A three day stop at Rotorua, New Zealand is a truly memorable and fascinating experience writes Nausheen Tareen
A little under a three
hours’ drive from Auckland takes you to Rotorua – the geothermal wonder in
North Island of New Zealand. On our recent visit, we were surprised by the
options this small town offered and allowed us to experience New Zealand like
no other place. If you are heading to NZ anytime, we suggest you definitely
keep two days for Rotorua and you will come back knowing more about the
country, its history and their love for adventure than any other place.
A short trip to
Rotorua is ideal to enjoy and experience the Maori history of the country, see
the geothermal activity, have a Hangi meal and enjoy a bath in natural hot pool
at in and around Te Puia, take part in adventure activities such as luge,
Agrojet, Bungy, Shweeb and Zorbing at Velocity Valley, feel the thrill of
jetboating at Lake Rotorua and feast at Eat Street. There are also options of
visiting the sheep and kiwi farms.
We had originally
booked Waitomo Glowworm Caves and were discussing ways to reach there when our
room cleaning guys suggested we head to Rotorua too to and can enjoy glowworm
experience on our way back to Auckland. With nothing to do in Auckland for next
three days we decided to make a quick plan for Rotorua. Booking.com threw up
decent stay options and we immediately grabbed the one that best suited our
budget. Based on discussion with our room cleaners we booked Te Puia, Kawarau
Jet boat and Velocity Valley adventure activities.
Since we were to be
away for next three days and hop from one place to another, we decided to rent
a car and drive down. Go rentals was to be our choice for car rental not
because they are the best, but because being a tourist in the city we went by
the ads that we saw and theirs was the first name we could recall. It turned
out to be good choice as the entire process of choosing a car and booking it at
their Beach Road office in Auckland was really smooth. With a tank full Toyota
Yaris with us, we were off to Rotorua.
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| Vast empty stretches that lie ahead may tempt to push the accelerator but we would suggest you follow the speed limits and drive within them. |
Driving in New Zealand
is one of the most pleasant experiences. The sights on offer are second to
none. Vast stretches of greenery and enticing colours of sky are enough to have
you hooked for life. Vast empty stretches that lie ahead may tempt to push the
accelerator but we would suggest you follow the speed limits and drive within
them. As for us, we were in no hurry and did not want to miss even a second of
soaking in the pristine sights on offer.
Te Puia – Maori Treat
After a three hours’
comfortable drive we reached Te Puia. We were booked for Te Ra + Te Po tours
scheduled to leave at 4.30 pm. It included a visit to the village, a
traditional Maori experience replete with tales about their customs and
traditions, trying our hand at famous Haka dance, feasting on Hangi meal
followed by a visit to the Pohutu Geyser. It may not be the adrenaline pumping
experience one associates with New Zealand but trust us, these four hours of
experiential story telling where we not only listened but also participated
were one of the highlights of vacation.
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| A Maori experience by local families that proudly showcase their culture is a must attend activity in Te Puia. |
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| A specially prepared Hangi meal is the highlight of the evening. Meats and veggies cooked under earth are laid out as tasty dishes in a buffet. |
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| Round off your visit by experiencing the geothermal activity at Pohutu Geyser |
Book Your experience
at https://tepuia.com
Velocity Valley – Feel the Thrill
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| Shweeb racer has to be one unique and exclusive experience. You get inside a pedal powered racing pod and pedal your way in a race against your partner! |
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| Swoop — You are strapped to a giant swing that hoists you over 140 feet in a second! The adrenaline rush as your swing in the air is to be felt to be believed. |
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| Agrojet - How about turns and bends of a jet boat that touches the speed of 100 km/h and passes through amazing turns and bends! |
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| Want to experience freefall of a skydive yet do not want to jump from a plane like me! Freefall is just the activity for you as you fly, on the ground, with winds over 200 km/h gushing under you. |
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| Take a leap of faith as your jump from a 43 meters high platform and feel the adrenaline rush like no other. Rotorua Bungy completes your action packed visit to Velocity Valley. |
Book your experiences
at https://velocityvalley.co.nz/
Gondola, Luge, Zipline… Enjoy Rotorua Skyline
Skyline Rotorua is not
hard to find. On our drive towards our hotel after Te Puia experience, we could
see the luge track, gondolas and ziplines. This was to be our address for the
better half of second day. You take a gondola to go to the top of a mountain
while soaking in the views of Rotorua lake and geothermal activity. Once at the
top, you can either enjoy zipline where you breeze down or opt for luge that is
again a unique experience where you drive down in a cart with brakes to control
your slide speed downhill.
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| Luge rides are one of the biggest attractions here. This activity is extremely popular with families. |
Book your experiences at https://www.skyline.co.nz/en/rotorua/
Mokoia Island with K-Jet
This was to be our
third and last day in Rotorua and it was to start with a jet boat tour. We
opted for K-Jet as that only allowed us to experience the thrill of jet boating
in Lake Rotorua, but also took us for a bird watching experience inside Mokoia Island
in the middle of the lake. The ride in a jet boat with typical twists and bends
was a typical NZ experience but the enlightening part of this exercise was the
Mokoia island bird watching tour, listening to Maori tales while walking around
the island and also seeing the hot pools. The ride back to Rotorua in a jet
boat was the usual rollercoaster affair.
Book your experiences at https://www.nzjetboat.co.nz/
Book your experiences at https://www.nzjetboat.co.nz/
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| Eat Street, the happening food area of Rotorua. |
Just as we were to
leave for Auckland, we decided to explore the Eat Street, the happening food
area of Rotorua. Lined with restaurants, cafes and bars, it offered ample
options to choose from. Rather than a full meal at one outlet, we decided to
hop from one outlet to another and have a taste of all of them. A nice gelato
shop allowed us to round off our trip and the meal on perfect note.
*Some images have been taken from the respective websites. These are our experiences that we could squeeze in our limited time. Rotorua offers far more options. For further detailed options, visit https://www.newzealand.com/in/feature/discover-experiences-in-rotorua/
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