I've been here a number of times with my 3-year-old and he never tires of this playground (and we…read morenever tire of him tiring himself out at this playground). If you are in Tauranga or The Mount area, this is a great place to bring the little ones for a run around. You can also walk over the beach or around Mount Drury if you're done at the playground. It's also within walking distance of a number of shops and cafes along the beach and in the central part of the area. I'd say this playground is more for the 2-3 years-old and up sort of kid age range. There aren't too many options for the real little ones, but there is lots of open space nearby for them to toddle around or for you to kick a soccer ball, throw a rugby ball or Frisbee around. I'm also happy with the fact that there are a fair number of benches available and public toilets right there at the playground. All in all, we've been a number of times and we'll be back plenty more times in the future.

Great park! Lots of room to roam, grassy areas, playgrounds and clean toilets! On the water too!read more

Also known as Main Beach, Mount Maunganui Beach is located on the Northeast side of the peninsula…read morethat juts out into the Pacific Ocean, the point being Mount Maunganui. It is located in the suburb of Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. The Peninsula is narrow, and on the other side is Pilot Beach facing the Bay of Plenty with calmer waters. We came for a visit on a Sunday in mid April, and the beach was being enjoyed by locals, competing in a team obstacle course competition. But even then, there was a ton of open space for beach lovers, with the wide sandy beach providing just a gorgeous backdrop. It truly is a picturesque beach.

This is a really beautiful beach with a lot of wonderful amenities. There is convenient parking all…read moredown the beach and we were able to easily find a spot and head over to the trailhead for Mount Maunganui. It seems like you could spend a full day here pretty easy. Do a little hiking in the morning and be rewarded with a great view of the beach and bay, then relax on the beach all day. The sand is very soft and perfect for footsies. There's also bike baths and paved walking trails offering something for everyone. There's quite a few restaurants and ice cream places just walking distance from the beach in case you get hit by the hungries throughout the day. I was also really impressed to see the water bottle refilling stations to help keep you hydrated. The day we were there we saw a lot of surfers out and the water was pretty rough. I imagine this is a better beach for laying out on rather than for swimming. Pretty incredible area though, wish I lived next to it!

This is a unique experience and glad we stayed an extra day to experience the Redwood Forest and…read morethe Glow worms.

Welcome to Serenity only elevated. The Redwood Treewalk in Rotorua is a perfect way to connect with…read morenature. We walked the tree walk amongst the Californian Redwoods. Suspended high above the forest floor, the walk takes you across a series of swing bridges and platforms. So fun. Adventurous and relaxing all at the same time.

A blend of outdoor fish ponds, huge and beautiful rainforest trees that go up for miles and so much…read morelush vegetation. Part of a tour stop, it's a nice place for an hour of peace and reflection. Take some time to take a turn. Never know what kind of fishes you will discover. I watched a duck dive in for some small bites at the bottom of the water during my watch.

As a vegan (which is about animal rights and environment as much as it is about food), I have mixed…read morefeelings about animals in captivity. However, and despite being a commercial run entity, Rainbow Springs does an excellent job of presenting native flaura and fauna, and there are no large animals in captivity (which NZ hasn't had native versions for hundreds of years). We went here just after opening, and it was pretty quiet - just a few people in the park and a few tour groups. We got to walk around the plants and see much of the park before joining the Kiwi encounter - a must see if you care at all about NZ wildlife - and since there were only 6 of us on that tour, it was pretty good - and we got to see junenvile kiwis with their raising program. We did also the water ride, and although fun, I really felt like it could have done a better job of presenting NZ's prehistory, since that is a pretty interesting topic by itself, but it was still fun. We rushed off early morning to see the show at the Agrodome, not having seen everything, but being able to come back until 10pm. When we did come back around 7pm, the place was strangely deserted - it turned out we were the only visitors in the park, and had the run of much of (some of it's closed after dark) for ourselves for the best part of an hour! So we got to revisit some parts we'd skipped, and went on the playground and the flying fox (zip line) all by ourselves. Who else has been to a theme park all alone? All in all, an essential park of the Rotorua experience. Hardly a comprehensive look at NZ's ecology, but interesting neverthless.

I came here for the first time last week while I was travelling with my family. I feel like ever…read moresince we had children, our vacations seem to take us from playground to playground around the world. Who needs art museums and architechure or restaurants or bars when you can have slides and swings and splash fountains? This one was pretty good. My 3-year-old ran around here for over an hour without getting bored. In addition to the great playground structures, the area sits alongside the railroad tracks and this was a great thing for all the kids present. Every time a train went by they all dropped what they were doing, rushed over the fence, commented on the train (it's length, it's noise, etc, etc.) in a way that kids do so well and adorably. It was good fun for all of us. It was too cold for him to run through the splash fountain, but if we are back this way in warmer weather I'm sure it will be a big hit.

Great park in the heart of the city with a huge playground for children and lots of room to run…read morearound. Big, beautiful trees, the lake nearby, and space for families to relax. Highly recommend.

I first heard of Agroventures from Michelle Phan. (the YouTube Make-up Queen) I knew it was going…read moreto be cool so I was super excited when we spent a few hours at Agroventures. New Zealand is the land for adrenaline pumping adventures. Agroventures doesn't disappoint. They have 5 different activities, The Agrojet, (a raceboat that goes super fast) Freefall Extreme, (feels like you're falling through the sky) Swoop, (super swing) Shweeb, (race around a track in a pedal operated pod) and Rotorua Bungy. (Bungee jump) I went with a large group of mostly boys. They offer group discounts and combos if you buy 1 or 5 activities. Most of us did the Shweeb, though some did the other crazy activities. The Shweeb is unique and the only one in the world as of now. You are placed into this pod-like contraption and race your opponent by pedaling the pod to race around a track. It's not as easy as it looks or sounds! I don't have the speed or stamina like teenage boys! I had a great time at Agroventures and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an adrenaline rush!

This place was awesome! We got a room with a queen bed and a bunk. The room was tidy, and spacious…read more The AC kept it cool the fan was really nice to have while we slept. IT was awesome that there are thermal pools on site! We enjoyed using the pools and meeting fellow travelers. The WiFi was very poor, as it is in many places we have traveled.

So Disappointing! So…read moredisappointing, small park unfriendly staff, although we had booked in advance no question of having our vans together, despite there being empty spaces the whole time next to us! Their hot pools were just everyday hot tubs and tiny swimming pool, far too small for the size of site! Digging your own pool on the beach is not what it seems, again very small area! Children's playground dangerously close to a real hot spring with very inadequate fencing! Facilities left a lot to be desired!