ROTORUA TOURISM AND TRAVEL OVERVIEW:
It is the 10th largest city of New Zealand is located on the shores of Lake Rotorua, surrounded with geysers, boiling mud pools and steaming craters, making
it a premiere tourist destination of New Zealand. Rotorua tourism is world renowned for
its natural attractions. The moment you enter the city, you will see drifts of
steam emitting from cracks, crevices and culverts in parks, pathways, play
grounds, gardens and even residential areas, accompanied by the pervasive smell
of sulphur. In short, Rotorua is one of the geothermal wonders of
the world.
LOCATION:
Rotorua is located in the central the North Island of New Zealand. 85 km (53 mi)
south of Cambridge, 200 km 9125 mi) southeast of Auckland.
POPULAR TOURIST ATTRACTIONS AND ROTORUA TOURISM:
The Geothermal areas of Rotorua are the most popular tourist attraction in this area, the main Geothermal areas are - Whakarewarewa, Waimangu, Waiotapu and Tikitere-Hells Gate.
Whakarewarewa:
Also known as 'Whaka', this is the best known geothermal sites in Rotorua. It is approximately 3 km from Roturua, near the banks of Paurenga river. It attracts tourists towards its 500 or more hot springs, including the largest Geyser of the country called 'Pohutu'.The lively Pohutu geyser offers spectacular views with eruptions occurring approximately twenty times per day.
Waimangu:
The Waimangu Volcanic Valley is renowned for its stunning blue steaming waters and famous walls of the Inferno Crater. Extending southwest from lake Rotomahana's, it is consequently one of the world's newest thermal-activity areas, encompassing the boiling water of the massive Inferno Crater, plus steaming cliffs, bubbling springs and bush fringed terraces.
Waiotapu:
This is a fantastic landscape of deep, sulfur-crusted pits, jade color ponds, silica terraces and a steaming lake edged with red algae and bubbling with tiny beads of carbon dioxide.It features the spectacular Champagne pools, a series of enormous hot pools that are a rich mixture of gold, yellow and orange. The colors are caused by mineral salts in the water. Waiotapu is 30 km southeast of Rotorua.
Tikitere - Hells Gate:
Hells gate is an awesome place that will fulfill all your expectations - hot pools, lots of steam, boiling mud, but there is a big difference between this area and the others in the Rotorua district. All the water that you see is ordinary groundwater that has been heated by huge quantities of steam flowing through it, and is not hot water that has come from any great depth. Hells Gate, the last of the main thermal areas, offers rest and relaxation with the convenient location of soothing thermal hot pools.
Visitors to New Zealand truly regard the volcanic area of Rotorua as one of the most interesting places in the country.
Buried Village:
The eruption of Mt Tarawera buried 3 villages. Te Wairoa is the only village to be partially excavated and you can see for yourself the history of this area. The walk to the waterfall is steepish, but beautiful.
The Rotorua Art & History Museum:
The Rotorua Art & History Museum is also worth a visit, it contains artifacts that display the cultural heritage of the Arawa tribe, who were the main pre-European inhabitants of Rotorua.
Other Activities:
Along with the sightseeing there are several other things to be done in Rotorua Tourism - Gondola Ride, Skyline Sky rides, Hiking, Fishing, Rafting, Jet Boating, Bungee jumping. Rotorua is a remarkable travel and tourism destination
DINING/FOOD:
Rotorua tourism offers a wide variety of cuisines to cater to all types of temptations. In addition to good restaurants, Rotorua also provides the best opportunities to experience a Maori feast (hangi). Some of the popular restaurants in Rotorua are - Poppy's villa Restaurant, The fat Dog Cafe and Bar, You and Me, Pig & Whistle.
HOTELS:
Some of the good hotels in Rotorua are - Regal Palms Motor Lodge, Princes Gate Hotel, Silver Fern Motor Inn, The Springs, White Island Rendezvous, Wyndham Rotorua, Eaton Hall, Motel Monterey.
Treetops Lodge and Estate, Funky Green Voyager.
SHOPPING:
The main shopping area of Rotorua is easily accessible and provides a wide variety of shops to cater to the needs of all, including clothing, ice cream parlors, arts and crafts, sporting goods, stationary, souvenirs, pharmacies and much more. Shopping is also among the popular tourist attractions of the city.
The New Zealand Maori Art & Crafts Institute
This was established to preserve Maori heritage and crafts. At the institute you will get a chance to watch wood-carvers and flax-weavers at work and see New Zealand's greenstone (jade) being sculpted into jewelry. The gift shop sells fine examples of this work, plus several other items, from small wood-carved kiwis to decorative flax skirts of the kind worn in the Maori cultural shows.
