Rachel Spring Whangapipiro

Discover Rotorua's rich culture, volatile landscape and legendary figures in this ‘must-see' museum. Explore the fascinating stories of Rotorua’s beautiful Government Gardens during the free walking tours hosted by Rotorua Museum guides who won the TrustPower Rotorua Lakes Council Community Supreme Award for their Outside the Walls walking tours. Despite Rotorua Museum being closed for earthquake strengthening until 2021, Museum guides have continued taking tours, sharing the fascinating history of the area that became known as the Government Gardens. Visitors learn about New Zealand’s most photographed building, the iconic Rotorua Bath House*, from spa to restaurant, cabaret to a night club and finally home to Rotorua Museum. Their stories include the Spanish Mission/Art Deco style Blue Baths, almost as famous as the Bath House and those of the other heritage buildings in the vicinity. https://www.rotoruanz.com/visit/see-and-do/museums-galleries/rotorua-museum

Experience spectacular volcanic craters, enormous hot water springs, beautiful geothermal features, rare and unusual plant life, brilliantly coloured micro biology and a wide array of birds. We immerse visitors in the stories of the Mt Tarawera volcanic eruption, its people, and the resulting dramatic landscape changes that created the world’s youngest geothermal valley Treat yourself to some of the best walking trails in Rotorua, set amongst awe-inspiring volcanic craters and incredible geothermal activity. Choose from a range of self-guided nature walks and hiking trails, mostly down hill, through pristine New Zealand bush. Included with your entrance fee is a guide sheet, available in many different languages, to refer to for interpretation as you make your way through our wonderful valley. https://www.rotoruanz.com/visit/see-and-do/family-fun/waimangu-volcanic-valley

Hells Gate is the only place in New Zealand where you can soak and relax in an outdoor Mud Bath, used for generations by Maori to ease joint and muscle pain. Get down and dirty in a mud bath or unwind in a Sulphur Spa overlooking a spectacular geothermal landscape, before cooling off in a beautiful spring-fed waterfall and plunge pool. Take a Twilight Spa and bathe under the stars until 10 pm. The Hells Gate reserve features three types of therapeutic thermal mud: Black Mud – used in the treatment of arthritis and rheumatism White Mud – used for the relief of burns Grey Mud – used to gently exfoliate the skin Hells Gate is also New Zealand’s most active geothermal attraction and features the biggest mud volcano in the country as well as the largest hot waterfall in the Southern Hemisphere. Take a Guided Tour around 50 acres of erupting waters, coloured pools, hot water lakes, bubbling mud, steaming cliffs, sulphur crystals and land coral. You can also enjoy a Native Bush Walk around the thermal park. https://www.rotoruanz.com/visit/see-and-do/geothermal-wonders/hells-gate-geothermal-mud-bath-spa

Paradise Valley Springs is Rotorua's must-see wildlife park where visitors of all ages can interact closely with a range of New Zealand’s wild animals, native birds, farm animals and trout, as well as view and get up close to a large pride of African Lions. The wildlife park is set amongst beautifully maintained New Zealand native bush, offering easy walking along flat accessible walkways in all types of weather. You can hand-feed animals that are found wild around the country such as Deer, Goats, Tahr and Wallabies. Visit the Kea, New Zealand’s infamous and comical alpine parrot in their walk-through aviary. Stroll through the waterbird wetland for great views of native and introduced waterfowl, and look out for the different native birds living wild around the park. Pat and feed the very sociable farm animals - alpacas, donkey, emus, sheep and more. Hundreds of Rainbow and Brown trout can be fed in the natural stream as well as in the spring-fed display pools, and viewed at eye level through an underwater window below their pool. Spot some of the large native long-finned eels lazing in their pools. Drink straight from the cool waters of the freshwater spring, or purchase some of their bottled ‘Paradise Pure’ to take away with you. Take the elevated treetops to walk in a secluded area, putting you up near the canopy of the trees. In a separate area of the park, there is also a pride of African Lions that can be seen all day in an enclosure that allows visitors to get very close to these wild animals. Lion pride feeding is at 2.30pm, followed by kea and possum feeding at 3pm every day. 10-15 minutes drive from central Rotorua. Open every day of the year including all public holidays. https://www.rotoruanz.com/visit/see-and-do/leisure-wildlife-parks/paradise-valley-springs-wildlife-park

Skyline Rotorua Gondola is the most spectacular way to take in the 180-degree views of Lake Rotorua, the city and surrounding district. Skyline’s Stratosfare Restaurant and Bar, open daily for lunch and dinner, is renowned for its delicious New Zealand cuisine, and the Market Kitchen provides a multitude of tasty options for morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. No visit would be complete without a ride down one of Skyline’s luge tracks. The luge is a world first! With three different track options and over 5kms of track to ride, once is certainly never enough! Riders have full control, over the 3 wheels, gravity-based luge cart. https://www.rotoruanz.com/visit/see-and-do/family-fun/skyline-rotorua

3D Trick Art Gallery is the first and only 3D Trick Art Gallery in New Zealand. It offers an educational, creative and imaginative experience to the visitors of all age. In the gallery, you can create over 50 masterpieces of your own. 3D Trick Art Gallery has been rated by TripAdvisor as one of the Top 5 most recommended out of 118 must-see attractions in Rotorua. So come and have fun with your creativity and imagination. https://www.rotoruanz.com/visit/see-and-do/museums-galleries/3d-trick-art-gallery

Mitai Maori Village is an indigenous cultural experience incorporating a traditional hangi meal, cultural performance, warrior canoe and sacred freshwater spring. Nau Mai, Haere Mai - Welcome! An evening at Mitai will give you an authentic introduction to Maori Culture, leaving you inspired as well as entertained. Learn about our history, carvings and ta moko (tattoo art). Be captivated by the displays of weaponry and combat, coupled with the grace and beauty of the poi dance, followed by a spine tingling haka finale. Be enthralled by the natural bush setting where you will see warriors in traditional dress padding a waka (ancient canoe), and don’t miss your only opportunity to see glow worms in the Rotorua area. https://www.rotoruanz.com/visit/see-and-do/maori-culture/mitai-maori-village-(1)