Rotorua

Nearby

Rotorua: Understand

Population ~ 71,000

Rotorua is a medium-sized city set on Lake Rotorua. Between the geothermal activity, adventurous activities and cultural experiences, you won’t be bored in Rotorua!

Rotorua: Getting In & Out

By plane:

Rotorua has a small airport with regular Air New Zealand flights between here and Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. There is also a service from Rotorua to Queenstown, stopping in Christchurch but not changing planes. Another airline, Sun Air, has flights between Rotorua, Gisborne and Napier.

Getting between the airport and city centre…

The airport is about a 10-minute drive from Rotorua city centre.

Taking a bus from the airport to the city (and vice versa) costs $2.50 one way. Bay Bus is what you’ll be looking for, and route 10 goes between downtown Rotorua and the airport every half-hour between 7 am and 6 pm, Monday – Saturday (Sunday between 7:30 am – 4:30 pm). You can pay the driver directly, and the journey takes approximately 20 minutes. You can see the bus timetable on the Bay Bus website.

A shuttle costs around $21 for one person, $26 for two and takes about 20 minutes. Keep in mind a shuttle can take a bit longer, allowing time to drop off other passengers. It is a service direct to your accommodation though! Supershuttle is the most known company at the Rotorua airport.

A taxi would cost around $30 for a 10-minute journey (allow a bit more time in high-peak traffic times).

Renting a campervan or rental car is a great way to explore New Zealand with flexibility and freedom! It’s easiest to pick up/drop off rentals from the major airports in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown. The major car rental companies do operate our of the Rotorua airport as well. We recommend you book in advance. Check out our handy guides Travel New Zealand by Campervan or Travel New Zealand by Car.

By car:

Coming from Auckland to Rotorua, there are two main routes. Take State Highway 1 to Hamilton, changing to State Highway 5 at Tirau and dropping into Rotorua. Or, go via Matamata – coming out of Auckland on State Highway 1, changing to State Highway 2 then merging onto State Highway 27.

Matamata is where you will find Hobbiton, so a very good route into Rotorua for Lord of the Rings fans. SH 27 is not as busy as the first option, but do be careful as the accident rate is quite high on this road. The same applies in the opposite direction.

State Highway 36 connects Rotorua and Tauranga.

From Taupo you can take State Highway 1, then State Highway 30 into Rotorua. Or come up on State Highway 5. The same applies in the opposite direction.

Rotorua and Gisborne are connected by State Highway 2 meeting State Highway 30.

Napier and Hastings are connected to Rotorua by State Highway 5.

Rotorua and New Plymouth are connected by State Highway 3 and 30.

By bus:

InterCity runs multiple daily bus services to and from Rotorua to a number of locations across the North Island. To give you an idea of routes and approximate travel times…

The main Rotorua bus stop is at the i-SITE at 1167 Fenton St, with an alternate stop at Rotorua Airport outside the terminal entrance.

Take a look at the InterCity website to plan your bus journey.

Rotorua: See & Do

The Redwood Treewalk is a stunning walk with 23 suspension bridges that takes you through the Redwood Forest, many trees are older than 100 years! Open 9 am – 11 pm daily (the nightlights are turned on at 7 pm!), prices start from $29 for an adult, under 5’s are free (and there are a few other discounts age-dependent).

You can also take a walk or run in Redwood Forest for free, which is beautiful in itself.

Another 10-minute drive from Redwood Forest is Blue Lake. Definitely worth a visit, and if you have the time and are keen there’s a 6km circuit track around the lake.

We would rate Rotorua as one of the best (if not the best) places in New Zealand to understand our native Māori culture. In Rotorua, you can experience Māori history, music, art, language and Māori homes. Experience a hongi (a greeting), important skills including carving and weaving, Te Reo our native language and a hangi (food cooked in an earth oven).

The Luge in Rotorua is a heap of fun, which you can ride from the top of the Gondola.

There’s also a Zorbing, which is a “sport” unique to Rotorua. It’s crazy but that also makes it part of the fun… you’ll find yourself rolling down a hill inside a giant inflatable ball!

The Agrodome is a working farm 10-minutes drive from Rotorua city. There’s the farm show (the animals taking on roles as actors and actresses), there’s the Farmyard Nursery if you want to cuddle some newborns, and there’s also a farm tour where you can feed the animals and taste-test kiwi-fruit juice and honey.

Rainbow Springs is a nice wildlife sanctuary, that also has a kiwi hatchery.

A more expensive activity, but well-worthwhile, is 4-wheel-driving with Off Road NZ. They’ve got a few different off-road activities, including karting (where you’re behind the wheel) and 4WD guided trips through stunning, challenging terrain!

Free activities

Head to Government Gardens to wander and relax for an hour or so. There’s a number of historic treasures in and around the gardens too.

Sulphur Point Walkway is a really unique and fascinating trail that starts at the lakefront. You can also take a footbath in Kuirau Park – it’s a geothermal park open to the public. Take a towel to sit on while you dangle your feet in the mud. There’s also a food market held at the park each Saturday between 6 am – 1pm.

Rotorua: Eat & Drink

Eat Street has a range of dining options that you can meander past before making your final decision. It’s at the lake end of Tutanekai Street.

Capers Epicurean Cafe is an excellent choice for food and drinks, with very good portion sizes. It’s got a deli-type feel, with an organic grocer attached to it too. Open 7 am – 9 pm daily, you can satisfy meal-requirements at any time of the day!

Another excellent cafe is Ciabatta Cafe. It’s located in the industrial section of town, but don’t let that put you off. The freshly made bread and pastries are the highlights here.

The Factory Smokehouse and Grill is a good dinner option. The place is pretty laid back, but they serve delicious ribs and burgers. Also to note, it’s a great option for coeliacs/gluten-free.

A good lunch and dinner option with a view is the Stratosfare Restaurant & Bar. There’s a buffet with plenty of options, and a great selection of dessert treats too. It’s a short gondola ride to get up there, and for a deal check out the early-bird dinner.

Pizzeria Imperfetto serves delicious wood-fired oven pizzas (good to note: they’re not huge!), and the salads and desserts are also top notch.

For great Mexican food and margaritas, don’t look past Sabroso.

Rotorua: Sleep

With a campervan, you have plenty of camping and holiday park options. The Rotorua Top 10 Holiday Park ($) is well-located in the Rotorua city center and has what you need. Or if you’re happy to stay a little bit out of town, Blue Lake Top 10 Holiday Park ($) is also a good option.

The Funky Green Voyager ($) is a hostel with super friendly hosts, in a good location, and with a really nice, homely vibe. Everything you need for a great stay in Rotorua.

Two other hostel options are Rotorua Central Backpackers ($) and YHA Rotorua ($). Both have nice, big kitchens and are centrally located.

In the mid-range price bracket, you could stay at East West Studio Apartments ($$), excellent location, private swimming pool, and ironed sheets!

There’s also the more modern Aura Accommodation ($$) which has free bike hire, a swimming pool and a barbeque (BBQ).

Or if you have a car, the Karanda BNB ($$) is very lush and is located just 3km from Rotorua central. Spectacular views, wonderful hosts and a beautiful home.

Quest ($$$) is if you’re looking to splash out! Prime location in the center and a private hot tub.

1-Day Trips Near Rotorua

Hobbiton in Matamata is less than an hour (driving) from Rotorua. Tours are available from Rotorua, or you can make your own way there. Hobbiton movie set was a very important location in both Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit movies. Set on a 14 acre (5.5 hectare) farm, Hobbiton is a pretty unique place to visit, particularly for fans! There are 2-hour guided tours of Hobbiton where you visit Bagshot Row, the Party Tree and Bilbo’s Bag End home. There are 44 hobbit holes on view and you can enter a few of them. The Shires Rest Cafe is on site, where you can also get a “Second Breakfast.”

The highest waterfall (153 meters) in the North Island is also an hours drive from Rotorua. Wairere Falls are in the Kaimai-Mamaku Forest Park. From the carpark, there is a 5km walk that will take you to the top of the Wairere Falls – it’s a bit of a challenging walk, so allow 2 hours up. It should take a bit less time coming down. It’s a good idea to pack snacks, water and sunscreen!

Just 40 minutes from Rotorua is Blue Spring near Putaruru. You follow the Te Waihou Walkway to this unbelievably clear natural spring, that supplies around 60% of our bottled water in NZ. Starting at Whites Road (on State Highway 28), the walk to Blue Spring takes approximately 1.5 hours each way. There’s also a shorter option from Leslie Road, which is just 15 minutes each way.

Waitomo is a tiny little village, just under 2 hours drive from Rotorua. It’s famous for the Waitomo Caves and glow worms, but there’s also a bunch of walks and waterfalls to make a very full day (or 2) in the area.

Mount Ruapehu in the Tongariro National Park is a 2.5-hour drive from Rotorua. There are heaps of hiking options in the Tongariro National Park – we found this really helpful comparison of all the hiking options: check it out here. Or if hiking is not your thing, you can drive up Mount Ruapehu to enjoy the stunning views and rocky, alpine scenery.

The Tongariro Crossing is one of our most highly rated day-walks in New Zealand, and it’s in the Tongariro National Park. The views just keep getting better and better as you hike. It’s 19.4km, 765 meters elevation, and the recommended track time is between 6-8 hours. To learn more about the crossing, and read our top tips, head to our Tongariro National Park & Mt Ruapehu Destination page.

If you are keen to do the Tongariro Crossing, we’d suggest a multi-day trip from Rotorua (or to make this your next stop continuing down the North Island).

White Island (Whakaari) is our only active marine volcano – it’s situated off the coast in the Bay of Plenty, and looks like a beautiful, volcanic-shaped island! You can explore the island via boat, plane, or foot (depending on your tour choice). It’s a pretty unreal experience (and the photos of you with a hard-hat and a gas mask are brilliant!). It’s a 1.5-hour drive from Rotorua, with most tours launching from Whakatane.

Multi-Day Trips Near Rotorua

The Coromandel Peninsula (3-hour drive) offers stunning beaches, incredible coastlines and native rainforest. Check out our Coromandel Peninsula destination page for more of what’s on offer up there.

Taupo is 1-hour away from Rotorua and is a similar hotspot for adventurous activities, also set on a lake and also boasting geothermal activity. Our Taupo destination page highlights our top picks in the area!

As mentioned above in the 1-day trips, the Tongariro National Park has so much to offer it’s likely you’d want to spend more than a day here.

Where to next?

Nearby towns:

Nearby Regions:

Built over a geothermal hotspot

Quick Menu

• Understand
• Getting In & Out
• See & Do
• Eat & Drink
• Sleep

1-day Trips Nearby

• Hobbiton, Matamata
• Wairere Falls
• Blue Spring
• Waitomo Caves
• Mount Ruapehu
• Tongariro Crossing
• White Island

Multi-day Trips Nearby

• Coromandel Peninsula
• Taupo
• Tongariro National Park