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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Rotorua & the Bay of Plenty
Pouring below Rainbow Mountain, this naturally heated stream offers a warm swimming hole beneath a cascade.
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…
Rotorua
Tucked in behind Mt Ngongotaha, 10km from Rotorua, this 6-hectare park has trout springs, native longfin eels, native birds and various land-dwelling…
Tauranga
At its best in late spring and summer, this verdant pocket of roses sits behind an ivy-covered colonnade on a cliff overlooking the harbour, and is like a…
Tauranga
Located on a nondescript suburban street, this marae (traditional meeting place) has a sensationally carved wharenui (meeting house). This is the private…
Rotorua & the Bay of Plenty
Located near the northern shore of Lake Rotorua, these springs are a sacred place for the local Ngāti Rangiwewehi people. A pretty 1.5km walk leads…
Tauranga
A fairly ordinary-looking Victorian villa stranded on a hill as the roads around it grew, Brain Watkins House (no, not Brian) was built in 1881 from kauri…
