What to see in Rotorua

Rotorua highlights

The places you can’t miss. In the app we sort them by day and close to each other.

1. Te Puia

   With Pōhutu Geyser and a school of Māori carving.

2. Wai-O-Tapu

   Colourful thermal pools, such as the Champagne Pool.

3. Māori village and hāngī

   A traditional dinner with haka and songs.

4. Redwood forest

   Walkways among giant trees.

5. Hobbiton

   An hour away, in Matamata: the set of the Shire.

Day trips from Rotorua

We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

• Wai-O-Tapu ★ 4.6 (3,268 reviews)
• Hobbiton ★ 4.8 (978 reviews)

Some links are affiliate links: if you book through them, Bagintravel may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Typical food of Rotorua

The dish you have to try there and how to make it at home, to whet your appetite before the trip (or to go back to Rotorua from your kitchen).

Hāngī

Māori food cooked in an earth oven with hot stones: meat, kumara (sweet potato) and pumpkin in baskets, covered with earth for hours. Rotorua is the best place to try it.

• Serves 6
• 4 h

Ingredients

• 1 kg pork shoulder, in pieces
• 1 kg chicken thighs
• 1 kg sweet potatoes
• 1 small pumpkin
• 4 potatoes
• Bread stuffing (optional)
• Cabbage leaves
• Salt

How to make it at home

1. Salt the meat and peel the vegetables, cutting them into large chunks.
2. Line the bottom of a large pot or deep roasting tin with a lid with cabbage leaves.
3. Put the meat at the bottom and the vegetables on top, and cover everything with more cabbage leaves.
4. Add a glass of water, cover tightly and seal with foil.
5. Bake at 160 °C for about 3½ hours: everything steams, as it would underground.

The trick: A dash of liquid smoke or smoked paprika gets you closer to the earthy flavour.

Frequently asked questions about Rotorua