5 days in Rotorua

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If you have a car it is easy to find on Highway 5 south of Rotorua. If you do not have a car there are bus tours that package this area and the Waimangu Volcanic Valley just a little further down the road. This combination of scenic walks and geothermal activity make for a great day. I hope to add some pictures soon.

There are three options you can choose at the ticket centre. (1) The trail walk down into the valley and the bus trip back. (2) The Lake Rotomahana boat tour or (3) the combined package. We purchased the combined package for $40NZ (about $20US) Each component was roughly the same.

The walk is mostly downhill and divided into 3 stages totalling about 3.6 km. or 2.2 miles. At each of the second and third staging areas there is a bus stop which can take you back if you have had enough before you get to the end. Along the way there are 32 sites of interest with signposts. These signposts match up to a pamphlet you are given when you buy your ticket. The pamphlet provides written detail to the sites you are seeing. Included in the sights are hot springs, creeks, a lake, rock formations and mud pools formed as a result of the volcanic activity. Some of the waters have fascinating colour schemes as a result of the geothermal activity. The area you walk through is full of natural plant life of the area which has regrown since the volcanic eruption.

The boat trip of about 35 minutes provides you with a map and explanations of what you are seeing. To this is added the sometimes humorous commentary of the skipper. You tour around a large lake formed by the volcano. Apparently the lake is stocked for sport fishing. Fishing apparently is very good as it is very difficult to get to the lake. Scenery is fabulous.

We highly recommend the walk. We also would recommend the boat trip unless you are on a tight budget. If you are, skip the boat trip, the walk is the best part of the tour.

The thermal reserve has prescribed paths leading you through hot springs, mud pools and other indications of geothermal activity. The highlight of the thermal reserve is the Pohutu Geyser which erupts almost constantly to heights of up to 50 to 60 feet. Great photo opportunities here. At certain times of the day there are guided tours through this area which may add somewhat to your enjoyment, but it is easy to make your way through on your own. The best viewing areas for the geyser are often busy and you may have to wait a few minutes to get the picture you want.

The Maori Arts and Crafts Institute has several traditional Maori buildings and depending on the time of day will have a few demonstrations of Maori crafts which show you how natives made clothing etc. in days gone by. Again this area has guided tours at certain times of the day. If your time in New Zealand is limited and you haven't been exposed to Maori culture area, this may be worthwhile seeing in depth. If you have been or will be going to other Maori sites, there are better places to go. (see review of Tamaki Maori Village or Auckland Museum)

The Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve is a better walk, but the highlight here is the Pohutu geyser which truly is spectacular. Highly recommend the thermal reserve, but might skip over the Arts and Crafts Institute.

At the top, there are a few other things to do including a luge ride which can also be your method of getting down the hill. You can however, get a chair lift back up from the bottom of the luge track to the top of the hill and do it again.

There is also a thrill ride called the "Big Swing" which appears to be sort of a horizontal bungee ride. It was fairly expensive and no one took it while we were there.

Cost was $12NZ for the basic ride up and down. Luge and big swing were extra.

Would recommend as something worth doing. Unless you are into the luge ride or planning on lunch, plan on spending less than an hour at the top.

There are various options as to coming down the hill. You can, of course come down in the gondola you came up in. You can also choose to go down in a a couple of luge type rides, one slow and scenic and the other faster and more for the thrill of the ride.

The well-trained drivers do several 360 spins in the boats, which among other things, tends to get you a little wet, so don't refuse to take the rain gear offered at the start of the ride. During one of these 360 degree spins taking place right by the docks, the company has a camera set up to take a picture which you can buy at the end of your ride.

The drivers also provide a thrill by turning the boat into trees and bushes in the water. The boat is going so fast it slides by these objects before actually turning, but it is hard to convince first time passengers they are not going to slam into a tree trunk or some shrubs. We spent three or four minutes at the base of the falls which allowed ample time for picture taking. Our driver was happy to help out. The boats are powered by 496 Cu. in. 8.1 litre Chevrolet V8 engines and have tremendous speed and acceleration.

It is a great ride and well worth the price.