Rotorua
Te Puia dials up the heat on Māoritanga (things Māori) with explosive performances from both its cultural troupe and Pōhutu (Big Splash), its famous…
Must-see attractions in Rotorua & the Bay of Plenty
Rotorua & the Bay of Plenty
The most visible wound from Mt Tarawera's 1886 eruption, the Waimangu geothermal area spreads down a valley to Lake Rotomahana (Warm Lake). The experience…
Rotorua & the Bay of Plenty
The most colourful of the region's geothermal attractions, Wai-O-Tapu (Sacred Waters) has a variety of features packed into a relatively compact, heavily…
Bay of Plenty
The steep slopes of 232m-high Mauao swarm with walkers in the morning, when the Mount’s early risers perform their ritual climb to the summit. The ascent…
Rotorua
This magical park of forest giants is 5km southeast of town. From 1899, 170 tree species were planted here to see which could be grown successfully for…
Rotorua
Wander the streets of this living village, where the local Tūhourangi/Ngāti Wāhiao people have resided for centuries, with its homes, stores, cafes and…
Bay of Plenty
Mataatua is a large, fantastically carved 1875 wharenui (meeting house) that is the centrepiece of Te Mānuka Tūtahi marae (traditional meeting place). A…
Rotorua
The Wingspan National Bird of Prey Centre is dedicated to conserving threatened NZ raptors, particularly the karearea (NZ falcon). Learn about the birds…
Rotorua
Thermal activity comes no cheaper than at this free public park that runs along the western edge of the town centre. It's a wonderful juxtaposition of…
Rotorua & the Bay of Plenty
Known as Tikitere to the Ngāti Rangiteaorere people, this highly active geothermal reserve lies 16km northeast of Rotorua on the Whakatāne road (SH30). It…
Rotorua
Constructed in a striking faux-Tudor style, this museum, which began life in 1908 as an elegant spa retreat called the Bath House, has been closed since…
Tauranga
The city's pre-eminent gallery stages challenging exhibitions of thought-provoking contemporary work. The building itself is a former bank, though you’d…
Rotorua & the Bay of Plenty
The village of Te Wairoa was once the main staging post for Victorian-era tourists coming to visit the famous Pink and White Terraces. When Mt Tarawera…
Tauranga
Surrounded by mature trees and lovely gardens, Tauranga's original mission station incorporates the Bay of Plenty's earliest buildings, along with one of…
Rotorua
The natural springs here are home to wild trout and eels, which you can peer at through an underwater viewer, and plenty of animals, including tuatara (a…
Bay of Plenty
This fascinating aviation museum, beside the airport, is filled with predominantly military aircraft. You can scramble through the living quarters of the…
Rotorua
Ohinemutu is a lakeside Māori village that is home to around 260 people. Highlights include the 1905 Tama-te-Kapua Meeting House (not open to visitors),…
Rotorua
Lake Rotorua is the largest of the district’s 18 lakes and is − underneath all that water − a spent volcano. Near the centre of the lake is Mokoia Island,…
Bay of Plenty
Around 8km south of town, this verdant 4.5-hectare patch of forest is home to around 1500 varieties of native plants, which can be seen on a 20-minute…
Rotorua
Consecrated in 1918, Ōhinemutu's historic timber church is intricately decorated with Māori carvings, tukutuku (woven panels), painted scrollwork and…
Rotorua
Learn everything you need to know about farming at this 140-hectare model farm. Shows (9.30am, 11am and 2.30pm) include a parade of champion rams, lamb…
Rotorua & the Bay of Plenty
Providing a mirror for the raw slopes of Mt Tarawera (1110m), this pretty lake is a popular destination for swimming, fishing, boating and walks. It may…
Bay of Plenty
Attached to the library, this impressive museum and gallery has artfully presented displays on early Māori and European settlement in the area. A gourd on…
Rotorua
The manicured Government Gardens surrounding the Rotorua Museum are a wonderful example of the blending of English (rose gardens, ponds, croquet lawns and…
Tauranga
Hairy Maclary author Lynley Dodd lived in Tauranga for years, and NZ’s favourite literary animals were immortalised in bronze on Tauranga’s wharf in 2015…
Bay of Plenty
Tumbling down the cliffs immediately behind town, tall, skinny Te Wairere occupies a deliciously damp nook. It once powered flax and flour mills, and it…
Rotorua
Drink in the view from the top of the Skyline gondola at this winery tasting room. The wine is made at the bottom of the hill from grapes sourced from NZ…
Bay of Plenty
About 7km south of town, this gorgeous 4-hectare private garden is all aflap with native and exotic bird life. There's 1.5km of paths, looping out to a…
Tauranga
Country-club-like Mills Reef, 7km southwest of the city centre at Bethlehem, has tastings of its award-winning wines. This isn't grape-growing country, so…
Bay of Plenty
Built as a millennium project, this unusual attraction consists of boulders inscribed with haiku verses wending through a pretty park flanking the Uretara…
Rotorua & the Bay of Plenty
Pouring below Rainbow Mountain, this naturally heated stream offers a warm swimming hole beneath a cascade.
Bay of Plenty
St Stephen's (1862) is a white wooden Anglican church with a timber-lined interior and tukutuku (woven flax) panels in the sanctuary. Reverend Carl…
Bay of Plenty
Ōpōtiki's museum has heritage displays including Māori artefacts, militaria, recreated shopfronts (barber, carpenter, printer…), and agricultural items…
Bay of Plenty
This shallow, partially collapsed cave once extended 122m into the hillside and was the home of Muriwai, a famous seer and sister of Toroa, captain of the…
Bay of Plenty
On the clifftops behind the town are a pair of ancient Ngāti Awa pā (fortified village) sites – Te Pāpaka (The Crab) and Puketapu (Sacred Hill) – both of…
Bay of Plenty
Beside a roundabout on The Strand is Pōhaturoa, a large tapu (sacred) rock outcrop capped with pohutukawa trees, where birth, death, war and moko (tattoo)…
Bay of Plenty
Housed in a former fire station, this little regional museum displays a selection of Māori artefacts from the local tribe, Ngāi Te Rangi, along with…
Tauranga
This shady little cemetery, overlooking the bridge, has some interesting memorials relating to battles fought between local Māori and government forces in…
Tauranga
Shaded by huge pohutukawa trees, spooky Monmouth Redoubt was originally a Māori pā (fortified village), then taken over and adapted by British soldiers…
Tauranga
On clear days this lofty wooden viewing platform, located about 13km west of the city centre, provides a panorama of nearly the entire Bay of Plenty – see…
