Rotorua Surrounds|North Island|New Zealand

Much of the best of Rotorua is located outside the city about half an hour's drive to the south on the way to Taupo. There are numerous tours run by operators which can pack a lot of activity in a single day. The tours range from two hours to a full day trip with running commentary and admissions to all sights.

State Highway 30 runs past the eastern shores of Lake Rotorua towards Whakatane and goes past the largest concentration of lakes in the area with fantastic scenery to match.

A couple of kms on SH33 towards Tauranga, the largest natural spring in the North Island, the Hamurana Springs is located. Beyond this the road leads to Okere Falls Scenic Reserve around the Kaituna River. There is a lookout to watch the rafters plummet over the seven metre Tuteas Falls.

Continuing along SH30 leads to the Hell's Gate and Wai Ora Spa. Though small, this is the fiercest and most active thermal area with boiling mud. The boiling mud at Devil's Cauldron and the hot Kakahi Falls are the highlights of this place.

About 6 kms away, the well planned timber mill town of Kawerau sits on the Tarawera River. The main attraction here is the Tarawera Falls. You have to get a mandatory permit from the visitor centre on Plunket St.

The road that reaches Lake Tarawera overlooks the Blue Lake and the Green Lake as it winds down to the Buried Village. Free guided tours take place on the hour with several artifacts still preserved from the time of the Tarawera volcanic eruption.

There is a new museum beside the entrance to the Buried Village Complex that does justice to the spirit of the village in its prime days along with exhibits of the Pink and White Terraces. There are cruises running on Lake Tarawera from the Tarawera Landing, 2 kms east of the Buried Village.

The southern end of the volcanic rift blown by Mt Tarawera is home to the Waimangu Volcanic Valley, 19 kms south of Rotorua and 5 kms off the SH5. You can find lush vegetation here.

There are smaller eruptions from time to time here interrupting the regeneration process. The last eruption in 1917 caused the 100 metre diameter Frying Pan Lake, the world's largest hot spring.

The Inferno Crater is another attraction. This is an inverted cone making amazing steam patterns. There are lots of steaming pools and hissing vents apart from these major attractions.

The main contenders for the title of Rotorua's geothermal spearhead are between Waimangu and Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. which is 10 kms south of Waimangu. The Wai-O-Tapu covers a vast area of multicoloured rocks and pools.

It is also famous for New Zealand's largest and most astonishing lake of boiling mud called the Lady Knox Geyser which erupts sharp at 10.15 am daily due to artificial inducement.

Some of the other standouts in this place are the Devil's Ink-Pots, the Artists Palette pools, the Champagane Pool and the Terraces. Nearby, the Waikite Valley Thermal Pools are naturally fed geothermal pools.

The scenery around Rotorua is spectacular especially by air. Scenic flights take you over White Island and the volcanic spine that runs through Rotorua. You can marvel at the grandeur of Mt Tarawera from the air. There are helicopter rides available as well.

There are a host of interesting walks in the Whirinaki Forest. Some of the best day walks are the Blue Lake Loop, Okere Falls Scenic Reserve walk and the Tarawera Falls Walk.

LooknbookNZ can take arrange your Rotorua accommodation and Rotorua activities bookings and let you and your family/friends have an incredible time around the ultimate tourist destination in Aotearoa that is Rotorua.