above sea level with a minimum of physical effort and without undue risk. This allows you to experience at first hand nature's immense power as gas and steam burst up from far below the Earth's crust.The surroundings are quite surreal and the scenery spectacular. It is like walking on an active volcanic moonscape with no plants or vegetation inside the crater. The smell of sulphur and the noise of steam emanating from the many fumaroles both large and small makes for a amazing sensory experience. On the outer slopes of the island are large colonies of the majestic gannet. This beautiful bird...
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