Hell’s Gate Rotorua: Mud Pools and Geothermal Park
It’s a clear winter morning. I’m feeling chilly. After a magical, misty sunrise soaring over Kaituna River on Rotorua’s latest zipline adventure, I look forward to warming up in the sulphury steam over at Hell’s Gate Rotorua. Mud pools and a geothermal walkway sound absolutely perfect right now.
The lovely lady at the reception tells us we just missed the complimentary guided tour but that we should easily catch up on them. We grab our park map and off we go through the gates of hell.
Get 10% discount on any of the Hell’s Gate experiences! Just go to their website to book your tickets and enter the promo code WGNZ
Hell’s Gate is one of Rotorua’s many geothermal parks and got its name because it’s deprived of almost all colours the other parks boast. Hell’s Gate is mainly grey, courtesy of a massive underground mud field. The mud violently bubbles to the surface everywhere, hot steam hisses angrily. Yellow sulphur dyes grey rocks and apart from the green fern trees in the distance is the only dash of colour I can see. A barren moonscape. Or more true, an absolutely fascinating hell-scape.
We catch up with the guided tour at the waterfall. And not just any waterfall. We learn that Kakahi Falls are the largest hot waterfall in the Southern Hemisphere! Way back, māori warriors used to bathe at the bottom of the warm (40°C | 104°F) waterfall and wash off blood from their battles. Nowadays, the waterfall is unfortunately not for swimming in anymore (oh, I was so tempted!).
During the tour, we learn that the barren landscape is not actually as inhospitable as it looks to the human eye. Scientists have discovered tiny bacteria living in the hot pools they did not expect there!
We also walk past an actual mud volcano! It works exactly like the ‘real’, lava, ones. And like the real ones, it does erupt occasionally, spitting hot mud high into the air.
Medicine Lake is the origin of Rotorua’s famous mud. For centuries, the waters and mud of this warm lake have been used to treat aches and various skin conditions. Medicine Lake’s healing mud is also the exact mud used at Hell’s Gate Spa!
After the geothermal walkway, it’s time for the famous Rotorua mud pools! We decide to do the walkway first because I know we’d be too knackered to walk later on if we did the hot pools first.
At the spa, Chris and I each get a big plastic box for our clothes and disappear into the respective changing rooms. We brought our own swimsuits which I’d come to regret soon enough (more on that later). I take off all my jewellery as I was told sulphur stains silver and other metals black. But one wristband is tightly knotted so I can’t take it off. I ignore it and get ready to bathe.
We let one of the staff know that we’d like to queue up for the mud pools. Because the mud baths are rather small, they only let a limited number of people bathe in them at a time to avoid overcrowding.
While we’re waiting for our turn to play in the mud, we soak in one of the sulphur pools. It feels a little strange at first to step into water that is a murky yellow. It looks slightly poisonous and smells the part (hello, sulphury ‘foul egg’ smell). If I came across that water somewhere in nature and not in a pretty, tropical pool kind of setting, I wouldn’t have touched it.
The sulphur makes the water feel a little more soapy-slippery but once we get used to the smell and colour, we love it and relax!
There are two relatively big sulphur baths at Hell’s Gate, and both look right into the geothermal park with its steaming fumaroles. It’s unique and I can’t stop marvelling at this miracle of nature.
After a while, the staff member comes to let us know we’re good to go in the mud pools. We even manage to get our own little pool!
The mud pools look, as you’d expect, very grey. But it’s a lot more watery than I thought it would be, with the silky mud from Medicine Lake ready to grab in submerged buckets. We rub it all over our arms, legs and face (far enough from the eyes, though. You don’t want any sulphur water in your eyes, it stings like mad), let it dry, drawing patterns and muddy stick figures onto each other's backs with water. I feel like a kid again.
After 20 minutes in the mud pools, we head over to the showers to try and wash all the mud off. I say try as I’d still find muddy spots on me in the shower at home. Then another round of sulphur pools before we get dressed again. By now, my skin feels as soft as a baby’s bum.
I’m really glad we were able to do the full Hell’s Gate experience with the mud baths and the walkway with the guided tour. I’ve already visited just the walkway as a self-guided tour way back in 2009 and didn’t enjoy it as much as I did now. Hell’s Gate isn’t colourful like the other geothermal parks in Rotorua and if you don’t have time to see it with the guided tour and soaking in the pools, you’re probably better off in a different park.
But if you have enough time for the full experience (3 - 5 hours), it’s absolutely worth it! If the actual hell was as relaxing as Hell’s Gate Rotorua is, I wouldn’t mind going there ;-)
Coming back to the sulphur, mud and jewellery… I’d strongly suggest you hire a bathing suit rather than bringing your own. I washed our bathing suits in the laundry and then chucked them into the dryer. BIG! MISTAKE! For weeks, all our laundry came with a hint of sulphur. If you do want to wear your own bathing suits, make sure to hand wash several times and air dry them! And as for my wristband that I couldn’t take off… after every shower for at least two months, this little thing was a smelly souvenir of our visit to Hell’s Gate Rotorua. I didn’t mind it too much but, man, that smell lingers for a long time! Do take everything off if you can, hahaha!
Get 10% discount on any of the Hell’s Gate experiences! Just go to their website to book your tickets and enter the promo code WGNZ
How much time do you need at Hell’s Gate Rotorua?
How much time you’ll need at Hell’s Gate depends a bit on whether you just want to do the geothermal walk, just the sulphur and mud pools or the full experience
Hell’s Gate geothermal walk:
60 minutes for the self-guided tour
90 - 120 minutes for the guided tour
Hell’s Gate mud & sulphur pools (without the walk)
90 minutes
Full Hell’s Gate Experience (walk & Hell’s Gate spa pools)
3 hours
These times are the absolute minimum time needed. I strongly recommend you allow more time to thoroughly enjoy it. We took about 5 hours for the full experience.
What time do the guided tours start?
Hell’s Gate offers two complimentary guided tours each day:
The morning tour starts at 10:30am and the afternoon tour at 2:30pm.
Times are subject to change and they might add an additional tour during summer. Don’t worry if you don’t make it exactly at this time, you can easily catch up with the tour on the loop walk.
If you’re planning to hit the mud pools as well, I recommend you aim for the morning tour.
Do you need to book Hell’s Gate?
No, but it’s recommended. Especially for the mud pools as they only allow a limited number of people in at a time.
How much does Hell’s Gate cost?
This depends on which experience you choose. Summer season 2022 (per adult):
Full Experience (geothermal walk and entry to the sulphur and mud pools: NZD 105
Geothermal walk only (guided or self-guided): NZD 42
Mud & sulphur baths only: NZD 85
They also offer discounted family tickets for 2 adults and up to 4 children
Get 10% discount on any of the Hell’s Gate experiences! Just go to their website to book your tickets and enter the promo code WGNZ
How warm are the mud baths and sulphur pools?
The pool temperature ranges between 37 - 41°C | 98.6 - 105.8°F.
How long can I stay in the mud pools and sulphur baths?
The mud pools are restricted to 20 minutes per person in consultation with both Māori elders and health consultants. But you can stay in the sulphur pools as long as you like (and your nose can take it)
How muddy are the mud pools?
It’s not too bad. You can feel some mud on the floor of the pools but most mud is stored in a bucket in the water.
Hang on, you got some mud there
Will my swimming gear get dirty and/or smelly?
Yes. And if you’re silly like I was, your washing machine and tumble dryer will smell sulphury for weeks (which is why Hell’s Gate recommends hand washing and air drying your bathing suit).
To avoid the smelly hassle at home, you can easily hire a bathing suit from Hell’s Gate (we’ll do the same next time…)
Where is Hell’s Gate Rotorua?
Hell’s Gate is in Tikitere, about a 20-minute’ drive from central Rotorua along the eastern shore of Lake Rotorua.
There’s ample parking at Hell’s Gate. If you don’t have a car, give Hell’s Gate a call to see if they offer a shuttle service during your visit: +64 (0)7 345 3151
Address (for your GPS):
Hell’s Gate Rotorua
351 State Highway 30
Tikitere, Rotorua
Why not make it a Rotorua getaway? On our very own booking website Weekend Getaways NZ, you’ll find getaways of 1 - 3 nights as well as discount codes for your favourite attractions, tours and accommodation all over New Zealand!
Find even more things to do in Rotorua
Want to visit a different spa? Read all about Rotorua’s hot pools here
Feel the need, the need for speed (and thrills)? How about a trip to Velocity Valley Rotorua?
Downhill ball rolling? Yes please! Check out ZORB Rotorua!
Or feeling more like a cultural experience? How about a show and dinner at Mitai Maori Village?
Is there anything else you’d like to know about the Rotorua mud pools at Hell’s Gate? Message me or leave a comment below.