This is the first Hostel I've ever stayed in. The first of Many, I hope!! The beds were comfortable…read moreand came with sheets, pillows, and blankets. This hostel had a kitchen with four sinks, three stoves, fridge and freezer, and various kitchen supplies. It was located in a very nice place, near the Government Gardens and Tamaki Maori Village.

I first heard of Agroventures from Michelle Phan. (the YouTube Make-up Queen) I knew it was going…read moreto be cool so I was super excited when we spent a few hours at Agroventures. New Zealand is the land for adrenaline pumping adventures. Agroventures doesn't disappoint. They have 5 different activities, The Agrojet, (a raceboat that goes super fast) Freefall Extreme, (feels like you're falling through the sky) Swoop, (super swing) Shweeb, (race around a track in a pedal operated pod) and Rotorua Bungy. (Bungee jump) I went with a large group of mostly boys. They offer group discounts and combos if you buy 1 or 5 activities. Most of us did the Shweeb, though some did the other crazy activities. The Shweeb is unique and the only one in the world as of now. You are placed into this pod-like contraption and race your opponent by pedaling the pod to race around a track. It's not as easy as it looks or sounds! I don't have the speed or stamina like teenage boys! I had a great time at Agroventures and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an adrenaline rush!

Wonderful, relaxing setting. A variety of pools ranging from 37-41C. Some are covered which…read moreprovided coverage from sun and rain. Clean and well maintained. Take the walk up to the spring to see where the hot water starts. Another tip: do buy a piece of the carrot cake to go. Make on site and delicious! Enjoy!

This is a wonderful facility with well-maintained hot pools, situated right next to the hot spring…read morewith the largest discharge of boiling water in New Zealand. Service there was excellent too. Staff are friendly. The iced chocolate is delightful. The private pool option is worth trying as well.

Looking for a great way to see the great outdoors of New Zealand? Then check out Mountain Biking…read moreRotorua. While biking is in their name, know that they also do a wide range of active tours like the obvious biking, but the not so obvious, rafting over water falls, kayaking to the hot mineral pools and riverside hikes. I had signed up for th Roturua adventure day which includes 3 activities that take about 8 hours to complete. I was a little apprehensive at first as I wasn't sure if I could actually do all the things I signed up for. But my fears were quickly put aside when I met my guide for the day, Wade. Wade assured me that he could put together the perfect day for my skill level, and he did. And his warm, genuine style made me feel like I was hanging out with a friend for the day rather than someone who is paid to put up with my lack of athleticism! So our first stop was the bike shop where I was fitted with a bike, helmet, alnd given some water. This is located right at the entrance to the Whakrewarera forest that is filled with giant American redwood trees. The perfect place to start out day! This forest is free to the public and has plenty of trails from the most beginning rider to the very experienced rider. The woods are shared with hikers and people on horseback as well. It is stunning underneath those towering canopies. And while I was a little horrified that I started on the " kids loop", let me assure you that there are hills, valleys and banked curves even on the kids path. I quickly graduated to the next level and found me on a trail that had so many dips and valleys that I was laughing out loud! We finished up the bike ride and drove over to the Kailuna River where we hiked along the river and watched the rafters go over 3 sets of falls. After a delicious lunch at a local cafe, it was then time to kayak on Lake Roiti and head over to the hot mineral springs. Wade took care of not only getting me any equipment I needed, but also took the time to explain kayaking and some of the history of the area. The best thing about this day? Wade was such a great guide and was so patient with my remedial skill level, that I felt I was out spending the day with a friend versus a hired guide. And how great is that? If you are looking for a great way to experience some of the great natural beauty this part of New Zealand has to offer, give mountain Biking Rotorua a call. It may be the best day of your vacation!

I wish I had more time on this trip to enjoy the mountain biking. The trails and options for…read moredifferent level bikers are awesome. The rental staff were knowledgeable and helpful. The gear was well maintained. I enjoyed exploring the forests.

I came here for the first time last week while I was travelling with my family. I feel like ever…read moresince we had children, our vacations seem to take us from playground to playground around the world. Who needs art museums and architechure or restaurants or bars when you can have slides and swings and splash fountains? This one was pretty good. My 3-year-old ran around here for over an hour without getting bored. In addition to the great playground structures, the area sits alongside the railroad tracks and this was a great thing for all the kids present. Every time a train went by they all dropped what they were doing, rushed over the fence, commented on the train (it's length, it's noise, etc, etc.) in a way that kids do so well and adorably. It was good fun for all of us. It was too cold for him to run through the splash fountain, but if we are back this way in warmer weather I'm sure it will be a big hit.

We were looking for an easy and inexpensive way to enjoy Rotorua's geothermal activity and this…read moreplace popped up in our search. We were so happy we stopped by for a brief viewing because it's a nice little walk along the lake and was another fantastic and free NZ tourist spot. There are several places to park along the road and then you can walk along the lake and enjoy the geothermal steam, little bubbling holes, and the fantastic aromas! Be warned if you are particularly sensitive to sulfur and eggy smells you may want to skip the geothermal adventures in NZ. The steam rises from the scenic lake and beautiful birds are positioned everywhere you look. There is one spot along the road with little rocky craters with bubbling water and a touch of the beautiful colors that is classic to geothermal Rotorua attractions. It's a great stopping point and doesn't take too long to enjoy and snap a few photos before you continue on your way.

It's a good spot for some striking photos in various directions. There's water and spits of land…read moreand city skyline and various fairly photogenic birds around. The black swans with red bills are great. You drive all the way through the garden to the end of the road to get here, and there's a parking lot with plenty of parking (unlike the rest of the park, at least when we were there--we actually ended up at the point as we looked for parking to crack out the gardens but couldn't find any). Itdoesn't smell any more sulphury than anywhere else, and less than in some places in the region. There's not anything to do other than take pictures, including hiking or even much walking, so it's more of a place to drive out to, hop out of the car, and hang out for 15 minutes or so. But the views are nice so it's not a bad place to do that.

I absolutely loved my experience here! The mini golf course itself is fairly standard, but the real…read morehighlight is the chance to see and interact with the adorable flemish giant rabbits. We stayed here for about an hour or so. A few of the rabbits were happily hopping around the course while we played, while several others were tucked away napping under a tree trunk. For a small fee, you can also purchase a bag of food to feed them. Definitely worth a quick stop!

This is a great place to hike with trails of all types and levels. We parked at the main…read moreinformation center where the elevated Redwoods walk is located and hiked the Pohaturoa Track which initially runs through the redwoods, then along Tarawera road for a short distance then steadily goes up to viewpoints of the City and also Te Puia Dan the Pōhutu Geyser basin with lake views. We added on the joint use mountain bike track Mud pool loop which had one active mud pool. Loved that the plant life was so diverse with many different pine, fur and even eucalyptus which smelled wonderful.

Beautiful forest! The questions you need to answer is whether to visit during the day or at night?…read more And if you visit as night, do you do the (expensive) tree walk? I would highly recommend visiting at night. It is truly special. I can't speak to walking through the trees at night on the ground, as we paid the US$20 to walk through the tree tops. The view at night is like fairy lights; easy to imagine this as the setting for every elf story I have ever read.  BF liked the engineering aspects; it is cool how the tree walk has been hung without damage or drilling into the trees. Would definitely recommend this as an unusual way to spend an evening.