Rotorua: Where New Zealand Lets Off a Little Steam

Rotorua is one of those rare destinations where the drive is part of the holiday, but once you arrive, you’ll want to unpack for a few days.

Sitting in the heart of New Zealand’s Central North Island, it mixes geothermal landscapes, Māori culture, lakes, forests, mountain biking and some genuinely unusual places to eat, stay and play. It works for couples, families, younger adventurers and older travellers who prefer their adventure with a comfortable bed and decent glass of wine afterwards.

Stay a While

Rotorua has everything from holiday parks and motels to apartments, luxury lodges and five-star hotels.

Our pick is Regent of Rotorua, a stylish boutique hotel right in town. It’s close to Lake Rotorua and the restaurants around Eat Streat, with a heated outdoor pool and private mineral pool. Accommodation ranges from compact rooms for couples and solo travellers through to a three-bedroom loft sleeping up to seven, making it a surprisingly good option for families too.

Steam, Geysers and a Bit of Culture

You can’t really come to Rotorua and ignore what’s happening underneath your feet.

Te Puia combines the Whakarewarewa geothermal valley with Māori culture, traditional carving and weaving, a kiwi conservation centre and Pōhutu Geyser – the largest active geyser in the Southern Hemisphere.

If you want to dig deeper into Rotorua’s Māori heritage, a cultural tour is well worth making room for.

Experiences range from guided visits through Whakarewarewa – The Living Māori Village to evenings at Mitai Māori Village and Te Pā Tū, where storytelling, waiata, haka and traditional hāngī are part of the experience.

Rotorua is regarded as the birthplace of Māori tourism, so this isn’t something bolted onto the destination for visitors – Māori culture, history and connection to the geothermal landscape are very much part of what makes Rotorua, Rotorua.

For something considerably cheaper – as in free – wander through Kuirau Park, an active geothermal park practically in the city centre with steaming vents, boiling mud and thermal foot pools.

Then there’s Secret Spot Hot Tubs, beside Whakarewarewa Forest. Private cedar hot tubs, saunas, cold plunges, forest views and drinks delivered while you soak. Even better, buy something from its café and bar and you can use one of the little cedar “Shinny Dip” foot tubs. That’s our sort of sightseeing.

Eat Somewhere Different

Rotorua’s Eat Streat packs restaurants and bars into a covered dining precinct with a thermally heated footpath. Of course it does. Even the pavement is geothermal here.

For dinner, hunt down Poco Tapas & Wine, tucked upstairs on Arawa Street. Its seasonal sharing menu can include everything from smoked kahawai croquettes to venison tataki and wild pork meatballs – a nice change from defaulting to another burger.

Why Bring a Car?

Because Rotorua makes a brilliant fly-drive base and allows you to get out and about to see Rotorua's abundance of activities at your own leisure.

Hobbiton Movie Set is about an hour away, while Taupō is roughly an hour south. You can explore during the day, then return to Rotorua for dinner, a hot pool and another night without constantly packing the suitcase.

DSP PRO TIP: Give Rotorua at least three nights. Book Te Puia and your hot-tub session before arriving, but leave some empty space in the itinerary. This is one destination where randomly following a steaming road, forest trail or slightly suspicious smell can actually pay off.

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