A steaming, hissing landscape complete with exploding geysers greets you on arrival in Rotorua, along with a tradition of hospitality and warmth more than one hundred years old.
Each and every day is a fresh one in Rotorua, with tourism pumping through the veins of the city. Rotorua knows how to do tourism well - and it should. It was the birthplace of tourism more than a century ago when visitors from foreign shores came to marvel at the awe-inspiring Pink and White Terraces set on the side of Rotomahana. Sadly these terraces were destroyed by the 1886 eruption of Mt Tarawera, but visitors to this unique region continued to grow following the catastrophic event. Many of the guides found at the city’s iconic attractions today are simply following in the traditional of their ancestors and informing people of the area.
Rotorua has it all as a destination. It offers visitors a chance to free their spirit at one of the many spectacular lakes, rejuvenate their spirit at the natural geothermal complexes around the city, challenge their spirit with a burst of adrenalin, experience the spirit of a living culture both in the contemporary and traditional sense and feel the spirit of the earth as it rumbles beneath your feet.
With striking Tudor-style architecture, exquisite scenery and top class attractions, hotels, luxury lodges, backpackers and motels, Rotorua offers a complete package for any traveller on any budget.
Manaakitanga is a deep-rooted concept in Maori culture. It is a challenge for the people of the city and the region itself to offer visitors the best experience possible during their time in the city. Discover the important parts of the culture and land of New Zealand in this exceptional destination.
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Rotorua - Like No Other Place on Earth
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Rotorua sits squarely on the Pacific Ring of Fire, so volcanic activity is part of the city’s past and present. The city is also the tribal home of the Te Arawa people, who settled in lakeside geothermal areas more than 600 years ago. Entertaining in any weather, and at any time of the year, Rotorua promises to keep you captivated with geothermal phenomena and special cultural experiences. Geysers, boiling mud pools, marae stays, hangi feasts, an authentic pre-European Maori village and indulgent spa therapies will provide plenty of content for your emails home. Rotorua also has a well-developed adventure culture – everything from sky diving to zorbing.
Rotorua is known (ironically) amongst the locals as "Rotovegas" due the abundance of hotels and motels on Fenton Street which resembles "The Strip" of Las Vegas , but to non-locals as "Rottenrua" due to the rotting egg-like odour of the Hydrogen Sulphide gas produce by the prolific geothermal activity. The odour is most noticeable on cooler and rainy days,especially when there is low cloud, although most locals are immune to it and are usually unaware of its presence.
The especially pungent smell in the central-east 'Te Ngae' area is due to the dense sulphur deposits located next to the southern boundary of the Government Gardens, in the area known as 'Sulphur Point'.
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If hunting and fishing are on your agenda, you’ll find plenty of action here
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Before it was a timber town, Murupara was a staging post on the road between Rotorua and Napier. In the early 1900s, planting of the huge Kaingaroa Forest began. At 2900 square kilometres, Kaingaroa is the largest plantation forest in the southern hemisphere.
Murupara has a predominately Maori population; with four marae in the area, it’s a good place to learn about the Maori way of life. The town is handy to the Te Urewera National Park and Whirinaki Forest Park – both offer exceptional wilderness hiking, hunting and fishing opportunities. Guides are available.
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