Around Rotorua

Te Puia’s thermal wonderland, Ngongotahā, Railcruising, Hamurana Springs and Ōkere Falls

First published 24 February, 2022 on a-maverick.com.

IN this post, following on from Return to Rotorua, I venture out of downtown Rotorua to explore some of the fun things that you can see further on around the shores of Lake Rotorua and outside the downtown area. These include:‍

• Te Puia, also known as the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve, with the living Māori village of Whakarewarewa at its northern end
• Ngongotahā, including Mount Ngongotahā and the Velocity Valley thrill ride
• Railcruising through Danseys Road Scenic Reserve north of Mount Mount Ngongotahā
• Hamurana Springs (clear, blue, cold)
• Ōkere Falls Scenic Reserve, where you can go over the tallest commercially rafted waterfall in the world‍

Te Puia and Whakarewarewa

At the southern end of Rotorua is the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve, also known as Te Puia. This is not the only thermal area in town. West of the downtown, Kuirau Park has boiling mud pools. But Te Puia is the biggest thermal area nearby.‍

Entrance sign at Te Puia

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