Bay of Plenty – Rotorua

Experience a volcanic wonderland where the land steams, mud and water bubble and geysers erupt into the air. A place where the Earth's crust is thin and the history is dense, surrounded by sparking lakes and thousands of hectares of native forest. A nature lover’s playground where you can experience Māori culture and satisfy your inner adrenalin junkie, all while exploring a geothermal wonderland and beautiful beaches in the Bay of Plenty (Te Moana a Toi). Learn more at rotoruanz.com and bayofplentynz.com

Major Centres: 

Rotorua
Tauranga
Whakatane

 

Airports: 

Rotorua Domestic Airport
Tauranga Domestic Airport

Agrodome

0800 339 400

141 Western Road
Rotorua

For over 40 years, visitors from all over the globe have come to the Agrodome to see our world-famous Farm Show – starring a cast of talented animals… and you!  Plus, join the Farm Tour to explore a real working farm, hand-feed loads of friendly animals, and sample delicious kiwifruit juice and honey from our land. There’s also the Nursery, with baby animals available for cuddles and photos all year round, and our Woollen Mill and Shearing Museum, where you’ll learn the remarkable story of NZ pioneers the Bowen brothers, and discover the full process of wool from the Sheep’s back to yours.

Cornerstone Pub

+64 7 928 1120

Cornerstone Pub is the place to go for amazing food for breakfast, lunch & dinner on The Strand. Live sport plays on our big screens. The best music & entertainment combines to create an atmosphere for all to enjoy!

Driftkartz

+64 7 345 6211

10 Old Taupo Road,
Rotorua

DriftKartz NZ is the most fun you can have on our purpose built Kartz and track. Our race track has a special coating giving you one of the most difficult racing surfaces you will ever encounter. The specially hardened competition kart tyres also add to the fun making for an out of control racing experience. Imagine trying to control an out of control race car! That’s what DriftKartz is all about. It is not easy, if it was easy it wouldn’t be FUN. So on your next visit to Rotovegas call in and give it a go and see if you have what it takes to control the out of control.

Elite Adventures

+64 7 347 8282

Elite Adventures is an award winning tour company providing scheduled and private half day and full day tours of Rotorua. We also organise custom-made private and group tours as well as shore excursions to Rotorua from Tauranga port. Tell us where your interest lies and we can create the tour you desire.

Hamurana Springs Nature Reserve

0800 426 8726

773 Hamurana Road,
Hamurana,
Rotorua

Hamurana Springs Nature Reserve is an immersive experience through nature where you will learn the cultural stories of Ngāti Rangiwewehi - the local tribes people.
Journey through untouched landscape on a low impact streamside walk suitable for all ages and fitness levels. A grove of towering Redwoods will escort you on an immersive journey to the deepest natural fresh water spring in the North Island of New Zealand.
Originally a tribal settlement, today Hamurana Springs Nature Reserve is an untouched nature park and wildlife refuge, which combined with the manaakitanga (hospitality) of the the local people, make Hamurana Springs a truly magical experience.

Hell's Gate & Wai Ora Spa

+64 7 343 5100

Hells Gate is New Zealand’s most active geothermal reserve featuring a 2.5km natural geothermal walk past violently boiling mud and exploding hot water pools, the largest hot waterfall in the Southern Hemisphere, land coral formations, a mud volcano and a medicine lake used by local Māori for healing for over 700 years. Traditional Miri Miri massage is offered at our Hells Gate Wai Ora Spa along with geothermal mud therapies.

Iti Gifts

+64 27 451 3040

Māori themed traditional and contemporary high quality gifts, by a collective of friends, whanau, and other crafters, artists and designers.

Kaitiaki Adventures

+64 7 350 1151

With a unique blend of history, Māori culture and an adrenaline overload, Kaitiaki Adventures offers superior and unforgettable white water rafting and white water sledging experiences. Raft down the Kaituna River and over the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world or take the river on at eye level as you are in charge of your own sledging vessel propelling yourself through the water with flippers on your feet.

Kohutapu Lodge & Tribal Tours

+64 7 366 4777

Our cultural experience starts when our guide welcomes you into the tribal lands of Ngati Manawa (The Eel People), and regales you with stories of the area. During the tour, guests learn about the iwi’s ancestors, land settlement, spiritual connection with Eel, and takes guests through a short bush walk to hidden ancient Maori rock art carved 400 years before the Great Migration. Later, guests join in and help with the preparation of a hangi dinner at the lodge overlooking the lake, before enjoying a selection of optional afternoon cultural activities. Kohutapu Lodge can also offer daytime tours and gourmet indigenous lunch tours for the mature market, overnight accommodation, full and half day guided fishing and hunting trips as well as overnight marae stay and community visits/cultural exchange within our schools and community.

Manaaki Adventures

+64 21 158 6984

Manaaki Adventures is a New Zealand based outdoors experience tour company delivering guided adventure tours designed specifically for students. We provide exciting and safe experiences that allow students to build self-esteem, confidence, leadership skills and the ability to work as part of a team.

Manaaki Rugby Tours NZ

+64 21 158 6984

We have brought together a network of kiwi high performance rugby coaches, trainers, schools, clubs, physiotherapists and facilities to create rugby development tour packages for visiting international teams. Our core motivation for this business was to help players, coaches and rugby teams from all around the world grow and develop a deeper understanding and passion for the game of rugby. And of course extend their own rugby network all the way to New Zealand! We deliver 4 main packages that range from low-cost travel to a high-performance service while allowing the opportunity for groups to remove or add elements at any time.

Manawa Honey & Tours

+64 7 366 3166

Based in Ruatāhuna in the heart of the North Island of Aotearoa, we offer the experience of a mystical, remote, pure and natural paradise with the people of this land. Our tours include Eco-cultural Experiences (2-day) for groups of 6-20 and River Fishing Tour on Horse-back (1-day & Overnight) for groups of 1-2.

  • Honey and apiary/beehive tours
  • Traditional Maori and contemporary cultural experiences
  • Marae or home-stay accommodation
  • Forest and biodiversity tours
  • Fishing and/or horse-riding treks

Contact us so we can work out a tour that best suit you. Dates: by arrangement November to March each year

Māori Weaving Rotorua

027 222 3346

Workshops are offered one to one or in small groups. Learn about some of the customs and traditions (tikanga) when working with NZ native flax (harakeke) and make some flowers and a small food basket to take home with you.
Also see harakeke growing and discover some of the other woven creations that can be made using raranga, the technique of Māori weaving. Hand made, unique, exhibition quality products are available for purchase.

Mauao Adventures

+64 27 451 0579

Mt Maunganui - surrounded by ocean, and the home of New Zealand's most popular mountain, Mauao.
Come join us to experience the area like we locals do, whether it be on the ocean or the land. You can partake in a stand up paddling adventure, an outrigger canoe experience or a cultural walk, guided by our experienced locals. We have a range of activities suited to all ages and abilities. We look forward to sharing our beautiful home with you!

Mitai Māori Village

+64 7 343 9132

The Mitai family is proud to have created a sacred and spiritual place that offers you an authentic indigenous cultural experience like no other. Enter the world of Mitai, be enthralled by the natural bush setting and learn our history. See warriors in traditional dress paddle an ancient warrior canoe (waka) down the wai-o-whiro stream, and see glow worms in their natural habitat. Be captivated by songs, dance, and games in a rich and powerful entertaining cultural concert, complete with the spine tingling haka.

Moanarua Beach Cottage

+64 7 312 5924

Naumai, haere mai. Miria and Taroi welcome you to a unique Māori cultural experience. The fully self contained 'whare' (house) incorporates a modern design with an ancient cultural significance, through the carvings which depict the kaitiaki/guardians for the local tribes. Designed for maximum comfort with access to the luxury outdoor spa set in the award winning gardens. Continental breakfast provisions are provided, alongside complimentary evening drinks and nibbles with as we share stories.

Mountain Bike Rotorua

0800 682 768

Mountain Bike Rotorua is your gateway to Whakarewarewa Redwood Forest - the stunning jewel in the crown of the adventure destination that is Rotorua. The friendly team here at MBR have everything you need to get out and ride! Along with her natural beauty, the true strength of our forest is that it caters to all levels. It doesn't matter if you've never been mountain biking before or you live and dream about your next MTB fix, Whakarewarewa Redwood Forest has more than 130km of trails for you.

Enjoy a genuine, personal New Zealand experience on board the luxury sailing catamaran Tiua on beautiful Lake Rotoiti near Rotorua. Sail the large fresh water lake with many stunning bays and coves to explore; it is steep in cultural history and legend that the crew are happy to share. You can be relaxed or energetic as you wish by helping sail the yacht, swimming in the waters through caves, soaking in the lake edge thermal pools only accessible by boat or relaxing and watching the native scenery slip by.

Tāpoi in Māori means ‘to travel’.  Inspired by Māori and Aboriginal cultural values, Tāpoi Travel crafts distinctive and authentic luxury travel experiences to Australia and New Zealand. With over 20 years of service and experience in luxury travel, we pride ourselves on designing impressive, purposefully crafted experiences for you, the discerning traveler.  No two clients are the same and neither are our itineraries. Tāpoi takes a thoughtful approach to tell your travel story, your way; ensuring your time here provides a careful balance between rest and activity as each day of discovery builds on the last.

New Zealand’s most awarded cultural attraction. Experience the warmth of their manaakitanga during an evening of ceremonial rituals, powerful cultural performance, storytelling & hangi feasting. An intricately carved gateway leads you to the fringe of a lush 200 year old native Tawa forest. Warriors emerge from the forest by canoe to perform an ancient ceremony of welcome. As you wander beneath the stunning forest canopy, the village is alive with sights, sounds and activity of days gone by and witness the lifting of the hangi. Enter the ancestral meeting house and relax as they entertain you with a powerful cultural performance. Dine on the traditional hangi buffet feast!

Te Puia

+64 7 348 9047

Te Puia is the premier Māori cultural centre in New Zealand - a place of gushing waters, steaming vents, boiling mud pools and spectacular geysers. Our Māori tradition lives on at Te Whakarewarewa, with our guided tours and attractions, our Māori culture, and our National Carving and Weaving Schools of New Zealand.

Totally Tarawera and Lake Tarawera Water Taxi

+64 7 362 8080

We offer our guests the opportunity to personally discover Māori culture, traditions and unique geothermal landscapes here on our tribal homeland of Lake Tarawera, Rotorua. Experience and enjoy storytelling, lake excursions, traditional food tasting, walking trails, geothermal bathing, glamping and our stunning landscapes.  Tarawera is the birth place of tourism in New Zealand and we follow in the footsteps of our ancestors, the original guides. It is the standing place of the Tuhourangi and Ngati Rangitihi tribes and an area seeped in history. The area was home to the “Eighth wonder of the world”, the famous Pink and White Terraces, lost in the devastating eruption of Mount Tarawera on the 10th of June, 1886. Totally Tarawera operates exclusively on Lake Tarawera. Just 14km from central Rotorua.

Learn the stories, taste the food, and meet new friends. Join us for Māori-context experiences and follow in the footsteps of our tupuna. We are a local whānau-based business who value the importance of knowledge in bringing understanding. We engage in cultural experiences, interacting with local communities. Join us on day and multi-day experiences exploring the history, customs (tīkanga), stories (kōrero) and the natural world around us (taiao). We will customise experiences for your organisation’s needs. Ideal for community and educational groups (including service learning), life-style village residents and whānau groups.

Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa

+64 7 349 7111

1047 Whakaue Street,
Rotorua 3010

A premium cultural and wellness centre, Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa invites you to experience their unique healing practices and manaakitanga (welcoming of visitors) built on the legacy of Ngāti Whakaue.

Nestled on the foreshore of Lake Rotorua, Wai Ariki means ‘Chiefly Waters’ and offers two architecturally stunning and culturally authentic areas for you to explore, unwind, rejuvenate and relax.

Wai O Tapu Thermal Wonderland

+64 7 366 6333

Named "One of the 20 most Surreal Places in the world" by TripAdvisor, Wai O Tapu Thermal Wonderland is New Zealand's most colourful and diverse geothermal area. This stunning landscape is nestled within a natural bush setting offering a range of self-guided walks. The range of geothermal activity is extensive and includes volcanic craters, steaming vents, coloured hot and cold spring waters, as well as the world famous Champagne pool. The Lady Knox Geyser is presented daily at 10.15am.

Waimangu Thermal Valley

+64 7 366 6137

Waimangu volcanic valley is one of Rotorua's premier tourist attraction and a must do eco-experience when you visit Rotorua. Waimangu features unique ecology, rare botany and fascinating geothermal features such as steaming volcanic crater lakes. A protected scenic reserve and wildlife refuge. Walking tours and boat cruise.

Whakarewarewa - The Living Māori Village

+64 7 349 3463

One of New Zealand’s most iconic destinations for a reason, Whakarewarewa offers an unforgettable, intimate and authentic day-time experience for all ages. 

Home to the Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao people, residents have been welcoming and sharing their enviable way of life for over 130 years. This living Maori village is steeped in rich history and traditions that have been handed down through generations.

Rotorua Cultural Day Tours with a Maori Guide. Holistic and Traditional Rotorua Massage and Bodywork, at Go360 Health and Wellness Centre, Rotorua. Traditional Maori Healing Workshops.

Accommodation
Adventure
Art Retail
Bushwalks
Cultural
Cycling
Dining
Fishing
Geothermal
Guided Tour
History
Horse
Hunting
Performance
Waka
Wellbeing
Wildlife

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