Next stop on our trip was Rotorua. We made Rotorua our home base for 3 days to explore the region best known for its geothermal landscapes, extreme activities and Māori culture.

First stop after arriving was to a place called Hell’s Gate for a soak in the geothermal mud bath and then a dip into the sulphur mineral water. The punjent smell of sulphur quickly hits your nose and you wonder what you’re walking into. This was very needed after hiking to a few waterfalls on the drive down from Auckland. I would definitely recommend checking this stop out. We chose to just do the mud bath experience but you can also add on a guided geothermal walk.

Later that evening we visited The Whakarewarewa Redwood Forest Treewalk. After sunset, the forest is lit up with one of a kind designed lanterns and lights. We climbed up the ladders and walked 30-65 ft above the forest floor crossing over 28 suspension bridges. They offer this experience during the day, but at night it really becomes a magical experience. Because it was the beginning of tourist season, we ended up buying the fast pass tickets which saved us at least an hour waiting in line and is highly recommended.

One of the most exciting and adventurous things we planned on for this trip was the Black water rafting in the Waitomo Glowworm caves. This was a 3 hour tubing excursion nearly 260 feet underground in the caves. You quickly become humbled by squeezing yourself into a 2 piece wetsuit, socks and boots which you will soon be very thankful for. After a quick jump in the river to get our suits and body acclimated to the cold water, we hopped back in the van for a quick drive up to entrance of the cave with our helmets and boots now filled with water.

Things get intense quickly when you’re asked to lean your head back on the tube and push your way through an opening with about a 2 foot clearance between the water and rocks. Once we completed that, we then climbed up and through a small tunnel about 20 ft on our hand and knees. I immediately began questioning why anyone would pay to do this but took a deep breathe and kept moving ahead.

A little later into the trip we encountered our first waterfall. We each grabbed our tube and one by one stood backwards on the edge, counted to three, and jumped off the waterfall into the deep water below. Not sure if that was the bravest I’ve ever felt, or the dumbest.

Throughout the entire 1.5 hour trip in the cave, we jumped off several waterfalls, climbed up rocks, and stumbled our way over limestone with rapids coming at us, but the main reason your there is to see the glowworms. You’re floating down the cave in the darkness and you look up and see the cave illuminated by the glowworms. This is a pretty incredible sight to see and one of many very popular attractions in New Zealand. If tubing or zip- lining in a cave isn’t your thing, they have other tours that keep you dry and still allow you the chance to see the glowworms. We weren’t able to take any personal cameras in the cave, but the below is a promotional picture from Black Water Rafting that is a very good representation of what you’ll see.

On our last day here in Rotorua we drove out to Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland. This is a large park that has mud pools, pathways through the geothermal landscapes and home to the Lady Knox Geyser. This is an active natural geyser that goes off every few days, however the park does activate it once a day along with a brief presentation explaining how it was discovered.

There are so many things to do in the city of Rotorua, they’ve got the nickname “RotoVegas” With only a few days here we tried to get in as much as possible. Other activities to check out if you visit are Zorbing, which was invented here (rolling down a hill in a giant hamster ball), cultural tours of their villages, craft making, performances and traditional dinners. This is definitely a place to check out if you make your way to New Zealand!

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