A 25-minute flight from Auckland, Rotorua is at the centre of New Zealand’s geothermal activity. Visitors to the city frequently comment on the sulphurous scent that pervades the air. Several major tourist attractions feature boiling mud pools, silica terraces, hot springs, geysers and mud fumeroles.
Silica Deposits, Hot Springs, Geysers and Mud Pools are a Feature of the Rotorua Landscape
Many other silica deposits, mud pools and steam-emitting cracks and fissures can be found in gardens, parks and pathways throughout the city. Locals appear to pass by these features without noticing, but for travelers they are a fascinating and tangible reminder of Rotorua’s unique thermal setting and the continual and sometimes violent upheaval beneath the earth’s crust.
Early Maori harnessed Rotorua’s thermal attributes more than a thousand years ago, and later European arrivals were quick to recognize the benefits and potential of the area as a tourist destination. International tourists have visited the region for more than 200 years. In some areas thermal activity is still employed for cooking, bathing and heating. Although most private thermal pools have been shut down, many commercial buildings and accommodation venues throughout the city use radiators heated by thermal water.
Thermal Activity is Used for Heating, Cooking and Bathing
Whakarewarewa Village is about ten minutes from the Rotorua CBD. According to the Whakarewarewa website village occupants live in harmony with their thermal environment and continue to use thermal activity for day-to-day tasks and activities such as cooking and communal bathing. Established as a trust in 1998, Whakarewarewa is a living village and belongs to numerous family groups whose ancestors have lived in and around the settlement for more than 200 years.
Visitors to Whakarewarewa may enjoy an informative guided tour of the thermal valley where each pool, geyser and fumarole in the Whakarewarewa thermal valley is named after ancestors, events or incidents and are a part of the history of the tribe. There are two lookout platforms from where geysers can be observed in explosive action and visitors can participate in interactive Maori cultural activities. Other experiences include meals cooked in steam ovens and cultural performances by world-class performers. Whakarewarewa is open to the public every day except Christmas Day from 8:30am – 5:00pm. Whakarewarewa Thermal Village Tours, 9a Tukiterangi St, Whakarewarewa Village, Rotorua, ph 64 7 349 3463 info@whakarewarewa.com.
At Hell's Gate and Wai Ora Spa the Earth's Mighty Power can be Truly Experienced
New Zealand’s only mud bath complex can be found at Tikitere (Hell’s Gate) Wai Ora Spa, a five-minute drive from Rotorua Airport. At Hell’s Gate the mighty power of the earth’s volcanic and thermal forces can be truly observed and physically experienced. Attractions include an active mud volcano, a boiling whirlpool and cascades of steaming water at the largest hot water fall in the Southern Hemisphere.
Wai Ora Spa offers mud baths, facials, massages, spas and therapies using the Spa’s own mud products. According to the website, Hell’s Gate was given its English name by George Bernard Shaw, who visited the thermal park in the early 1900s. Hell’s Gate is open from 10:00am to 5:00pm daily except Christmas Day. Hells Gate Wai Ora Spa, State Highway 30, Tikitere, Rotorua, New Zealand Ph: +64 7 345 3151.
One of New Zealand’s premier tourist destinations, Rotorua is easily accessible. Flights from New Zealand's four major centres arrive several times daily and the area is serviced by highways from all directions. The Port of Tauranga, where more than 50 cruise ships berth each year, is just a one-hour drive away.
Lyn Rasmussen - Lyn is a New Zealander who lives in the centre of New Zealand's Volcanic Wonderland. She has been recognised for her writing across ...
