This is about the places we visited in and near the Rotorua region.

Rotorua

Rotorua is a city situated on the North Island of New Zealand, on the southern shore of Lake Rotorua. It’s New Zealand’s most popular tourist destination, mainly because of the geothermal activity and Maori culture. The lake itself is popular for water sports and many hiking trails. The geothermal field covers an area of 12 sq km, but is much larger underground. It was created by an eruption many centuries ago and the Lake now sits in the middle of it. This area produces billowing steam, sulphur eggy smells and colourful water which you can see everywhere.

Whakarewarewa thermal area

The Te Whakarewarewa valley is home to the Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao people, who have been sharing their unique way of life for over 2 hundred years. The area is located to the south of the city of Rotorua.

Living Maori Village

You can go on a guided village tour, here you will experience an authentic living Maori village. Be shown how they cook, bathe and heat the homes with the geothermal resources. See the historic buildings and the meeting ground. And if you are lucky enough experience the Maori cultural performance, sharing stories through song and dance.

Whaka geothermal trails

Here you can walk the trails amongst all the geothermal activity. In this area alone 500 hot springs, 65 geyser vents can be found. Each Geyser in this area has a name. The most largest of all of these and in New Zealand is the Pohutu Geyser. This geyser erupts 15 times a day and travels 30m into the air.

You also will walk around some clear hot springs, these can reach temperatures of 70-100 degrees Celsius. The Mud pools are also in abundance here and you can hear them bubbling away in the distance.

The trails range from 5-50 mins long, and wind among some of New Zealand’s unique flora and fauna.

For more information and tickets visit http://www.whakarewarewa.com

Wai-o-tapu

The wai-o-tapu thermal wonderland, is a similar geothermal area to Whakarewarewa but is still worth the visit. The park is 30mins south of Rotorua. The park covers an area of 18sq km. There are 3 walks to take ranging from 45-90 mins.

They have a lady Knox geyser which erupts once a day at 10.15am and reaches heights of 10-20m.

The mud pool here is the largest in New Zealand. Other unique features include naturally coloured springs, huge volcanic craters and terrace formations.

Champagne Pool

The champagne pool is a hot spring named because of the carbon dioxide in the water creating tiny bubbles. it was formed 900 years ago, and is 65m wide and 62m deep. It’s an extremely beautiful pool, hence why it’s so popular to tourists, but don’t let looks fool you. The water can reach temperatures of 100 degrees Celsius and is quite acidic.

For more information and tickets visit http://www,waiotapu.co.nz

Huka Falls

Huka falls are the largest waterfalls on the Waikato river, an hour south of Rotorua. The Waikato river is one of New Zealand longest rivers which drains from Lake Taupo (the largest fresh water lake in Australasia)

The river which is normally 100m wide is forced through a 20m wide gorge at Huka falls. The gorge creates rapids before the water is forced over the fall. The name Huka means foam in Maori which is very fitting for this fall. 220,000 litres of water gushes over the edge every second!

You can walk along the 30 mins riverside walk to the falls, here you will find several viewing platforms. You can also take a scenic boat cruise up to the bottom of the falls and get wet from the spray or even a jet boat. We took a river cruise up to the bottom of the falls, and saw a jet boat along the way.

Other places to visit in the Rotorua area

Blue & green Lakes

The blue & green lakes are 15 mins east of Rotorua. Tikitapu and Rotokakhi are as described, one blue and one green. You can view both of these by a connecting piece of land. The views of the lakes are beautiful and they really are 2 different colours. Lake Rotokakhi is sacred and is not accessible.

Buried Village

The buried village of Te Wairoa is an archaeological site from when Mt Tarawera erupted in 1886. There’s a museum with lots of information and also some remains of the original village. Also a trail leading to the Wairere falls. This interesting place is 20mins from Rotorua.