Steaming, bubbling, hissing geothermal phenomena will capture your imagination and tantalise your senses.

Rotorua is a place to wonder and wander, or simply relax in a therapeutic mud spa.

Geothermal gardens

	Boiling mud pools ‘plop’ as bubbles rise to the surfaces at the Whakawerawera Thermal Reserve in Rotorua.
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Orakei Korako is another astounding place to visit. It has more active geysers than any other geothermal field in New Zealand and is home to Ruatapu Cave - one of only two geothermal caves known to exist in the world.

For a thoroughly warm welcome to the region, follow the paths around the Hell’s Gate geothermal park then surrender to the beautifying treatments at the adjacent Wai Ora Spa. An all-over mud pack followed by a massage is just what the doctor ordered! The Polynesian Spa at the edge of Lake Rotorua is another place to enjoy long, relaxing soaks in mineral pools.

Near Taupo is the Craters of the Moon, where unusual plants and algae survive in the steaming, seething, erupting environment. Maori used some of the plants to make natural dyes.

Mountainous volcanoes

I couldn’t talk about Rotorua without mentioning Mount Tarawera, which erupted in 1886 and changed the local landscape forever. The Tarawera eruption buried the famous Pink and White Terraces, but you can imagine what they were like by visiting the Wairakei Terraces - silica terraces and a model Maori village provide a unique educational experience.

Springs and forests

Rotorua's Whakarewarewa Forest has some of world's best mountain biking trails.
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A guided walk through the ancient Whirinaki rainforest will help you to appreciate the special qualities of New Zealand’s native plants. Whirinaki is one of the strangest forests in the world, as it consists mostly of huge Podocarp trees, relicts from tens-of-millions of years ago. Truly magical... and there's no one there!