Interactive Map of Rotorua
Explore the main sites and excursions around Rotorua and its gateways. Click any marker to learn more.
Rotorua sites & landmarks
Day trips & gateways
Hobbiton Movie Set Hobbiton's 44 hobbit holes sit on a working Waikato sheep farm, visited only by guided tour. Huka Falls, Taupō 220,000 litres a second forced through a 15-metre gorge: how to see Huka Falls on foot, by jet boat, or from the air, near Taupō. Lake Taupō A 616 km² supervolcano crater: boat or kayak to the Mine Bay Māori rock carvings, hot-water beaches, and trout fishing on Lake Taupō. Matamata Matamata is a Waikato dairy town that became a film location. What Hobbiton actually involves, and what else the area offers around it. Mount Maunganui Mauao, the 232m cone at the tip of a sand spit, with a surf beach on one side, Tauranga's port on the other, and hot pools at its base. Mount Tarawera: The Mountain That Split in 1886 Mount Tarawera split open on 10 June 1886, burying the Pink and White Terraces. Access today is guided only: 4WD, helicopter or crater walk. Rotorua Rotorua sits on an active caldera beside its lake: what's walkable from the centre, why it smells of sulphur, and what needs a car. Taupō Taupō sits inside a supervolcano crater beside New Zealand's largest lake, about an hour from Rotorua, with clear water and mountain views. Tauranga Tauranga is the North Island's busiest cruise port and sunniest city, about an hour from Rotorua and a base for day trips inland. Te Puia Te Puia in Rotorua: when Pōhutu geyser erupts, what to expect at the Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, and the difference between Te Rā and Te Pō. The Redwoods, Whakarewarewa Forest Rotorua's 1901 redwood forest: one of the world's top mountain bike networks, a treetop walkway by day and night, and free walking tracks. Tongariro National Park New Zealand's first national park and a dual World Heritage site: three volcanoes, the Alpine Crossing, and Ngāti Tūwharetoa's mountains. Wai-O-Tapu Champagne Pool, Devil's Bath, and the 10:15 am Lady Knox Geyser show - what Wai-O-Tapu actually looks like, and whether it earns the trip. Waimangu Volcanic Valley Waimangu is the only geothermal valley in the world with a known birth date. A downhill walk that ends with a cruise on Lake Rotomahana. Waitomo Caves Waitomo's glowworm caves: a scenic boat ride, black water tubing or a treetop zipline – how the three compare and which one fits your day. Whakarewarewa Village Inside Whakarewarewa, the living Māori village where Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao still cook by geothermal steam and guide visitors through their home. Cathedral Cove Cathedral Cove's limestone arch, on the Coromandel: how to reach it by foot, kayak or boat, and what the walking track's storm damage means today. Coromandel Peninsula Kauri forests, Cathedral Cove and a crest road about three hours from Rotorua — what a Coromandel day trip actually costs in driving time. Hamilton Hamilton on the Waikato River: award-winning themed gardens and a practical stopover between Rotorua, Waitomo and Raglan. Hell's Gate (Tikitere): Rotorua's Most Active Geothermal Park Hell's Gate near Rotorua is the region's most active geothermal park, with mud pools, sulphur vents, and New Zealand's only walk-in mud bath spa. Lake Rotoiti: Hot Springs Reached Only by Water Lake Rotoiti's Manupirua hot springs are reachable only by boat or kayak. Evening paddles, glowworms, and the water-only access explained. Lake Rotorua Lake Rotorua is a flooded volcanic crater ringed by the town. What to see on the lakefront, Mokoia Island, and where swimming actually works. Lake Tarawera Lake Tarawera beneath its volcano, the geothermal Hot Water Beach at Te Rata Bay, and the Tarawera Trail on foot, boat or kayak. Okere Falls and the Kaituna's Tutea Falls What rafting 7-metre Tutea Falls on the Kaituna is really like, and the free walkway to see it without getting in a raft. Orakei Korako, The Hidden Valley Orakei Korako is a boat-access geothermal valley between Rotorua and Taupō, with New Zealand's largest active silica terraces and Ruatapu Cave. Raglan Raglan is a small surf town on the Waikato west coast, home to Manu Bay's long left-hand break and canyoning routes on Mount Karioi. Te Wairoa: The Buried Village of the 1886 Eruption The village Mount Tarawera buried in 1886, excavated and preserved as an archaeological site — the story no geothermal park in Rotorua tells. Whakaari / White Island Whakaari / White Island is an active volcano 48 km off the Bay of Plenty coast. Landings ended after the 2019 eruption; flights and boat trips remain. Whakatāne Whakatāne: New Zealand's sunniest town, a harbour for dolphin cruises, and the historic departure point for Whakaari / White Island. Blue Lake and Green Lake (Tikitapu and Rotokākahi) Tikitapu (Blue Lake) and Rotokākahi (Green Lake) sit side by side near Rotorua. One is open to everyone, the other is tapu. Here is why. Blue Spring, Te Waihou Te Waihou's Blue Spring: 11°C water of near-total clarity, reached by a short walk from Leslie Road or the full Te Waihou Walkway from Whites Road. Cambridge Cambridge is Waikato's horse country: thoroughbred studs, the national rowing lake at Karāpiro, and evening kayak trips to riverside glowworms. Craters of the Moon, Taupō: The Thermal Field a Power Station Made Craters of the Moon near Taupō formed after the Wairākei power station lowered underground pressure. It is the cheapest thermal walk in the region. Hamurana Springs The North Island's deepest spring, an easy hour's walk under redwoods on Lake Rotorua's north shore, water near 10°C year-round. Hot Water Beach Hot Water Beach on the Coromandel Peninsula: dig your own hot pool at low tide, why timing matters, and why swimming beyond it is risky. Ōhinemutu Ōhinemutu, Rotorua's lakeside Māori village: St Faith's church, its etched Christ, steaming ground, and how to visit a lived-in place with respect. Ōhope Beach Ōhope Beach's eleven kilometres of sand and the oyster farms of Ōhiwa Harbour, next to Whakatāne, about 1h30 from Rotorua by road. Tūrangi Tūrangi sits at the south end of Lake Taupō, the country's trout fishing base and the closest town to the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.