Welcome to Rotorua and thank you for choosing Urban Oasis as your accommodation provider. We hope you enjoy your stay in Rotorua, here’s our top ten ‘Things to do’ list while you’re in town.
Things to do in Rotorua
Luge at Skyline Rotorua
Pretty much the childhood right of passage around here, once you were old enough to ride a bike you would be sent off on your way down the hill with only gravity as your means of acceleration. Extremely enjoyable, especially in a group. Watch out for the slow tourists 🙂
Over the summer months, they even offer ‘night luging’ under lights, which is pretty cool.
Canopy Tours
New Zealand’s number one tourist attraction (based on Trip Advisor), is a 3+ hour eco walk and zipline tour through ancient native rain forest. It’s an incredible journey across swing-bridges and ziplining (flying fox) across huge untouched virgin forest. There is a strong element to conservation and trapping pests and predators, giving rise to native birds and wildlife in the area. A truly memorable experience.
Whakarewarewa Forest
Whakarewarewa Forest more commonly known as The Redwoods, is over 5600 hectares of forest only 5mins from the Rotorua CBD for you to enjoy and explore at your leisure. If you love the outdoors and want to experience nature at its best this area is definitely for you! Walk among towering giant Californian Coastal Redwood trees.
Lakes
Rotorua has 18 sparkling lakes and three major rivers that are treasured natural assets and taonga to the Te Arawa people. The region is a fisherman’s dream with trophy trout to be had year round on the lakes, rivers and streams. The beauty of our lakes at sunrise and sunset have made many photographs of mine possible, probably my favourite subject to photograph.
Mountain Biking
Rotorua has over 160km of dedicated mountain biking trails in the Redwoods, and they range in skill level so there is something for everyone.
Geothermal
Rotorua is a hive of geothermal activity, originally known world wide for the Pink & White terraces, and healing geothermal waters of the Bath House (now the Rotorua Museum). There are plenty of free locations to see the raw natural power from below: Ohinemutu Village, Kuirau Park, Rachel Spring in the Government Gardens.
Maori Culture
Rotorua is the heart of Maori Culture in New Zealand. Maori are the tangata whenua, the indigenous people, of New Zealand.
You can engage in a maori show, eat a hangi (earth cooked food) and learn about the history.
Rotorua Duck Tours
Young and old alike enjoy the unique experience of visiting some of our iconic lakes, learning history of the area and maori culture all while riding onboard a World War II amphibious landing craft re-purposed into a fun and family-friendly icon of the city.
White Water Rafting
Get set for the most exhilarating ride of your life! The Tutea Falls on Kaituna (Okere) River, Rotorua is the world’s highest commercially rafted waterfall at an almighty 7 meters. There is plenty of time to build up anticipation and practice your newly acquired skills in the rapids and two smaller waterfalls before the big drop.
Rotorua Night Market
If you’re lucky to be in Rotorua on a Thursday night and the weather isn’t raining then you can be rewarded with culinary delights at the Rotorua Night Market. Held every Thursday night (weather permitting) between 5-9pm in the heart of Tutanekai Street, the night market is a gastronomic event with food from every corner of the world represented. There are any art and craft gift stalls also where you can find some great unique gifts.