Day 8: Places to see in Rotorua: Wai-O-Tapu, Waimangu - Matamata (Hobbiton)
A route through places to see in Rotorua It is the goal of today, after yesterday we enjoyed an unforgettable day knowing some of the places to see in the Coromandel Peninsula, such as Cathedral Cove.
After leaving everything in order, a shower and breakfast, we check again the weather forecast, not too favorable, although we confirm that at least the first part of the day will not rain, something we hope will allow us to enjoy the places to visit in Rotorua We have programmed. So with this idea on the horizon, when it is 8:45 in the morning we leave the Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park, which has been our accommodation in Rotorua tonight heading towards Wai O Tapu which will be the first geothermal field that we will meet in this Travel to New Zealand.
Rotorua
Known for being the most active geothermal area in the country, Rotorua is one of the essential places to see in New Zealand, something that we can intuit if we consider that it is visited every year by more than 3 million travelers.
This relatively small piece of land was first occupied throughout the fourteenth century, when the Te Arawa canoe, from which it later received the name, touched down in Plenty with a group of Maori who lived in relative peace until that in 1823 several Northland tribes invaded them.
After different conflicts, more or less delicate, Rotorua began to become a place famous, due to the healing power of its waters and the incredible pink and white terraces of Waimangu, which unfortunately disappeared after the eruption in 1886 of the Tarawera volcano.
The first thing to keep in mind when you arrive in the city is to decide what to visit in Rotorua since there are different geothermal fields, with different geological phenomena and even, in some, tourist attractions, focused to learn more about the incredible Maori culture.
Most of them are paid, although if you have a tight budget or you are not interested in the subject, in the same city of Rotorua you can go to Kuirau Park, where you can enter for free and see some geothermal phenomena such as mud pools and steam jets.
Although you have this option, we highly recommend making an effort and visiting at least one of the geothermal payment fields. We assure you that the experience is very worthwhile and we are sure you will not regret it.
In our case, having a single day in the city and having an itinerary planned for Get to know the best of Rotorua in one day, we have opted for two very different geothermal fields, which will allow us to know the best and at the same time the most tourist, of this impressive area of New Zealand.
Places to see in Rotorua
Wai-O-Tapu, one of the essential places to see in Rotorua
Located 26 kilometers from Rotorua, visit Wai-O-Tapu, its name means "Holy water" In Maori, it is one of the Essential things to do in Rotorua. In addition to incredible phenomena, being these located in a small area, will allow you to make the visit in less than one morning, something perfect to combine this visit in Rotorua with another one like Waimangu, with which it is perfectly complemented.
One of the curiosities of Wai-O-Tapu is that to visit it, you will have to access 3 different areas, which you must move in your vehicle, since they are separated by several kilometers:
- Wai-O-Tapu: This is the most important area and where the main attractions are located. Within this there are 3 trails that can be traveled and take you through some walkways through the different geological phenomena.
- Lady Knox Geyser: Almost 2 kilometers from Wai-O-Tapu, this geyser erupts every day at 10:15 in the morning. The problem? It is activated with soap introduced by field personnel. Although it may turn out interesting if you have never seen a geyser, if you have already seen any, it becomes a totally expendable visit and more if we take into account that if you are already in the Wai-O-Tapu area, you must interrupt this for a while to see the eruption .
- Mud Pool or mud pool: This is the area furthest from the main entrance. For us an essential next to the Wai-O-Tapu area as it is a perfect example of a mud pool.
Wai-O-Tapu, one of the places to see in Rotorua
What to see in Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Worderland
Although we have previously made a brief summary, we believe it is worth knowing a little more about each of the most impressive places to see in Rotorua so that your visit is as complete as possible:
Wai-O-Tapu
We could say that this is the most important area of Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Worderland and where the most interesting and shocking phenomena are concentrated. This in turn is divided into 3 circular paths, of different colors, which can be followed one after the other through walkways.
Although the first (red) is the most Awesome, we recommend you do all three, since in the whole tour it will not take more than 1 hour, a little more if you stop to take photos and it is for us one of the places to see in Rotorua more fascinating
Wai-O-Tapu
Red trail
This is the first of the trails that are accessed after passing through the Wai-O-Tapu ticket offices. As we mentioned before, it is the most interesting, it has 1.5 kilometers and it runs in about 30 minutes.
This is where the famous Champagne Pool or Champagne Pool is located, an impressive pool with incredible colors that will make you feel in a documentary. Another of the highlights of this path is Devil's Bath, a lake of a green color so surreal that we are sure, you will have to look several times to assimilate that you are seeing it.
Champagne Pool or Champagne Pool
Devil's Bath
Orange Trail
After the red path, very close to the Champagne Pool, the orange path begins, where you can see different geological phenomena, less striking than the previous ones, but which are totally incredible, taking into account their location and formation.
This circular path has 0.50 kilometers and is traveled in about 10 minutes.
Orange trail in Wai-O-Tapu
Yellow trail
The last of the trails that you can travel in Wai-O-Tapu is the yellow path, which crosses wider landscapes through some walkways until you reach the famous Green Lake, one of the most beautiful places in Rotorua, which we are sure, you will excite.
This path is circular in one of its parts, has 1 kilometer and is traveled in about 30 minutes.
Green Lake in Wai-O-Tapu
As you can see, the route of the three trails of Wai-O-Tapu are 3 kilometers that are traveled in approximately 75 minutes. Of course, keep in mind that if you like the photos, you probably need twice to go through them.
Yellow trail in Wai-O-Tapu
In our case, we entered Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland at 9 in the morning, so we traveled the red path, we left the site to go with the Jucy motorhome to the Lady Knox Geyser, about 2 kilometers, see the eruption, return to the central area of Wai-O-Tapu and follow the path along the orange and yellow paths (returning to red) and then when we leave, go to Mud Pools which is on the exit road.
You can do this without problems since there are free parking in the 3 areas and they seal you so you can access as many times as you want throughout the day.
Remember that if you are interested in making a trip of this type, we recommend you look at the Motorhome Republic page where you can see all the available options, prices and make the reservation directly.
Lady Knox Geyser
As we discussed earlier, despite being one of the main attractions of Wai-O-Tapu and one of the places to see in Rotorua most recommended, we were a bit disappointed. This geyser, which erupts every day promptly at 10:15 am after being activated with organic soap (there are even times when you can see the soap bubbles), is one of the most visited places in Rotorua, so It is advisable to arrive 15 minutes before the eruption (it lasts approximately 60 minutes), to be able to take place in the bleachers that surround it.
Lady Knox Geyser
If you have already seen a geyser really, we believe it is a totally expendable experience. Also keep in mind that you need to have bought the ticket at the main ticket offices of Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, so you cannot come directly here at 10: 15h and then do the 3 trails of Wai-O-Tapu.
We spent about 30 minutes, between the time we arrived before the controlled eruption and the time to see 4 jets and quickly returned to Wai-O-Tapu to continue with the visit of the orange and yellow trails, which we left pending.
Lady Knox Geyser
Mud Pool or mud pool
Against those we have commented on Lady Knox, the Mud Pool or Pool of Barro, we believe that it is one of the places that you can not miss in Rotorua since in any of the trails of the main area you can see a phenomenon like this .
As in the previous areas you can leave the vehicle in the parking lot and after walking a few meters you will reach the mud pool, which you can see from different viewpoints.
Mud Pool or mud pool
As we also mentioned before, keep in mind that Mud Pool is on the access road and exit of Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, so you can stop at the exit, as this will not take you more than 15-20 minutes
Mud Pool or mud pool
Tips for visiting Wai-O-Tapu
- The entrance fee to Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland is NZD 32.50 per person and includes access to Wai-O-Tapu, Geyser Lady Knox and Mud Pool.
- Although the visit can be done perfectly for free, if you want to know much more about this place, a good option may be to book this Tour through the Wai-O-Tapu & Waimangu Volcanic Valley
- At the entrance you will be sealed so you can go from one area to another and re-enter the main one without paying again.
- The total time to visit the 3 areas (including the 3 trails in the Wai-O-Tapu area) is about 3 hours. In case you like photography, calculate an hour or two more.
- After our experience, we would recommend you enter at 8:30 a.m., which is the opening time, travel the 3 trails of Wai-O-Tapu, at 9: 45-10 go to the Lady Knox Geyser and then to Mud Pool This way you will avoid having to enter and leave the main area and save time.
Wai-O-Tapu
After the 3-hour visit to Wai-O-Tapu, when it is 12:30 noon and seeing that the sky begins to warn us of a possible rain, we decide that the time has come to go to Waimangu Volcanic Valley, the next Geothermal field that we will visit in Rotorua, in which there is also a small restaurant, where we will take the opportunity to eat a couple of paninis, with drinks, dessert and coffee for 39NZD.
Waimangu Volcanic Valley
Located 8 kilometers from Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, visit Waimangu or black water, name with which the area is known for the color of its waters, is another of the things to do in Rotorua that you can't miss
Although we could say that the area is quite young, geologically speaking, since it arose after the eruption of Tarawea in 1886, it houses unique geological phenomena in the world as well as being located in an area surrounded by vegetation, which makes it An essential visit in Rotorua, which also perfectly complements its neighbor Wai-O-Tapu.
Waimangu Volcanic Valley
What to see in Waimangu Volcanic Valley
As in Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, Waimangu Volcanic Valley also has different areas, which can be covered on foot or by bus, which is included in the ticket price.
With an area much larger than the previous geothermal field we visited, along the route you will see craters, fumaroles, lakes and geysers, surrounded by vegetation, something that makes this place an incredibly recommended visit, even if you have already been in another one of the areas of Rotorua.
As we mentioned earlier, Waimangu can be traveled on foot or on a bus that has 3 established stops, with fixed schedules that you can check at the ticket offices or at the informational plan that will be given next to the entrance ticket.
Taking into account that the outbound route is almost entirely down, we recommend you to travel all the way to bus stop 2 on foot, then return to the start by bus. As you can see the bus stop 3, we skip it and the section from stop 2 to 3 is very short "interesting"In addition to taking to the lake from which the cruise ships that pass through the famous white and pink terraces leave, today disappeared after the Tarawera eruption.
This will allow you to save your way back, which has a fairly steep climb.
Waimangu Volcanic Valley
Visitor Center - Stop 1
This is the first section that you will travel in Waimangu and the one that has a steeper slope, which in this case, being downhill, you will notice much less. It must be said that although the geological phenomena are the real protagonists, you will see how you forget them at times and that is that the landscapes of Waimangu, especially in this first stage, are so incredible that we dare to say, they even shade the craters that begin to be seen in the distance.
Waimangu Volcanic Valley
Among the phenomena that you can see, the following stand out:
- Southern Crater: With its characteristic brown color, it is currently inactive.
Southern crater
- Echo Crater or Frying Pan Lake: Although initially noted for its blue color, it is impressive to know through the explanations of the triptych that you get at the entrance and the cartels, as this is a crater and not a lake, as it may seem simple seen by its shape and holds the title of largest thermal source in the world.
Echo Crater or Frying Pan Lake
- Crater of Hell: This is one of the most famous places in Waimangu and not without reason. With an incredible blue color, this crater suffers an incredible phenomenon and its waters overflow over several days through the crater and then retract.
Crater of Hell
Stop 1 - Stop 2
Although in this area the geothermal phenomena are less, if you have time, we recommend you to walk the area on foot, since in addition to remaining at spectacular landscape level, it will allow you to go through several more craters and lakes, which we are sure, will surprise you.
Waimangu
Stop 2
A few meters before arriving at Stop 2 of the bus you will find the incredible Marble Terraces, one of the most fascinating places in Waimangu, in which the white and brown colors of the terraces, seem to be painted through the hands of a painter.
Marble terraces
Stop 2 - Stop 3
As we mentioned earlier, this is the part of Waimangu that we recommend you not to do, since in addition to not being a path where you can see any geothermal phenomenon, the end of this is Lake Rotohana, where you can make a cruise that passes through the place where before the year 1886 and the eruption of the Tarawera volcano, were the impressive white and pink terraces.
In our case, after looking for information and seeing that the only thing we would see would be the lake, we decided to skip this part and from stop 2 take the bus to return to the entrance.
Tips for visiting Waimangu
- The entrance fee is 40NZD per person and 85NZD if you want to make the visit plus the cruise on Lake Rotohana that includes the view of what remains, which is practically nothing, of the white and pink volcanic terraces.
- You can book your ticket to Waimangu in advance here.
- Although the visit can be done perfectly for free, if you want to know much more about this place, a good option may be to book this Tour through the Wai-O-Tapu & Waimangu Volcanic Valley.
- The schedule is from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. in January. The last entry allowed is at 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. in January.
- We begin the visit at 1:00 p.m. and finish it at 3:30 p.m., making the whole journey on foot and back by bus. Bearing this in mind, in addition to the fact that we have stopped many times to take photos, he says that the visit to Waimangu Volcanic Valley will take you approximately 2:30 hours, without making the cruise.
- As in the other geothermal areas of Rotorua, in Waimangu you can leave your vehicle, including motor homes in the free parking lot.
- In addition to toilets at the entrance, they have a bus / restaurant and shop service in the Visitor Center in the Stop 2 area.
Steam in Waimangu
It is 3:30 in the afternoon when we arrive at the Waimangu car park, after making the bus tour from stop 2 to the entrance and finding ourselves by surprise with a rain that although it was expected early in the day according to forecasts, it seems have wanted to give us a truce and endure until we have finished the route we had planned by the places to see in Rotorua more important.
Seeing this, we decided to make a stop on today's New Zealand day by motorhome, waiting for the time to reopen, something that does not happen even though we cross our fingers and give ourselves a couple of hours of margin, until after Check the forecast and see that the rain does not subside until dawn, we decided to abandon the idea of visiting Redwoods, a park of more than 50,000 hectares, in which you can see sequoyas in addition to touring Redwoods Treewalk, some walkways between the trees, which From what we have read, they are a spectacle for the senses because of the perspective they give of this park.
More practical information to prepare your trip to New Zealand
- 10 essential tips for traveling to New Zealand
- 10 essential places to see in New Zealand
- The best travel insurance for New Zealand
With this little bad mouth taste, small since we can not complain even a little, after having enjoyed the most visits to Wai-O-Tapu and Waimangu, with a splendid time, we make our way to Matamata, the town where Hobbiton is located, the place we will visit tomorrow morning, which is 60 kilometers from Rotorua and 1 hour or so.
Other places to see in Rotorua
In case you have more time in the city, we recommend you to visit some of the following geothermal fields, among which are other places to visit in Rotorua.
After our experience, if we returned, we would leave two days to enjoy this area of New Zealand, provided you have 3-4 weeks of travel. The first to visit a couple of geothermal fields and the second to visit the city and visit Reedwoods, a forest that we are looking forward to meet on our trip.
- Cultural experience in the Maori village of Tamaki: This is one of the most visited places in Rotorua where you can learn about the traditional Maori lifestyle in the Tamaki village that also includes a dinner.
- Maori Village of Te Puia: Known for being one of the most top places in Rotorua, Te Puia will allow you to enter the Maori culture as well as see the famous Pohutu geyser and many other geological phenomena. - Skyline Rotorua: tickets for the cable car and go-karts: If you have time in Rotorua, you can't miss climbing Ngongotaha mountain, with a combined round-trip cable car ticket that includes several kart descents.
- Many more excursions and tours by ligars to see in Rotorua here.
We arrived at Brocks place at 6 pm, a farm just 2.5 kilometers from the Hobbiton shooting set and very close to the most recommended accommodations in Matamata, which we found thanks to the Campermate application, where we paid 8NZD for person and where we enjoy unique views, facing the rolling hills so known of The Shire, which serve as a perfect farewell to an amazing day touring one of the most important places to see in Rotorua.
We leave you the map of the route that we have followed by places to see in Rotorua passing Wai-O-Tapu and Waimangu, two of the most famous and famous geothermal fields in the area, and then make the trip to Matamata, where tomorrow we will visit the incredible Hobbiton shooting set and where we sleep at Brock's Place.
Keep in mind that another of the Essential places to visit in Rotorua it would be the Te Redwoods forest, which can also be visited at night, and where you can enjoy lighting that, from what we have read, is incredible.
In our case, as we mentioned earlier, it has been impossible to be able to visit because of the rain, but if you have good luck with the weather, we recommend you to make this visit.
Day 9: Visit Hobbiton in New Zealand
