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Regal Palms Rotorua 5 star

Rotorua - Central North - Bay of Plenty - Taupo

Today's visitors still find there is nothing more relaxing in the world after a hard day's sightseeing than a dip in a thermal pool. While many motels/hotels have their own pools, at the renowned public Polynesian Pools you can choose from a range of temperatures and mineral compositions. Here nature's antics can be fascinating, weird and sometimes scary. Every now and again you catch a whiff of pungent brimstone escaping from the subterranean fires not too far under your feet, and don't be surprised to spot steam escaping from a stormwater drain or wafting from a crack in the ground or sidewalk - it's a reminder that the earth's crust is but a thin veneer around here.
A must is the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve within the city boundaries, location of the star attraction - the famous Pohutu Geyser.

The Waimangu Valley Round Trip, which has been operating for 90 years, must qualify as New Zealand's premier sightseeing tour. On this trip you learn about the earth-shattering Tarawera eruption and explore the surrounding area, including the excavated Maori village at Te Wairoa and the steamy Waimangu Valley with its boiling lake and hissing fumaroles.

Sparkling or flat water?

It is just over a hundred years since the last major volcanic eruption in the Rotorua region. In 1886 Mount Tarawera literally blew its top, changing the surrounding landscape forever, and destroying the world~famous Pink & White Terraces. Today, you can view the massive crater from the air or by 4wd vehicle. Other areas include violent Tikiteri on the eastern side of Lake Rotorua; weird Waiotapu with its steamy caverns and colorful, fizzy Champagne Lake; and Orakei-Korako, to the south, with its boiling pools and silica terraces, accessible by boat across Lake Ohakuri.

Then there's the contrast of the area's dozen or so tranquil lakes, where you can go boating, swim, sunbathe or just soak up the peacefulness of the idyllic surroundings. Rarely are so many lakes so different from each other, found in such close proximity to each other. If you're an angler, you really should try your hand here, with with a little luck you should enjoying juicy trout for dinner. Local guides can provide boats, tackle and all the advice you need.

A cultural journey

A longtime center of the Maori, who took advantage of the hot springs for cooking and bathing, Rotorua is still the best place to see aspects of their culture, including concerts displaying dancing and singing, replicas of traditional buildings and fortified villages, and Maori arts and crafts.

Another traditional way of cooking was by the hangi - a pit filled with heated stones on which the food was placed, then covered over and steamed. Many of the larger hotels and some marae (Maori tribal meeting places) recapture some of this tradition by providing hangi feasts and concerts of traditional music and dancing.

Adjacent to the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve, at the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute, you may see highly-skilled Maori carvers at their traditional crafts. Here, you can be sure of buying high-quality genuine artifacts to take back home.

Bubbling with activities

The grand Tudor-style bath house near the lake, adjacent to downtown, had its heyday early this century when thermal spas were fashionable. In the end it fell victim to the corrosive forces of the waters and changing fashions, and now serves as a magnificent local museum, with some fine Maori carving, and art gallery. In the attractive gardens surrounding the bath house are the exotic orchid gardens.

Rarely will you find such a concentration of attractions and activities as in this resort. Some of these include scenic flights, luge riding, tandem parachuting, river rafting, jetboating, fishing, 4WD volcanic safaris, horse riding, bush walks, farm shows, hovershuttles, etc. To get your suggested itinerary including activities and attractions, contact Vacation Australia.

How to get there: from Auckland, Rotorua is three hours drive direct from Auckland, or 45 minutes by plane. Both Mount Cook Airlines and New Zealand fly to Rotorua and coach services provide land transport. Many international chains are located in Rotorua, and there are also many excellent lodges, motels, guest houses, and hostels, as well as camping grounds.

The Mississippi of the Maori

A dominant natural feature of this region is the Waikato River, New Zealand's longest (264 miles/ 425 km). It was once an important waterway for Maori canoes and colonial steamboats. Today, some of this history is recaptured at the annual Maori canoe regatta held at Ngaruawahia (Na-rua-wa-hia) each March, and by cruising the park-bordered waterway from Hamilton aboard the M.V. Waipa Delta, a replica of a 110 year-old paddle steamer.

With a wide range of accommodation to suit every pocket, Hamilton is a good base for exploring the small, prosperous towns of the region: Cambridge with its large English trees and craft center; Te Awamutu, renowned for its rose gardens and historic St. John's Anglican Church; Otorohanga, whose zoo boasts the largest walk-through aviary in the Southern Hemisphere, as well as a special kiwi-bird display.

See the gleaming Waitomo Caves

Less than 50 miles/80 kms to the south of Hamilton, under rolling farmlands, are the Waitomo Caves with their water-sculpted, lime-stone grottoes. Here you can go cave tubing or slip silently by on a water-borne barge to view the miriad Plow-worms overhead.

Click here to see New Plymouth & Palmerston North (West Coast) Golf

An hour's drive south from Rotorua brings you to Taupo, on the northern shore of Lake Taupo. However, it will probably take you longer than an hour to get there, as there are so many sights to see on the way. You might drive into Waiotapu Thermal Reserve to see its moon-like landscape, fizzy Champagne Lake and silica terraces, or to Waimangu with its steaming cliffs and boiling cauldron; or detour to Orakei Korako thermal area.

You will know you are near Wairakei by the clouds of steam billowing above the pines; and you have arrived when suddenly a maze of surrealistic, large silver colored pipes looms into view on each side of the road. These carry natural steam from roaring geothermal bores to an electricity generating station. A short distance down the road is one of New Zealand's premier golf courses and tourist hotels. And at the nearby Wairakei Park the scenic attractions include the Craters of the Moon thermal area, the Huka Falls where the full force of the mighty Waikato River gushes and roars through a narrow crevice, and the spectacular Aratiatia Rapids, also on the Waikato River. For a different perspective of the Huka Falls you can take an exhilarating jetboat ride on the river.

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Getting Around

Coach and air services operate from Auckland or you can rent a mini-motorhome, 4wd or rental car.

SUGGESTED ADD-ON TOURS

Vacation Australia's "Kangaroo Kelly" has comprehensively travelled both Islands in NZ. He not only knows the popular tourist regions but also knows the favourite places of the crafty locals.

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