This is the best free thing we did in New Zealand. Its a natural hot water river, creek, stream,…read moreor whatever you want to call it. Jump in and chill. Get a free massage from the waterfall or strong current. My only mistake was not bringing some beer and wine. Otherwise its wonderful! It sure beats paying $15-25NZ for one of the spas. It does require about a 20 minute drive south of Rotorua, a short drive on a gravel road(1km?), and a very short walk from the impromptu parking lot. Its so worth it!

An enchanting natural hot spring water fall. Short hike through beautiful wooded area next to the…read morestream and small water falls along the way. The waterfall is nestled in a cozy wooded open area. Sit and enjoy the water rushing around you at the top of the water fall area, or climb down into the warm/hot water below. It is hot at first, hotter than the reviews I read. You can walk up to the water fall at the bottom, but be careful it does dip down and the soft dirt below does not give you much grip to hold your balance. This is a magical beautiful place not to be missed. As you drive onto the dirt road you will see the green pool lake to your left and a small pull off to the right. Pull off and you will hear a rushing waterfall in the woods. You can hoist yourself up the trail not too bad of a climb and come to a small waterfall area with a plank. It is not hot, this is a cool one we did not swim in. Further down the road is Wai-O-Tapu hot spring, but decided not to wade in it because of the warning sign, see pic in review.

This is said to be the deepest natural spring on the north island. The spring flows from a deep…read morerocky hole at the head of the river which flows out into lake Rotorua. The spring is about 1km easy flat walk down a track from the carpark through a grove of redwoods and following the stream. The water is cold and refreshing (bring a bottle and fill it from the source!). This is a department of conservation parkland area so no there are no costs. There are signs around the site describing the history of the area and facts about the spring. Swimming is not permitted here, but you can swim where the stream enters Lake Rotorua - the water is pretty cold though! Well worth a look if you are passing by, and only a short drive out of town (15-20min) if you aren't passing by.

This is a beautiful place and a lovely walk. Take care if it is windy as the redwood trees are very…read moreimpressive but also drop dead branches occasionally. The two springs here are fascinating in different ways - I could have spent ages just watching the water rising out of the earth, and the dancing sands made me smile a lot. The views across Lake Rotorua on the other side of the road are good too. Definitely worth a visit in my opinion and I will be going back again when I am next in NZ.

The idea of combining kayaking and viewing glowworms sounded like a great idea so I booked an…read moreouting with The Boatshed Kayaks. My husband and I (private tour) had a great time. We kayaked with our guide Sean for a while and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. While we waited for the sun to go down, we got out of the kayaks and hiked up a small hill to enjoy the views and a snack. Once it got dark, we got back in the kayaks and started paddling back; 1000's of glowworms were visible on the walls of the gorge. We saw very few people and the evening was very peaceful. I would highly recommend this activity.

This was such a great experience!…read more I booked this tour on the same day through Viator. Definitely a thrill ride! The driver had some serious skills!!! They take you right up to the falls! Definitely recommend, easy parking and so close to Lake Taupo.

Expensive, about $80 US per person. But we had a lovely time. They furnished the rain gear, which…read morewe were extremely glad to be wearing. The driver/guide maximized the speed and water thrills, gauging out whoops of enthusiasm as encouragement to soak us again and again! So glad it was a sunny warm day!

We were looking for an easy and inexpensive way to enjoy Rotorua's geothermal activity and this…read moreplace popped up in our search. We were so happy we stopped by for a brief viewing because it's a nice little walk along the lake and was another fantastic and free NZ tourist spot. There are several places to park along the road and then you can walk along the lake and enjoy the geothermal steam, little bubbling holes, and the fantastic aromas! Be warned if you are particularly sensitive to sulfur and eggy smells you may want to skip the geothermal adventures in NZ. The steam rises from the scenic lake and beautiful birds are positioned everywhere you look. There is one spot along the road with little rocky craters with bubbling water and a touch of the beautiful colors that is classic to geothermal Rotorua attractions. It's a great stopping point and doesn't take too long to enjoy and snap a few photos before you continue on your way.

It's a good spot for some striking photos in various directions. There's water and spits of land…read moreand city skyline and various fairly photogenic birds around. The black swans with red bills are great. You drive all the way through the garden to the end of the road to get here, and there's a parking lot with plenty of parking (unlike the rest of the park, at least when we were there--we actually ended up at the point as we looked for parking to crack out the gardens but couldn't find any). Itdoesn't smell any more sulphury than anywhere else, and less than in some places in the region. There's not anything to do other than take pictures, including hiking or even much walking, so it's more of a place to drive out to, hop out of the car, and hang out for 15 minutes or so. But the views are nice so it's not a bad place to do that.

Looking for a great way to see the great outdoors of New Zealand? Then check out Mountain Biking…read moreRotorua. While biking is in their name, know that they also do a wide range of active tours like the obvious biking, but the not so obvious, rafting over water falls, kayaking to the hot mineral pools and riverside hikes. I had signed up for th Roturua adventure day which includes 3 activities that take about 8 hours to complete. I was a little apprehensive at first as I wasn't sure if I could actually do all the things I signed up for. But my fears were quickly put aside when I met my guide for the day, Wade. Wade assured me that he could put together the perfect day for my skill level, and he did. And his warm, genuine style made me feel like I was hanging out with a friend for the day rather than someone who is paid to put up with my lack of athleticism! So our first stop was the bike shop where I was fitted with a bike, helmet, alnd given some water. This is located right at the entrance to the Whakrewarera forest that is filled with giant American redwood trees. The perfect place to start out day! This forest is free to the public and has plenty of trails from the most beginning rider to the very experienced rider. The woods are shared with hikers and people on horseback as well. It is stunning underneath those towering canopies. And while I was a little horrified that I started on the " kids loop", let me assure you that there are hills, valleys and banked curves even on the kids path. I quickly graduated to the next level and found me on a trail that had so many dips and valleys that I was laughing out loud! We finished up the bike ride and drove over to the Kailuna River where we hiked along the river and watched the rafters go over 3 sets of falls. After a delicious lunch at a local cafe, it was then time to kayak on Lake Roiti and head over to the hot mineral springs. Wade took care of not only getting me any equipment I needed, but also took the time to explain kayaking and some of the history of the area. The best thing about this day? Wade was such a great guide and was so patient with my remedial skill level, that I felt I was out spending the day with a friend versus a hired guide. And how great is that? If you are looking for a great way to experience some of the great natural beauty this part of New Zealand has to offer, give mountain Biking Rotorua a call. It may be the best day of your vacation!

I wish I had more time on this trip to enjoy the mountain biking. The trails and options for…read moredifferent level bikers are awesome. The rental staff were knowledgeable and helpful. The gear was well maintained. I enjoyed exploring the forests.

Had a great time! Laura was a terrific guide and told us lots of local legends/stories. Kayaks were…read moreeasy to navigate and the small group made it quite fun. Rock carvings and little bays were quite amazing. Coffee and mince pies were a nice treat.

This little tour company only offers self-guided group tours (for safety reasons)…read more I'm glad I convinced my brother and his father-in-law to take the hour and a half kayaking tour with me! We had great fun maneuvering our kayaks through the underbelly of an aqueduct and the bush clad Tokaanu Stream. It's a wonderful way to explore the landscape but be warned; it's not an easy paddle!! The stream meanders through some densely overgrown harakeke banks and zig zags pretty sharply through the bush at certain points. Good luck avoiding the prickly blackberry bushes while trying to negotiate your way around these ultra-tight corners! We passed a bit of thermal activity towards the end - bubble, bubble toil and trouble....ahhhh!!! I'd rather tango with the blackberry bushes, instead, thank yo very much! Seriously though; jokes aside, this is a super-fun freshwater kayaking adventure and a real bargain at $35 per person - equipment included! Just give Tui a ring and she'll sort you out!

From the owner: Self guided kayaking on Tokaanu Stream at the southern end of Lake Tauporead more

This park has a lot of variety, a beautifully landscaped blue lake, geothermal areas, flower…read moregardens, green space, many varieties of trees and scrubs, and a developed geothermal foot soaking station and wading pool. The water levels were low in several of the geothermal areas versus the last time we visited, but the park is still a great, free asset.

By far the best experience within Rotorua. If not on our entire trip, this place cannot be more…read moreunderrated. It's a huge park with cool geothermal activity. Lots of interesting wildlife and birds and just a nice park in general to be around. Plenty of parking. It was pretty empty when we went. Definitely stop by if you're in the area and walk by the hot pools.

This place by the Taupo lake is a must visit. It's literally by the lake, you can choose to sit out…read moreby the sand which has a major beach vibe or you can sit inside, which feels like you are on a cruise/boat out on the lake. Parking deck is outside, it's a self service place. They give you buzzers as you order food and drinks and it lights up once your order is ready. It's casual in a classy way. The pizzas were really good. Thin crust, wood-fire and perfect. The drinks also were really good. Mine was a lychee cocktail not for you if you don't like it sweet. I will recommend this place and hopefully revisit.

Don't come here expecting service. No water, napkins etc…read morePizza was good, the buzzer malfunctioned and we waited forever for our food