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Rotorua District

Here you’ll find travel reports about Rotorua District. Discover travel destinations in New Zealand of travelers writing a travel blog on FindPenguins.

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  • Annika ReeseAnni & Henni on tour
    Day84

    Rotorua

    December 14 in New Zealand

    Heute sind wir nach Rotorua gefahren. Auf dem Weg waren wir noch am Huka Fall. Der war wieder richtig schön blau. In Rotorua stinkt es zwischendurch ziemlich nach verfaulten Eiern 😄 die Stadt liegt auf dem pazifischen Feuerring, wodurch es überall heiße Quellen gibt und Gase und Dämpfe aus dem Boden kommen.Read more

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  • Annika ReeseAnni & Henni on tour
    Day84

    Kerosene Creek

    December 14 in New Zealand

    Heute haben wir ein bisschen die Umgebung von Rotorua erkundet. Es gibt hier viele Hot Springs oder Matschlöcher, aber leider kosten die meisten Sachen etwas. Durch Zufall haben wir aber den Kerosene Creek gefunden, ein warmer (fast heißer Fluss), in dem man baden kann. Das war ziemlich cool! Neben dem Fluss war auch noch ein grüner See und überall ist Dampf aus dem Boden aufgestiegen. Eigentlich wollten wir noch in eine angelegte Badeanlage aus heißen Quellen, aber das brauchten wir nach dem Fluss gar nicht mehr 😬Read more

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  • Izzi and TomTravels
    Day39

    Day 39/72: Glow worms

    December 5 in New Zealand

    We woke up early and drove for an hour to Waitomo- a tiny village which is famous for a huge labyrinth of caves underneath the hillside, absolutely full of glow worms. We had signed up to do 'black labyrinth', and as we got into our wetsuits and picked up a huge rubber ring, we learnt this was going to involve going through the cave in the rubber ring while looking at glow worms.

    The caves involved a lot of scrambling to get into, and were incredibly dark in places. The water was freezing cold, and we both ended up shivering. The sections of the cave (once we had ducked under stalagtites and jumped backwards off waterfalls and paddled along freezing stretches of river) where we lay on our backs and formed a train and looked up at the glow worms shining above us were absolutely magical. About 5 minutes from the end they got everyone to turn off their helmet lights and we all played a game called 'guess the way out' - if you can't see the glow worms then you've gone wrong.

    The experience left us slightly numb, in awe, and so ready for the soup and bagels at the end of the trip.

    We drove on to our next stop: Rotorua. A supposedly beautiful huge lake, however it just has huge cities around it and we couldn't get close enough to the lake to see it properly. The campsite we were at felt like someone's back garden, however had hot pools heated from the ground underneath--rotorua seems to be a massive source of geothermal activity. We went for a walk and a quick run up in a forest of redwoods, which was lovely.    Read more

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  • The Saunders Down UnderSaunders’ Down Under
    Day30

    Rotorua - mountain biking Mecca?

    December 13 in New Zealand

    Well, according to what Dave’s heard it is! We left Napier around 9am to head for this “Mecca” 😜! Stopped along the way at Lake Taupo - a lake created by a volcanic eruption over 26,000 years ago, which is about the size of Singapore and actually more of an inland sea than a lake! We continued on to Rotorua, in an area known as the Bay of Plenty, but before making it to town, stopped at Mountain Biking Rotorua so Dave could check out the trails and get some information for the ride he’s booked tomorrow. Chatted for a while with a very helpful local named Zac, who passed on lots of his knowledge and pointed out some of the best tracks (trails) for Dave to ride! We then drove into town and found the city centre and tourist info to get some maps. Walked around the pretty downtown area for a while, had a quick lunch and by the it was time to check into our hotel. We have a lovely view of Lake a Rotorua from our room.

    After settling in, we took off on foot to explore the nearby park and lakefront area. Rotorua is a town created by another volcanic eruption thousands of years ago, and is known for its major geothermal activity, including geysers and hot mud pools. Walking along the lake, we witnessed bubbling, steaming pools and the distinct smell of sulphur, due to the hydrogen sulphide emissions. As we walked along further, the smell diminished and the lake became clearer with more bird life and lovely tree lined trails.

    After a long walk, we came back to the hotel to get ready to go downtown for the weekly Rotorua night market. We got down there just after 6pm, and.... nothing!! No street market, no crowds - hmmm! We asked a lady who was just closing down the Starbucks (yes, they close at 6 here??!!), and she said the market was cancelled because of the threat of heavy rain and lightening storms! 😳. It was a little cloudy, but warm, and not a raindrop or lightening bolt in sight, but, oh well! We continued down the road to a place called Eat Street - a whole covered city block chock full of restaurants and bars - and an amazing vibe! We stopped at Macs Steakhouse for dinner, and after that, went across the road to a brew pub where Dave had a great dark beer and I had a glass of wine. Walked back through town to our hotel - Dave will be mountain biking tomorrow so wants to get a good sleep. Me - maybe some shopping and a manicure!! 😂😂😜    Read more

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  • The Saunders Down UnderSaunders’ Down Under
    Day31

    Dave's excellent adventure!

    December 14 in New Zealand

    So Dave was up bright and early this morning to head for the hills and fulfill his bucket list dream of mountain biking in Rotorua, New Zealand. He drove out to MTB Rotorua, rented his bike and took to the slopes for 3 hours, riding intermediate and advanced trails and thoroughly enjoying himself. Some interesting trail names along the way (of course, the spelling snob in me picked out an error, but maybe that’s how they spell lobotomy here - 😂😂😂!). So glad he got to do this as the weather was looking iffy for today, but it turned out to be a lovely sunny morning and perfect temps for his ride!

    While he was gone, I had a bit of a leisurely morning - cup of coffee, feet up, catch up on news, then took myself off to my 9:30 nail appointment in downtown Rotorua! After that was done, I browsed some of the stores along the many side streets, and shocker - bought NOTHING!! LOL!

    I got back to the hotel around noon and Dave was back at 1, so we went for some lunch and more wandering around the stores - got Dave’s Christmas present at one of the bike shops, then back to our place for a rest.

    We decided to go back to Eat Streat (again, their spelling 😜) for dinner, and when we got there, there was a brass band playing Christmas Carols, which was really nice. Such a cool place down there, and we had a really nice dinner, walked around a bit more, then back to the hotel for some well deserved rest!    Read more

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  • The Saunders Down UnderSaunders’ Down Under
    Day32

    Lazy day in Rotorua!

    December 15 in New Zealand

    After a good nights sleep, we took our time getting ready this morning and decided to drive around Lake Rotorua. Stopped at McDonalds (yep, they’re everywhere!) for a coffee and breakfast sandwich, then hit the road, heading for a hilltop lookout. Drove up a winding road till we reached Aorangi Peak, and were greeted on one side with sheep and deer roaming the mountainside, llamas on the other, and a large fence blocking any type of view over the valley!! The reason for this is that someone has built a large restaurant at the top of the peak, and in order to enjoy the view, you have to dine at the restaurant!! 😳. We went inside and said we were thinking of coming for dinner, but were told the whole place was booked for tonight for a private function! We asked if we could take a look around anyway in case we could come back tomorrow, took a few pics, then scooted out of there! Bummer that the amazing view has been obliterated for the sake of $$$!

    We drove back down the hill and our next stop was Skyline Rotorua on Mount Ngongotaha, where gondolas take people up the side of the mountain and once at the top, you can mountain bike, luge or zip line down. There is also a bungee type “sky swing” at the top, as well as wine tasting and a Jelly Belly Gallery! We proceeded to the town of Hamurana on our trip around the lake, the next town was Mourea, then we turned down the road to check out Hells Gate, which is a geothermal village with mud baths, a spa and more bubbling ponds - but again, a big fence around the whole area and not much to see from our vantage!

    After a lovely drive around the lake, we were back in the downtown Rotorua area and headed to the local mall to pick up a few groceries, wine and snacks, then headed downtown on foot for a beer and cider at a local brew pub. Back to the hotel, where Dave had a rest and I went down to the pool to read my book for an hour! Went back to Eat Streat for dinner - yes, we really like it there - and had a nice meal before turning in for the night! Off to Tauranga tomorrow!    Read more

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  • Hannah's Backpack TripNew Zealand
    Day4

    Wai-O-Tapu, Neuseeland

    October 31 in New Zealand

    We have the best day ever 😍 The Wai-O-Tapo Thermal Wonderland in Rotorua was just amazing. It's an unique and diverse volcanic area with craters, geysers and colourful lakes. The pictures speak for themselves.

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  • Astrid van der ZouwenNieuw Zeeland Noordereiland 1
    Day14

    19-9 Rotorua

    September 19 in New Zealand

    Deze dag knip ik er uit.
    Gisteravond mega storm, alle stroomlijnen vast en de tent stond nog steeds te schudden.Toen ik na een uur besloten had dat wakker blijven niet hielp, ben ik als een blok in slaap gevallen.
    Ik heb een foto gemaakt richting "midden aarde" want ga niet naar Hobbiton.
    De weg die mij geadviseerd was, was nog drukker dan ik gevreesd had, en klom bovendien volgens google naar 500 meter, maar volgens mijn km.teller naar 650, en dat bij herhaling.😢. Het historische hotel waar ik voor omfietste, was niet dat van Edo met de lekkere taarten. En de historische baden waren leeg/dicht.
    Op het moment dat ik het echt niet meer zag zitten, mocht ik naar beneden. Alleen ging het toen regenen.
    Maar Rotorua is GAAF. Ben je nog 6 km weg ruik je al de zwavel en overal zie je stoom.
    Mijn tentplek heeft een kale plek waar stoom uit komt, dus daar heb ik de tent niet neergezet, maar op groen gras. Zet ik mijn hand op het grondzeil; warm! Maar later was het weer minder. Zo bizar.
    WiFi doet het weer niet op mijn tablet en die heeft geen hotspot. Ik blijf morgen, zoek ik wel ergens anders wifi. Heb toch bijna geen foto's vandaag.
    Lekker bier heb ik hier nog niet gevonden trouwens.    Read more

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  • Astrid van der ZouwenNieuw Zeeland Noordereiland 1
    Day17

    22-9 Rotorua: Burried Village

    September 22 in New Zealand

    Alweer zo'n mazzel. Het heeft de hele nacht geregend. Weerbericht: om 8 uur droog. En inderdaad: 7:45, droog. Toen wilde ik echter nog een review schrijven over Mataki. Voordat ik daarmee klaar was: plons. Ik retour tent. 9 uur herkansing. Geen drup meer gehad. Het bleef wel frisjes (understatement) maar ik klaag niet. Over de heenweg heb ik 1 uur 3 kwartier gefietst, met stukken door het bos en een stuk omhoog. Terug 3 kwartier! De redwoods waren aardig. Blue en Green lake heel fijn dat ik daar niet speciaal naar toe gefietst was, want dat zie je eigenlijk alleen uit een vliegtuig. Burried Village was interessant, maar ik kreeg niet helemaal "het gevoel" er bij. Alles bij elkaar toch o.k.
    Omdat ik zo snel terug was, heb ik nog een keer het noordelijke stuk fietspad gedaan om de bordjes te lezen die ik de vorige keer had over geslagen, en omdat het gewoon zo gaaf is. En nu zit ik dit te typen in mijn voortent, uit de wind, mijn voeten op het warme gras en mijn kop in de zon. Ik heb nu maar een cidertje gekocht. Mjum. En mijn eigen handige scheermes.    Read more

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  • sarahonvacationNeuseeland
    Day40

    Was für ein Tag

    November 15 in New Zealand

    Endlich ist der Tag gekommen, auf den ich nun schon so lange gewartet habe:
    Julia und ich waren beim Whitewater Rafting und sind somit auch den größten Wasserfall(7m) herunter gefahren, den es weltweit beim Rafting gibt.😍
    Wir waren insgesamt sechs Leute in einem Boot+ Guide. Man könnte meinen, Rafting sei leicht und man müsse einfach nur drauf lospaddeln und dabei aufpassen nicht herauszufallen. Haha unsere Gruppe hat bewiesen, dass man swhr wohl vieles falsch machen kann.😅 Bei den Wasserfällen muss man sich logischerweise immer ins Boot setzen und sich festhalten, damit man keinen Abgang macht. Jaaa was haben wir beim ersten, zum Glück kleinen Wasserfall gemacht?- Richtig die wunderschöne Natur bestaunt😂🙄 Von unserem Guide haben wir dann erstmal einen Anschiss bekommen und mussten das Szenario noch 10x durchspielen.😂😂😂 Ich bin so froh, dass keiner von uns aus dem Boot gefallen ist und wir alle es ohne Verletzung und einem fetten Lächeln im Gesicht geschafft haben. Das war ein Erlebnis voller Adrenalin!😍
    Am Abend waren wir dann auf einem Nightmarket und durften spontan mit den Mädels Jetski fahren gehen. Das war soooo verdammt cool und hat mich an Kuba erinnert.😍
    Leider mussten wir uns am Abend von unseren Mädels verabschieden und das wieder in Rotorua...Unser Verabschiedungsort...Aber es wird nicht das letzte mal sein, dass wir uns gesehen haben.

    Wirklich ein perfekter Tag!😍    Read more

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