Things to do less than an hour’s drive from your Rotorua motel

New Zealand is a natural wonderland filled with exquisite landscapes, friendly people, and unique flora and fauna. It’s a great place to visit when choosing a location for a vacation, and you won’t want to miss the hub of New Zealand tourism: the North Island city of Rotorua. Rotorua is surrounded by native bush, lakes, forested areas and geothermal activity.

When you visit the area, you’ll want to book a Rotorua motel and stay for a while because there’s so much to do, from free activities like walking to adventures with intriguing names like luging, zorbing, and bungying. Although your accommodation will be in a city with abundant commercial and tourist activities, you will be only 15 minutes away from the freedom of fabulous forests and attractive lakes. Its proximity to such a wide variety of scenic attractions, including well-known geothermal activity, has undoubtedly played a part in Rotorua being voted New Zealand’s most beautiful city six times in 11 years.

There are plenty of wonderful adventures to keep you busy each day when you leave your Rotorua motel and start a new activity, from riding a gondola to the top of Mount Ngongotaha to cycling through the Whakarewarewa forest. You’ll love the chance to see geysers and bubbling mud pools at places like Hell’s Gate and Wai-o-Tapu, and a day enjoying the wildlife at Rainbow Springs is always well spent.

From Rotorua, it’s just an hour’s drive to Tauranga Beach or Whakatane. Lake Taupo is also only an hour away. The wide range of attractions within an hour of your Rotorua motel make the city an ideal base for a family holiday. It’s no wonder many people regard Rotorua as the gateway to their New Zealand tourism experience.

It’s a great city and region for outdoor activities, from enjoying water sports at any of the area’s 17 lakes to taking advantage of fabulous walking opportunities, all at no cost to the visitor. Rotorua Redwoods offers six walking trails with various levels of difficulty, from families to experienced hikers. For a short drive to a tranquil destination, drive from your Rotorua motel to Hamurana and take a leisurely stroll to the turquoise waters of Hamurana Springs. Okere Falls also offers a great, longer hike with waterfalls, a cave, and a trout pool. Walking through the Ohinemutu area is educational and you are sure to experience some of the spiritual aspects of Maori culture along the way.

The most important thing to remember when planning to visit Rotorua is to allow enough time to make the most of this amazing part of New Zealand.