In
November 2014, I traveled around New Zealand and Australia with my
husband and two terrific friends. We started our journey by flying
into Auckland and making a beeline for Rotorua. This area has some
amazing geothermal sites to visit. We visited both WaimanguVolcanic Valley and Wai-O-Tapu.
For the money, I really enjoyed the latter more because
visitors
have closer access to the geothermal activity in Wai-O-Tapu. The
admission costs $36
NZD
and
$32.50
NZD,
respectively. Both sites can be accessed by car or by day tour. We
had a limited amount of time for this trip, so I cannot comment on
public transportation options. If you are in the area but do not want
to spend the money to enter these sites, visit the mud pits that are
just outside of the gates of Wai-O-Tapu.
There
aren't a lot of restaurant options in the area of Wai-O-Tapu
but we popped into the Wai-O-Tapu
Tavern. It's just a little snack shop with a pool table but it
was good, basic food (sandwiches, burgers, and the best wedges we had
on the trip) at around $13 NDZ per meal.
The
town of Rotorua itself was lacking in character and people when we
were there. I would guess this is because Rotorua is more of a day
trip by tour bus than a town to spend time in. This might also be the
case because the sulfurous odor from the geothermal activity can be
smelled everywhere.
Outside
of town is a great thermal bath called WaikiteValley Thermal Pools. While this type of attraction is not
usually a big draw for me, this location had seven pools heated to
different temperatures which made the experience much more appealing.
For an entrance fee of $15 NZD, I found it to be a good deal
especially after walking around in the cold and rainy weather all
day.
