5 days in Rotorua

Huka Jets is a jetboat ride that provides lots of thrills while right next door is a commercial prawn farm where you can eat and enjoy their product either inside or outside. Taupo also is the site of hot springs and other geothermal activity which can be seen at the Volcanic activity centre

Quick Tips:

We only made a three hour stop passing through, so don't have too many tips other than it seemed like a nice little town and appeared to be a nice place to relax for a day or two as well as having a reasonable number of touristy things to do.

Best Way To Get Around:

While the town itself is fairly small, most of the tourist sites are out of town. Having your own vehicle would appear to be the best way of getting around.

Above price is in NZ$ (about $70US) The place is rated as 5 star by Qualmark, the NZ rating service and we thought it was great. We believe we had the nicest room (#2) In addition to the front door to our suite, we had sliding glass doors in the back which led out to our private parking space. Our main room was large and included a kitchenette area with all the necessities to prepare any meals you wished. Supplied as part of the room cost was tea, coffee, hot chocolate and a couple of cookies. Our bathroom was large and had a shower. The room had a hair dryer, ironing board and iron. The motel also supplied free use of their washing machine. $2NZ for the coin op dryer. The bathroom led to a covered "courtyard" which contained a large spa tub which you filled and emptied after each use. The location is excellent as Fenton is one of the main streets and leads directly to all routes out of town. The owners are Ian and Anne Hogg. Both are very nice. Anne is the one to see to help you plan your itinerary and answer most questions you may have.

Above price is in NZ$ which are about $.50 US. I have paid three times the price in North America for lesser quality food than we had here. The restaurant was the top choice of our guide book (Frommers) and of the owners of our motel (see separate review) and lived up to all expectations. It is located on a small sidestreet just off Fenton Drive (the main drag) It is located in an old Edwardian Villa refurbished into a very nice restaurant. It is quite large and organized so that you have a fair amount of privacy at each table. It holds various awards in Rotorua and New Zealand. I had one of the award winners (Lamb rack Canterbury) while my wife had a dory (fish of the day) Both were excellent. Service is fairly formal and was excellent as was the food. Highly recommended for an evening of excellent food and wine in a quiet fairly formal atmosphere

There are two main features at the Park, the Agrodome Show and the Farm Tour. The combined price is $20NZ, the Agrodome show only is $12NZ. The Agrodome show is a well-organized professional show which displays 19 different breeds of sheep now in New Zealand and explains their basic differences and uses (meat vs wool etc.) There is a humerous aspect to the show as audience members are involved. There is also a professional sheep-shearer giving an explanation of what he is doing while he shears a sheep in about 45 seconds. The world record is about 22 seconds. This indoor show last about an hour and then you are led outdoors to a fenced area where local sheepherders demonstrate how sheep dogs work and provide other information related to the industry. Around this area there are some penned animals, baby lambs etc for viewing as well as a gift shop etc. Although we did not go on the farm tour, it sounded as though it may be interesting, especially for kids. You rode on a wagon pulled by horses throughout the farm and encountered a large variety of animals, not just farm animals. People who took it said they enjoyed it.

As the name indicates there is a lot of geo-thermal activity in the area. You walk along prescribed trails and view a spectacular array of colours in the thermal waters caused by sulphur and other chemicals in the water. You have to see it for yourself to believe the variety of colours and the bubbling gases. There are hot springs, streams and small lakes of varying sizes with water temperatures from near boiling to fresh cool water. There are also continuously bubbling mud pools and a geyser that erupts daily. The geyser is fed soap to coax it to erupt each day @ 10:00 AM. We were told it would erupt about once a day in any case, but by forcing it, they are able to attract a crowd at the set time. It is quite impressive but somehow did not seem to be as realistic knowing they have caused it to happen. There are more spectacular geysers at Whakarewarewa (see separate journal), but the walk here at WAI-O-TAPU is the best geothermal display in New Zealand.

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.

The Waimangu Volcanic Valley was the location of severe volcanic activity in 1886. At the large visitor centre at the entrance there are pictures and well-written commentary about what happened at that time. There is also a restaurant at the centre. If you are combining this trip with WAI-O-TAPU (see separate journal) you may wish to have a snack here.

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 location is at the south end of Fenton St. which is one of the main North / South streets of Rotorua. It is easy to spot because of the almost continuous geyser activity. There are two parts to this location, the thermal reserve and the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute.

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.

In all we travelled five weeks in New Zealand and in our opinion the Tamaki Maori Village is the ultimate Maori experience on the two islands. It combines good fun, good food and presents the maori culture in a very positive way. The experience starts when you are picked up at your motel or hotel. En route to the village our bus driver (a Maori) told us what to expect on arrival and helped us elect a chief to meet with the local warriors. He kept up a constant combination of information and comedy which got everyone in a good mood. On arrival we are formally welcomed by the tribe after a ritual showing how the Maori tried to intimidate their enemies. Our elected chief makes the appropriate responses and we then proceed to walk through a large outdoor area (it is now dark) where there are several groups of Maori involved in different activities in traditional costumes. (singing, dancing, crafts etc.) Some of the Maori men are doing the Haka, the fearsome ritual dance adopted by the New Zealand All Blacks, the international Rugby team of New Zealand and one of the best in the world. After this we drift into a meeting room where we experience a more formal performance of dance and song lasting about 30 minutes. Then we are off to the Hangi, the traditional meal where the food is cooked in the ground on hot rocks. The meal consists of lamb, beef, chicken, vegetables and a dessert. There is a bar with wine, beer and hard liquor available. (not a part of tradition) After the meal there is another 45 minutes or so where there is some informal entertainment or if you wish you have the opportunity to look through the gift shops or just chat with your neighbours or some of the performers or shopkeepers. Everyone is very friendly. On our bus the trip back was part of the entertainment as our bus driver. I won't provide details as it may ruin it for you when you go, but we won't forget our bus driver "Kahu" for quite awhile! A great night well worth the price. Highly recommended, "two thumbs up"

This is a gondola ride to the top of Mt Ngongotaha just outside of Rotorua. It provides a great view of the area. The thrill of the ride is minimal (depends on the number of rides of this type you have been on) We have been on lots. At the top, there is a lot of room to walk around, both inside and outside. You can stay up as long as you like. At the top there is the standard restaurant, snack bar etc. We had lunch there and the quality of food was good for this type of outlet.

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 tourist park is located just off State Highway 1 just north of Taupo. The cost was $58NZ for about a 35 minute thrill ride up and down the river and to sit right below Huka falls to get pictures of the falls. While waiting for our boat an employee took us down to the docks. Take pictures with your camera if you like.

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.