Rotorua
Rotorua is renowned for its geothermal activity and rich Maori culture. The drive through the green Waikato countryside on the way to Rotorua presents many photo-taking opportunities, including the beautiful mountains, extensive farming areas and contented farm animals that dot the countryside. The corrugated iron structures in Tirau (the corrugated iron capital of the world) and the stunning Fitzgerald Glade will have you snapping photos constantly.
Named after lake Rotorua, the second largest lake in the North Island of New Zealand, Rotorua is home to bubbling mud pools, spouting geysers, the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, and a living Maori village. When visiting Rotorua, you can take in a Maori cultural show and finish off with a traditional Maori hangi buffet or lunch, relax in the Polynesian Spa or see the sheep and dog show at the Agrodome.
Be sure to visit the famous Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland which is rife with vivid, surreal colours and scenery, including the Champagne lake, Devil’s bath, local mud-pool and geothermal craters. Wai-O-Tapu is a geothermal area that has been shaped from volcanic activity spanning thousands of years.
Rotorua’s Te Puia Geothermal park is home to the Pohutu Geyser, the largest active geyser in the southern hemisphere. Pohutu means ‘constant splashing’ in Maori and The Pohutu Geyser erupts once or twice every hour, reaching heights of up to 30 metres (or 100 feet).
A visit to New Zealand could not possibly be complete without visiting the active, bubbling landscape that is Rotorua.