Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
thermal reserve 3km south of the city centre. There are more than 500 springs here, the
most famous of which is
Pohutu
('Big Splash' or 'Explosion'), a geyser which erupts up to
20 times a day, spurting hot water up to 30m skyward. You'll know when it's about to
blow because the adjacent
Prince of Wales' Feathers
geyser will start up shortly before. Both
these geysers form part of Te Puia, the most polished of NZ's Maori cultural attractions.
Also here is the National Carving School and the National Weaving School, where you
can discover the work and methods of traditional Maori woodcarvers and weavers, plus a
carved meeting house, a cafe, galleries, a kiwi reserve and a gift shop.
Tours take 1½ hours and depart hourly from 9am (the last tour an hour before closing).
Daytime 45-minute cultural performances start at 10.15am, 12.15pm and 3.15pm; nightly
three-hour Te Po indigenous concerts and
hangi
feasts start at 6pm (following on from a
4.30pm tour in a combo package).
Whakarewarewa Thermal Village
MAP
THERMAL RESERVE, CULTURAL TOUR
GOOGLE MAP
( 07-349 3463;
www.whakarewarewa.com
; 17 Tyron St; tour & cultural performance adult/child $35/15;
8.30am-5pm)
Whakarewarewa Thermal Village is a living village where
tangata whenua
(the
locals) still reside, as they have for centuries. The villagers show you around and tell you
the stories of their way of life and the significance of the steamy bubbling pools, the silica
terraces and the geysers that, although inaccessible from the village, are easily viewed
from vantage points (the view of Pohutu is just as good from here as it is from Te Puia,
and considerably cheaper).
The village shops sell authentic arts and crafts, and you can learn more about Maori tra-
ditions such as flax weaving, carving, and
ta moko
(tattooing). Nearby you can eat tasty,
buttery sweetcorn ($2) pulled straight out of the hot mineral pool − the only genuine geo-
thermal
hangi
in town. There are cultural performances at 11.15am and 2pm, and guided
tours at 9am, 10am, 11am, noon, 1pm, 3pm and 4pm.
Rotorua Museum
MAP
MUSEUM, GALLERY
GOOGLE MAP
( 07-351 8055;
www.rotoruamuseum.co.nz
;
Queens Dr, Government Gardens; adult/child $20/8; 9am-5pm, to
6pm Dec-Feb, tours hourly 10am-4pm plus 5pm Dec-Feb)
This outstanding museum occupies a grand
Tudor-style edifice. It was originally an elegant spa retreat called the Bath House (1908):
displays in the former shower rooms give a fascinating insight into some of the eccentric
therapies once administered here, including 'electric baths' and the Bergonie Chair.
