In this page, you will find informations and advices we can give, based on our experience
Rotorua - North Island
The Rotorua region is where New Zealand's volcanic activity is most visible. Free or with a fee, many parks and gardens contain bubbling pools, geysers and improbably colorful lakes.
Not all parks are created equal, and some are far more interesting than others. For example, we were extremely disappointed by Te Puia and pleasantly surprised by Kuirau Park, a free public garden.
Generally speaking, the Rotorua area is a must-see if you've never seen another region where volcanic activity is observable. If you've already been to Yellowstone or Iceland, Rotorua will seem quite bland.
Wai O Tapu Thermal Wonderland
Loop of 4 km - 1 h
2 to 3 hours
18 € per person in 2023
Wai O Tapu is our favorite park in the Rotorua region. You have to follow the signs, but the visit is unguided, so you can visit the park at your own pace. It takes a good 2 hours to tour the park, which closes at 4.30pm. So it's best to avoid starting your visit after 2 pm, because from 4 pm, the rangers will be rushing you towards the exit.
The beginning of the tour is rather unremarkable, with gaping holes from which steam escapes. But it's not long before you arrive at Artist's Palette, with its yellow bacteria and blue/green water. Next comes Champagne Pool, NZ's largest hot spring at 65 metres in diameter. The colors are astonishing and the water emits tiny bubbles. The walk continues through a landscape that smells of sulphur to Lake Ngakoro, the furthest point of the tour. On the way back, we pass a few turquoise-blue pools and other steaming chasms. The tour ends at Roto Karikitea, a crater filled with fluorescent-green, extremely acidic water.
Before arriving at Wai O Tapu, you'll find the Lady Knox geyser. Access to this geyser is subject to a fee and is included in the Wai O Tapu entrance fee. This geyser erupts once a day at 10.15 am. This regularity is not natural. It occurs when a chemical compound is poured into the geyser.
Access: about 30 km south of Rotorua city.
Orakei Korako Cave & Geothermal Park
Loop of 2,6 km - 1 h
2 hours
26€ per person
To reach the hot springs, you first need to take a small boat to cover the 150 meters from one bank of the river to the other. Once disembarked, there are 3 possible circuits, which can be completed in less than 2 hours if you take your time. There are no brightly-colored pools here, but the ground is very colorful, with yellow and green bacteria. And the water is bubbling with smoke.
Access : about 67 kilomèters (1 hour) in the south of Rotorua.
Kuirau Park
1 to 2 km
1 to 2 hours
Free
Located in the heart of the city of Rotorua, it was a pleasant surprise to see this public garden accessible free of charge, after our disappointment at Te Puia. Here you'll find several steaming ponds, waters of many different colors, from green to opaque gray, and floors covered with orange bacteria. All this in a landscaped, flower-covered garden.
Access: in Rotorua
Blue & Green Lakes
No hike
15 minutes
Free
Blue and Green Lakes are classic lakes surrounded by trees. A trail leads around Blue Lake. Green Lake is more protected, as it is said to be sacred to the Maoris.
There is a viewpoint between the 2 lakes, accessible by car. From this high point, you can see both lakes.
Access: 11 km southeast of Rotorua town.
Te Puia
1 km - 1h30
1h30
50€ per person
We thought we'd see everything that represents volcanic activity in the imagination: geysers, coloured pools, mud pools. We saw it all, but there's basically only one of each. Well, it's no big deal that there are very few, after all, that's nature. But what's incomprehensible is charging 50 euros per person for a 1h30 visit, including 1 hour (during which you see nothing) of talks on Maori culture (which you could easily find on the internet if you're interested) and on Maori art (visit to the sculpture workshop), then 15 minutes not to see any kiwi and only 15 minutes to see this geological activity. Because yes, there's so little to see that the visit is completed by an entry into a hangar where 2 kiwis are locked up, for which the alternation of day and night is artificially reconstituted and where night coincides with the visits (because the kiwi only comes out at night). Of course, the kiwi is barely perceptible as we race through the prison!
As you can see, we're sorry we went, especially as Kuirau Park is just 2 steps away, and offers a wider range of free activities!
Access: in the city of Rotorua
Lodging
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Copyright Magali and David BELLEC