We got the ticket for the full guided tour, dinner, and the show. It's pricy but we enjoyed it very…read moremuch and it's a unique experience. The tour starts with some quick stops at the traditional way the food is cooked and at a carved canoe to give a glimpse of Māori life. You get to see some kiwi birds, then cruise around the geyser area. Lots of lookouts and viewing sites. You finish the tour in the art center where the intricate carvings and weaving are done. Next is dinner. The buffet has a ton of meat (meat coma) along with vegetables, salads, desserts, etc. so many options. You are given a seating assignment so we conversed with folks from Denver and California. Funny we go all the way to New Zealand and end up hanging with folks from the US. Finally, you end with the show. It is well done. You get a good variety of battle, love, and storytelling songs. It was an educational and enjoyable experience.

Great place to learn about Maori culture. Highlights & Recommendations for Te Puia:…read more1) NZ Maori Arts & Crafts Institute (NZMACI) - A fascinating school that allows Maori adult students to study (tuition free) traditional crafts such as wood, stone, and bone carving and weaving, using tradtional methods. This allows the students to perpetuate Maori culture. Recommendation: NZMACI should offer classes (for a fee) for Pākehā (non-Maori people) who could also learn the techniques, and their fees would also help subsidize the school. The classes could range from the full course for NZ residents, to shorter courses for tourists. 2) Geyser- Spectacular! 3) Cultural Show - Interesting, Informative, Entertaining. Recommendation: Do a full Haka, and outside where everyone can see. Also, give a more full explanation of all the parts. 4) Maori Staff - All of the staff were superb! I was with Kia (sp?) and she very patiently answered all my many questions about the Maori language. Recommendations: I would like to have known a little about each Staff member- origin, tribe, etc. 5) Maori Culture- I cannot imagine a better place to learn about Maori culture! Recommendations: I would like to have known more about Maori tattoos - designs, placement, symbolism, etc. It's such a visible part od Maori culture that it should be featured. If it would be offensive to do so, I would withdraw this comment. Overall, and exceptional visit to a very entertaining place. Nga mihi!

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 is a great place to hike with trails of all types and levels. We parked at the main…read moreinformation center where the elevated Redwoods walk is located and hiked the Pohaturoa Track which initially runs through the redwoods, then along Tarawera road for a short distance then steadily goes up to viewpoints of the City and also Te Puia Dan the Pōhutu Geyser basin with lake views. We added on the joint use mountain bike track Mud pool loop which had one active mud pool. Loved that the plant life was so diverse with many different pine, fur and even eucalyptus which smelled wonderful.

Beautiful forest! The questions you need to answer is whether to visit during the day or at night?…read more And if you visit as night, do you do the (expensive) tree walk? I would highly recommend visiting at night. It is truly special. I can't speak to walking through the trees at night on the ground, as we paid the US$20 to walk through the tree tops. The view at night is like fairy lights; easy to imagine this as the setting for every elf story I have ever read.  BF liked the engineering aspects; it is cool how the tree walk has been hung without damage or drilling into the trees. Would definitely recommend this as an unusual way to spend an evening.

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.

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.

We bought tickets for both the Lady Knox Geyser and touring the thermal park. The gates to the…read moregeyser don't open until 9:45am and that wasn't clear so there was a long line of cars right outside the gate wondering if they were in the right place. They were. The geyser eruption can be controlled by the insertion of soap so it runs each day at 10:15am. Quite the crowd gathers. A woman sang a local native song as it erupted. It was quite lovely. After the eruption, most people head to the visitor center to tour the grounds. Well marked paths lead you interesting features throughout the park. It was a great way to learn and experience something unique that New Zealand has to offer.

I definitely enjoyed my trip here. Seeing all the natural beauty and wonder was amazing. Plus…read moregetting in some steps was also a plus. I thought the admission fee was a bit much for what the place offered but still happy I went.

OMFG THIS PLACE IS HEAVEN. Seriously I think it's my new happy place. I am a big fan of the…read moreoutdoors, nature, and especially waterfalls, so finding this place was a dream come true. I came here with my partner on a road trip from Auckland, and we spent wayyy longer here than we imagined we would. We climbed rocks and swam in the cold water and took loads of photos (this place is seriously 'gram worthy) and stretched out on the boulders like a couple of lizards. My fingers and forearms were actually sore later from all of the climbing I did. I don't think this place would be ideal for anyone who is handicapped, as you do have to walk over rocks to get anywhere. Though if you do want to check it out, you could just look from the bridge. McLaren Falls Park is one of the most magical places I've been in New Zealand, I would highly HIGHLY recommend coming here - even if you have to go out of your way, it's that worth it. Make sure you go to the actual park (a lot of people seem to just stop by the bridge, where a couple of the falls are) and do the hike to the real waterfall - that's where the really big one is!

OMG! We stopped her after seeing the "photo interest" road sign while driving from Taupo to…read moreWaitomo. It was a spur of the moment decision. What a spectacular spot! I'm not sure I've ever been somewhere this unique. We ended up walking quite a ways on the Te Waihou Walkway along the beautiful Blue Spring. It was otherworldly in how crystal clear the waters were. Underwater vegetation was plentiful and swaying with the current. This is absolutely worth your stop. The hike is longer than you think it is, but completely worth it. We also encountered lots of interesting birds. This is easily one of the most naturally beautiful places I've ever been on Earth -- solely rivaled perhaps in my travels only by some alpine springs I've hiked along in Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks in the USA. I have never seen water this clear and underwater colors this vibrant from the surface.

This place was beautiful! I ran across it while researching places to go in New Zealand. By the…read moretime we got here, I forgot what this place was. We decided to spend 30 minutes here. As it turns out, this was not enough time. This is worth spending at least an hour here if not more. It will take you 10 minutes to walk from the parking lot to the main viewpoint. As you walk down the path, you'll catch glimpses of a stream. But this is no ordinary stream - it has crystal clear water and beautiful plants growing in the stream. The blue of the water combined with the green of the plants create a beautiful combination that looks like something out of a Monet painting. From the main viewing stand, if you look across the stream, there's a nook, and the water there is a beautiful azure color, darker than the rest of the water. Beyond the viewing stand, the path continues, but this is as far as we got. I think the trail goes another 4-5 kilometers. If you are in the area, definitely check this out. It's a great detour when driving between Rotorua and the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves, or to Hobbiton. Just plan to spend more time here than we did.