Activities, action, relaxation and natural wonders: That’s Rotorua!

The natural (and touristic) hotspot on New Zealand’s North Island really has it all. In and around Rotorua, you’ll find countless lakes, rivers, hiking and biking trails as well as crazy off-road adventures and amazing thrills for a good adrenaline rush. And not to forget the high geothermal activity which produces outer-worldly landscapes and relaxing hot springs. 

The only reason you might ever wonder what to do in Rotorua is that there’s so much to choose from. Not to worry, though, that’s what I’m here for. Having been to Rotorua more often than anywhere else in New Zealand (it’s my favourite place after all), I’ll show you all my favourite things to do. I break down the Rotorua attractions and activities into bitesize pieces so you can keep an overview. 

Keep reading to learn more about the things to do in Rotorua that make this place so unique and special. And at the bottom of this post, you’ll find some good deals and discounts that’ll make your stay in Rotorua even more enjoyable. 

This article contains all sorts of activities. If you’re solely after free things to do in Rotorua, I suggest you read this post as well. 

Click here to read more about Rotorua, how to get here, more in-depth articles and personal experience reports

What to do in Rotorua: Attractions and activities

Indulge in one of the many Spas and hot pools

There’s a good reason why visiting a geothermal area is awesome! All the thermal hot springs bring up an abundance of spas and hot water pools. Overlooking Sulphur Bay is Polynesian Spa, one of the most popular spas in Rotorua. They have several pools at different temperatures to soak in and also offer massage and spa treatments. Other lovely spas are Waikite Valley Thermal Pools and Hell’s Gate Rotorua (combine your mud bath with a walk through the geothermal park). Another awesome place for a bathing session in a hot tub is at Secret Spot Rotorua. Here, the water comes from a freshwater spring, so won’t smell and your jewellery doesn’t darken. 

Rotorua hot pool discounts:

Book your bathing session directly at Secret Spot and get a 10% discount by using the promo code WGNZ10.

Get 10% off your next visit to Hell’s Gate (geothermal walk and/or the mud bath) by using the discount code WGNZ when booking directly on their website.

…Or check out our amazing stay & play package with Polynesian Spa and stay at the Jet Park Hotel! 

Zipline through the forest and/or over Tutea Falls

This Rotorua adventure is not for the faint-hearted. It combines the thrill of soaring through the trees, high above the ground with an informational bush walk where you learn all about forest conservation. 

Rotorua Canopy Tours is a long-standing ziplining company in Rotorua. They offer two different tours, The Ultimate Tour and The Original. In between zipping, you walk over the tree canopy on suspension bridges and learn about New Zealand’s flora and fauna. 

Click here to read more about how I liked ziplining with Rotorua Canopy Tours

Discounts:
Get a 5% discount at Rotorua Canopy Tours when you book directly and enter the discount code WGNZ5!
Or soar high over the Okere River and 10% off their zipline tour. Book directly at Rotorua Zipline and enter WGNZ10

Raft down a 7-meter waterfall

If all the action of the Rotorua activities still isn’t enough, how about plunging down the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world? 

Tutea Falls is a jaw-dropping 7 meters high and I’m sure this will get your adrenaline pumping high! Chances are your raft capsizes at the bottom of the falls and you end up heads-down in the water. But that’s all part of the fun, isn’t it.

Several operators offer Kaituna River rafting and every thrill-seeker should try this! 

...or click here to book a 4* hotel in Rotorua plus River Rafting

Roll down the hill in an inflatable ball

Sound too crazy? Not for the thousands of people (including me) each year who are having a ball (pun intended) doing exactly this. Zorbing is a Kiwi invention and you literally roll down a hill in an inflatable ball. You get to decide whether it should go down the smaller straight track, on a zig-zag route (called Sidewinder) down the scary straight one (Mega Track), or all of them. Just dare it!

Read about my spontaneous zorbing adventure here!

Get 10% off when you book ZORB Rotorua! Just enter the discount code WGNZ

Race each other on the Skyline Luge

The Skyline Luge Rotorua is perfect for everyone, no matter how old or young you are. You’re sitting in a luge cart that is a combination of soapbox and an engine-less go-kart, and race each other down the hill. Choose from three different tracks (and more tracks are opening soon), depending on your skills and how fast you would like to go. There’s even more to do and see on Mt. Ngongotaha, like ziplining, a sky swing, a downhill bike park and dining at the Stratosfare Restaurant. 

Velocity Valley - THE Rotorua action park

Bungy, jet boat, slingshot, a massive swing and a skydiving simulator…Velocity Valley arguably has the most thrills in one place! Whether it’s going up or down at full speed or over the water, your heart will not stop pounding from all the adrenaline and your legs will be wobbly the whole time you’re at the park.

And those who prefer the cause of their elevated heart rate to be physical activity will love the Shweeb Race, a one-of-a-kind pedal-powered monorail.

Choose to do one ride or all of them, it’s a blast no matter what (there are packages, so the more rides you do the cheaper they end up costing).

Read more about my crazy experience at Velocity Valley Rotorua

Offroading and go-karts

Hey, people who love horsepower, engines and playing in the dirt, this is for you! Rotorua has two different offroading operators who offer slightly different experiences. One of the Rotorua attractions, Offroad Rotorua, takes you on an offroading journey in little Suzuki Jimney’s (they look like toys but don’t underestimate them!) where you self-drive through the bush and mud. If racing is more yours, their go-karts reach speeds of almost 100kmh | 62mph! Or experience an on-ground rollercoaster as a passenger in their monster truck! 

Adventure Playground takes you offroad in buggies. You can either self-drive a zippy 2-people buggy (there’s plenty of time to switch drivers) or let your guide do the hard work in the bigger, family-friendly offroad buggies. Adventure Playground also offers clay bird shooting and horseback riding. 

Geothermal parks

Oh my, do I love geothermal parks! Yes, they’re often smelly but they’re also weird, steamy, colourful, outer-worldly places. The most famous one is for sure Wai-o-Tapu Geothermal Wonderland (still in hibernation until November 22) with its orange and blue Champagne Pool and the super-colourful and aptly named Artist’s Palette. But also the less famous parks are not to be missed. Bathe at Hell’s Gates mud pools or take a walk through Waimangu Valley (Rotorua’s youngest geothermal valley), Te Puia’s massive geyser or Kuirau Park, Rotorua’s free geothermal city park. They all have their own beauty to be uncovered.

Read more about Rotorua’s geothermal parks here.

Get 10% off your next visit to Hell’s Gate (geothermal walk and/or the mud bath) by using the discount code WGNZ when booking directly on their website.

Mt Tarawera Crater Walk

This is hands down the best alternative to the Tongariro Crossing for the ones who are not too much into hiking. On the Mount Tarawera Crater walk, you walk through the stunning landscape of Mt Tarawera. The tour takes half a day and the walk is only 4 km long, so all you really need is a steady foot and a little bit of fitness.

The most fun is the 400 meter scree run from the rim right into the heart of Mt Tarawera’s crater. Hop, skip or run down the sandy slope and feel like a little kid again.

Mount Tarawera is private, which means you and your tour will be the only people on the mountain. Unlike the Tongariro Crossing, Mt Tarawera is silent and secluded and still a bit of a gem hidden in plain sight.

Read more about my (rainy) Tarawera Crater Walk experience

Click here to check out our awesome package with 2 nights at the Jet Park and the Mt Tarawera Crater Walk. 

Redwoods Treewalk and Redwoods Nightlights

Experience the fabulous Rotorua redwoods from a bird’s eye perspective as you walk from tree to tree via 23 safe suspension bridges. It’s a self-guided walk and while it’s lovely to walk through the green of the canopy by day, it’s even more impressive at night! A special light concept turns the place into a beautiful enchanted forest!

Steaming Kayaks Geothermal paddle

Lake Rotomahana at the end of Waimangu Volcanic Valley is a unique kind of lake. Not only does it not have an outlet like other lakes, meaning the water level depends on the amount of rain. The lake is also home to the mystic steaming cliffs along its edge, geothermal activity originating from Mt Tarawera which is visible in the distance. 

Together with your guide, you embark on a kayaking trip that brings you up close and personal to the steaming walls. You learn more about Mt Tarawera’s eruption, the creation of Waimangu Valley and the impact it had on the people in the area, all while paddling along a water’s edge that seems to have been transported into the present from the age where dinosaurs walked the earth.

Check out our packaged getaway to Rotorua with accommodation and the Steaming Kayaks tour…

Kayaking, hot pools, BBQ dinner and a glowworm cave

This kayaking adventure takes place on Lake Rotoiti. After an introduction to kayaking, you’re off paddling towards Manupirua Hot Pools. These hot pools are only accessible by boat or water plane. While you soak in one of the hot pools overlooking the lake, your guide prepares a typical Kiwi BBQ for you. After dinner, you paddle back across the lake and finish your evening with a visit to a glowworm cave..magic! 

Rotorua Walks

Rotorua has an abundance of shorter and longer walking tracks. Explore the city’s newly built waterfront and keep walking along Lake Rotorua’s edge towards Sulfur Point and Polynesian Spa. Crossing Governor’s Garden brings you right back into the centre. Another lovely walk is the 5km walking track around Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake), the 15km long Tarawera Trail and of course one of the many walking tracks in Whakarewarewa Forest (Redwood Forest).

Read more about Rotorua’s walking tracks

Bike rides

If you like biking, you’ll know what to do in Rotorua. You’ll find biking trails for all styles and abilities. Ride the many single trails in Whakarewarewa Forest, the downhill tracks from the top of the Skyline Gondola or if distance riding is more your thing, Te Ara Ahi Trail (Thermal by Bike) gives you 66km | 41mi of biking trail. Families will also enjoy the track along Rotorua’s waterfront (with a huge playground) to Sulfur Point. 

Whakarewarewa Living Village

Whakarewarewa Village is not just a Maori village for touristic purposes. People of the Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao actually live here and are happy to share with visitors what it’s like to live on top of a geothermal field, where cooking in the piping hot pools is the norm as is bathing in the warm springs. 

As Whakarewarewa Village shares the park with Te Puia, you’ll be able to see Pohutu Geyser from here as well (albeit a bit further away). Choose from a guided tour (recommended), self-guided walks or hire an e-bike to explore the village and nearby Whakarewarewa Forest. 

Click here to book book a guided tour of Whakarewarewa Village or, if you prefer, a self-guided walk

Mitai Maori Village

Maori cultural show for dinner at Mitai Maori Village

There are many Maori cultural villages in Rotorua, and I really enjoyed this one. Mitai is open for dinner and depending on the season, there are one or two sessions per night. You learn about the different iwi (tribes) around Rotorua and how they used to fight each other. 

In the course of the evening, you witness the arrival of the warriors on a waka (canoe), and enjoy a cultural show that includes - of course - the haka, lovely songs about local myths and poi dancing. A delicious hangi meal, cooked for hours in Mitai’s own earth oven is served before you go on a short guided nature walk through the darkness to see the incredibly clear private freshwater spring as well as some glowworms.

Read more about my experience at Mitai Maori Village

Te Puia

One of the best things to do in Rotorua when you only have one day in town is to visit Te Puia. They perfectly combine a walk through their geothermal park with Maori culture. In Te Puia, you find Pohutu Geyser, a geyser that naturally erupts up to 15 times per day. The park’s also home to a kiwi bird nocturnal house AND the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute, a school where the students learn how to carve wood, bone and New Zealand jade (pounamu). 

Choose between a visit during the day, where you have the freedom to walk around the park on your own or join a guided tour. The night tour (Geyser By Night) is a guided tour that brings you up close and personal to Pohutu Geyser. 

While Rotorua and Queenstown are comparable in activities, action and nature (albeit different the type of nature), Rotorua is overall a bit sleepier after dusk. That being said, Rotorua’s restaurants can definitely hold their own and there are a great many foody places to choose from. Here’s just a few of them:

Eat Streat Rotorua

When talking about dining in Rotorua, Eat Street MUST come up in the discussion. Centrally located in the CBD, only steps from the waterfront, the covered walking street’s purpose is to cater to your every dinner need. At Eat Streat (which is the actual name and not a typo), you’ll find something for every budget. We especially love the gourmet hot dogs at Sobar and a good steak at Mac’s. The best way to decide where to eat is to walk up and down Eat Streat and eye out the dish you like best.

The Mains at Peppers on the Point Rotorua

Peppers Rotorua is one of the town’s luxury hotels overlooking the lake. During the pandemic, they decided to open their restaurant to the public and it looks like they’re intending on keeping it this way. Lucky for locals and visitors as The Mains at Peppers serves the most amazing food. Where possible, the ingredients either come from their garden or local growers and they’re trying to use as many organic and free-range ingredients as they can. 

Capizzi Pizzeria

The teeny-tiny restaurant doesn’t look like much from the outside. All you can see from the street is the take-out section and a big woodfire oven. Behind the oven is a small room with a handful of tables, decorated with red-white checkered table cloths and Italian pictures on the wall. Their pizza is fantastic and the owner absolutely lovely! You find Capizzi Pizzeria in Rotorua CBD, not too far from Eat Street. 

Grab yourself a bargain for your next stay. The list keeps growing so best come back occasionally to check out our latest additions. For discounts on tours, car rentals and more all over New Zealand, check out our NZ Travel Deals. 

Chances are you’ll be in Rotorua for a few days to experience even only a small part of what the town has to offer. So why not make it a 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!

Check out the Rotorua getaways!

Read more about Rotorua:

• Find all articles about Rotorua here!

• How authentic is Mitai Maori Village? A review

• On a budget? There are a lot of FREE things to do in Rotorua.

• Are you an adrenaline junkie? Velocity Valley Rotorua is right up your alley!

• Trying to decide which geothermal park you should visit? This article compares all of the geothermal parks in Rotorua to help you find the right one.

• Explore Rotorua on foot with this list of walks