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Geyser plume rising above native bush and flax, with a footbridge and forested hills behind
Photo: Sebastian Schuster / Unsplash

Rotorua: geysers, hāngī and white water

Boiling pools and the 10:15 geyser at Wai-O-Tapu, evenings with Te Arawa hosts, rafting over a 7 m waterfall and hot pools by the lake. Compare the tours from Rotorua and book the ones that fit your days.

Geothermal parks open all year · Lady Knox Geyser daily at 10:15 · About 3 hours from Auckland

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Māori cultureHāngī evenings at Mitai and Te Pā Tū, Te Puia and its carving school, and the living village at Whakarewarewa.Tours from NZ$ 30Geothermal parksColour at Wai-O-Tapu, geysers at Te Puia, mud at Hell’s Gate and a young volcanic valley at Waimangu.Tours from NZ$ 45White-water raftingOver the 7-metre Tutea Falls with three companies, plus sledging, tandem kayak and a gentle river from age 5.Tours from NZ$ 135Ziplines and adventureZiplines in native forest and over waterfalls, Redwoods high ropes, ZORB, 4WD, buggy and horse treks.Tours from NZ$ 65Hot pools and spasLakefront mineral pools, a Māori-owned spa, private cedar tubs, the Hell’s Gate mud bath and what Health NZ advises.Tours from NZ$ 46Glow-worm toursA night walk in native forest, kayak and canoe trips on Lake Rotoiti and glow-worms in the Redwoods.Tours from NZ$ 116Scenic flightsFloatplanes and helicopters from the lakefront over the 1886 craters, with landings on Tarawera and at Orakei Korako.Tours from NZ$ 270Day tripsHobbiton, Taupō with Orakei Korako, the Whirinaki rainforest with Māori guides and Waitomo with your own car.Tours from NZ$ 136

Kiwi, the Agrodome farm, the Duck Tour, mountain biking and more

Tours to start with

Entry to Wai-O-Tapu with the Lady Knox Geyser, a three-hour evening at Mitai with a waka, haka and hāngī buffet, and the Kaituna River with Kaitiaki Adventures, about an hour on the water and over Tutea Falls.

Wai-O-Tapu entry ticket

Self-guided, all-day entry · Open 8:30 to 4:30, last entry 3 pm

4.6 (3,328 reviews)

✓ Free cancellation

from NZ$ 49

Book on GetYourGuide

Mitai evening: waka, haka and hāngī

Evening, performance and hāngī buffet · About 3 hours

4.7 (4,356 reviews)

✓ Free cancellation

from NZ$ 179

Book on GetYourGuide

Kaituna rafting with Māori guides

Grade 5 rafting, about 1 hour on the water · About 3 hours door to door

4.9 (1,603 reviews)

✓ Free cancellation

from NZ$ 139

Book on GetYourGuide

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A town built on a caldera

Lake Rotorua fills a volcanic caldera that formed about 200,000 years ago. The lake is about 12 km long and 10 km wide, and its full name is Te Rotoruanui-a-Kahumatamomoe. Mokoia Island, a lava dome, rises 179 m from the water. The lakes are the home of the iwi of Te Arawa. In the 19th century Te Arawa guides led visitors to the hot springs, and in the early 1880s the government laid out the town as a base for visitors to the hot lakes.

Geothermal activity is part of daily life here. Te Ara counts more than 500 hot springs at Whakarewarewa on the edge of town, where Te Puia and the living village sit side by side. South of town, Wai-O-Tapu covers 18 km² of geothermal ground, and Waimangu was created by the eruption of Mount Tarawera on 10 June 1886, which also destroyed the Pink and White Terraces. Northeast of town, Hell’s Gate at Tikitere offers mud baths. The Whakarewarewa Forest, where the first redwoods were planted in 1901, covers more than 5,600 ha and has walking and mountain bike trails.

The Rotorua Museum in the Government Gardens has been closed since late 2016, and the council expects it to reopen in 2027 or 2028. For planning, see the month-by-month guide, getting there and the itineraries.

Plan your trip

Plan your tripThe best time to visit RotoruaWarm summers, cool damp winters and the geyser at 10:15 in every month: what each season changes. Plan your tripGetting to RotoruaJust under three hours from Auckland, direct flights from three cities and InterCity buses to the i-SITE. Plan your tripGetting around RotoruaDrive times to the geothermal parks, CityRide buses and fares, and tours that collect you in town. Plan your tripWeather and what to wearRain, frost and fog figures, and what to pack for boardwalks, the mud bath and evenings by the lake. Plan your tripItineraries for one to three daysWai-O-Tapu at 10:15, Te Puia and Whakarewarewa, a hāngī evening, then rafting or Lake Tarawera. Plan your tripRotorua with kidsKiwi, the Agrodome farm, ZORB and the Treewalk, with the age and height limits for each.

Places and sights

Places and sightsWai-O-Tapu Thermal WonderlandLady Knox Geyser at 10:15 am, the Champagne Pool and the tracks south of Rotorua, with or without a car. Places and sightsTe Puia and WhakarewarewaPōhutu Geyser, the carving schools, Te Pō evenings and the living village next door. Places and sightsHell’s GateThe geothermal walk at Tikitere, the 20-minute mud bath and the sulphur pools, open into the evening. Places and sightsWaimangu Volcanic ValleyA valley formed in 1886: Frying Pan Lake, Inferno Crater and the cruise on Lake Rotomahana. Places and sightsMount TaraweraThe 1886 eruption, the crater walk, helicopter landings, the Buried Village and Hot Water Beach. Places and sightsThe RedwoodsFree walks among the coast redwoods, the Treewalk and Nightlights, Altitude and the bike trails.

Questions travellers ask

Is this the official Rotorua tourism website?

No. Discover Rotorua is an independent guide. The official tourism organisation is RotoruaNZ (rotoruanz.com), owned by the Rotorua Lakes Council, which also runs the Rotorua i-SITE visitor centre at 1167 Fenton Street. RotoruaNZ uses the words “Discover Rotorua” on its own website; this guide has no connection with it.

Will I see a geyser erupt?

At Wai-O-Tapu the Lady Knox Geyser is set off every morning at 10:15; the park asks you to arrive by 09:45. At Te Puia, Pōhutu erupts up to 20 times a day according to the operator, but the times are not fixed, so an eruption during your visit cannot be promised.

How far is Rotorua from Auckland?

About 230 km, just under three hours by car without stops. InterCity buses take about four hours, and Air New Zealand flies direct from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch to Rotorua Airport.

How many days should I spend in Rotorua?

Two days cover Wai-O-Tapu and Waimangu, Te Puia and the Whakarewarewa village, the Redwoods and a hāngī evening. A third day leaves room for rafting, Hell’s Gate or the Buried Village at Lake Tarawera.

When is the best time to visit?

Any month. February is the warmest, with an average high of 23.1 °C, and July the coolest and wettest, at 12.0 °C and 137 mm (NIWA, 1991–2020). The parks, cultural evenings and hot pools open all year.