Rotorua

Where is it?

Halfway up the North Island inland from the Bay of Plenty, on the shores of Lake Rotorua.

What is like?

Stinky but fun. A busy touristy place, home to almost a third of the nations Maori it is also home to one of the worlds great natural phenomena in its many hot springs, pools and geysers. This is the place to immerse yourself in Maori culture. It is a bustling lively place popular with back packers. It gets very busy in the summer.

What to see? What to do?

Take a trip around the Lake.
Visit the Rotorua Museum of Art and History. This gives the background to local history and geology.
Whakarewarewa (and that is the short name) is a ‘thermal reserve’ and Maori Cultural centre. It is the largest in the area and includes Pohutu, the biggest geyser, amongst many steaming pools and smaller geysers.
Take in a Maori dance, concert show or ‘hangi’ - a huge feast of meat and local vegetables that is steamed for hours in a pit dug in the ground - delicious. Check out the Tamaki Maori Village for this
To relax at the end of the day, or to cure what ever may ail you, take a dip in one of the many local spa pools, especially good at the Polynesian Spa.
Go nuts (although not quite as nuts as Queenstown) In Rotorua there are some very decent adrenalin sports available. Go rafting, kayaking or sledging down the Rangitaiki or Kaituna rivers. The walking and mountain biking in the area is good. And for those real devil may care loons for whom all this seems to tame, there is always the trout fishing.

Eating Drinking and Sleeping

There is a massive range of choice from backpacker hostels to fairly upmarket hotels. The best deals are to be had off-season.
The quality of food is varied and of good quality but the ‘authentic’ local food isn’t in any restaurants but at the organised ‘hangis’. There are many good and lively bars but the entertainment tends to be organised by hotels and specialist companies looking to give clients a ‘true’ New Zealand experience.