Rotorua in New Zealand’s North Island is a hot mess. Literally! Everywhere you look the earth is bubbling, hissing and exploding as mother nature flexes her muscles in a dramatic display sure to impress. Te Puia Rotorua is the perfect place for visitors to experience Rotorua’s unique geothermal landscape and gain a greater understanding of the area’s rich Māori culture. Oh and did I mention the fabulous hāngi feast? Read on for all the details …
Te Puia Rotorua Overview & Experiences
Te Puia Rotorua offers guests a little bit of everything. Prepare to be awed by the unpredictable geothermal landscape including the southern hemisphere’s largest active geyser, catch a glimpse of a Kiwi bird or get a very special insight into Rotorua’s rich Māori heritage and culture. Guests at Te Puia Rotorua have two experiences to choose from which combine all the park has to offer; Te Rā (daytime) and Te Pō (nightime). Te Rā starts at $55 and offers a number of extras. I recommend combining both Te Rā and Te Pō like we did to optimise your visit. We drove our Airport Rentals Hyundai i20 the 5 minutes or so from our accommodation at the Regent Of Rotorua. If you don’t have a car while in town jump on Bay Bus Route 11 for the short trip. The bus is also a great option for those planning to have a few drinks with dinner.
Te Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley
After walking through the gates of Te Puia Rotorua you will find yourself standing beneath the Heketanga-ā-Rangi, a contemporary Māori artwork. Make sure you walk around the entire structure to view each unique carving before joining your guided tour. Tours meet each hour beside the sign with the very long name. Our guide Cruz could not only pronounce this tongue twister without missing a beat, he made us have a go as well. It was not pretty! Each guided tour is different and your expert host will determine the order of the day based on the timing of the geyser eruptions.
The geothermal geysers of Te Puia are a sight to behold in full eruption. Pōhutu is the star of the show and is best viewed from the geyser terrace. Eruptions are frequent and can last from just a few minutes to days on end. At Te Puia Rotorua, the magma is only 6-7 kilometres below the Earth’s crust which accounts for all the activity of the surface. Keep your eyes peeled for The Blueys pool which looks like the perfect spot for a dip.
Continue past the geysers to Ngā mōkai-ā-Koko, Te Puia’s largest mud pool. The bubbling mud has been compared to playful children and leaping frogs. It’s mesmerising to watch but capturing the movement on film is difficult so you’ll just have to take my word for it. A visit to New Zealand wouldn’t be complete without meeting the national icon. Kiwi birds are nocturnal and incredibly shy which doesn’t bode well for seeing one in the wild but even in captivity it’s tricky. Te Puia’s resident kiwi bird proved elusive on our visit and stayed in her nest. While I was disappointed not to catch a glimpse, I was very impressed that Te Puia cared for her welfare and chose not to drag her out on cue which would have caused distress. Our guided tour was just the right length to provide a great insight into the park and Cruz spoke eloquently about the history of the land on which we were standing. The dedicated paths make for easy walking and most areas are wheelchair accessible.
Māori Cultural Experience
New Zealand is rich in Māori tradition. During our guided tour Cruz pointed out traditional war canoes, food storage buildings and marae. We were blessed to see skilled craftsmen at work in the carving house and view examples of traditional weaving. Sadly traditional arts and crafts are dying out but Te Puia is bucking the trend and has established the New Zealand Māori Arts & Crafts Institute to ensure these traditions remain for generations to come.
Our Te Pō experience included an invite into the Te Arounui-ā-rua (meeting house), where we were introduced to many Māori traditions using song, dance and story telling. Te Puia offers an interactive experience and of course I made The Hubs get up on stage. How do you like his Haka?
Te Puia Hāngi Feast
Hāngi is a traditional Māori cooking method where meat and vegetables are cooked underground using hot coals. Our Te Pō guide Ray shepherded our group over to the traditional oven for the big reveal before it was whisked away for expert chefs to prepare the evening feast.
Dinner is served in one of Te Puia’s two restaurants. Our dining room was spacious and we were greeted with live music on entry. Our guide Ray had already advised our assigned tables so we knew exactly where to go. Tables were beautifully set and I’m not sure whether it was good luck or good management that our table was a virtual United Nations. We had Swedes, Kiwis, Americans, a Welshman and of course The Hubs and I from Australia, which made for excellent dinner conversation. As drink orders were being taken by the efficient staff appetisers of mussels, corn and bread were placed on each table to get the taste buds going. If you prefer, you can always grab a steaming hot bowl of soup.
When you are ready for the main event, dinner is served buffer style. Did I say feast? You can expect chicken, lamb, pork, potato bake, kumara, rice, a variety of salads and fresh prawns to name a few but pace yourself. Platters are refilled regularly so you can keep going back and refilling your plate as often as you like.
Make sure you save room for dessert as Te Puia’s sweet offerings are not to be missed. Choose from pavlova, pecan pie, chocolate mousse, puddings, ice cream and all the accompaniments. Can’t decide? It’s OK I get it. Have a little of each 🙂 One thing is for certain … you are not going to leave Te Puia Rotorua hungry!
Once all the plates were cleared we had an opportunity to go back to the geysers and view them under lights. The night ends at around 9pm but you are free to leave early if you choose. Te Puia Rotorua is a unique experience which has been delighting visitors since 2005. Make sure it is right at the top of your Rotorua ‘to do’ list. If you are heading to New Zealand for the first time make sure you check out my New Zealand travel essentials post for everything you need to know before you go and study my tips on scoring a bargain flight.
Will you visit Te Puia Rotorua when you are next in town? Let me know in the comments below …
Until Next Time …
Disclaimer: Te Puia Rotorua kindly hosted us as part of our visit to New Zealand. As always, all opinions are my own.
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Diana - MVMT Blog says
The geysers look so cool. I’ve only seen geysers in Iceland before, but this terrain looks much different. It wasn’t nearly this rocky in Iceland. Your dinner feast looks delicious. I like how it’s buffet style because I would definitely want to try a bit of everything. Would love to visit this “hot mess” of a place sometime! 🙂
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
I’m inspired to visit Iceland now! Hope you get to Rotorua soon Diana ?
[email protected] says
Oh that food! I am planning a trip to NZ in the next couple of years and it is this kind of post that makes me so excited to go. What a great stay. Bookmarked thanks!
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
How cool Kate! We didn’t have nearly enough time to see everything. New Zealand truly is beautiful! Hope you enjoy your trip ?
Claire Summers says
I have never heard of this place. Looks pretty epic though and so interesting. One of the things I love most about travel is learning about different cultures. So this looks right up my street. Love that you even got an insight into traditional cooking methods. Pinned for later when I plan my NZ trip!
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
I love that New Zealand embraces their Maori heritage and share it with visitors. So much to see and do in NZ I’m sure you will love it Claire ?
Ticking the Bucketlist says
Great post. When we went to Jordan last, we saw the locals cooking their food using heated coals burried under sand. Isnt it strange how different cultures do similar things even though they are so distant!
Are there any hot water pools around where you can dunk yourself?
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
Totally agree! Lots of the islands have very similar cooking methods but with a unique spin. There are no hot water pools in Te Puia itself but their are lots in the area.
Rhiannon says
Wow this looks like an incredible day out! I’ve visited a lot of Geysers in S. America, all of which seemed pretty impressive to me but the guides kept on saying “these are the biggest/highest/best geysers.. except for this or that in NZ” so I guess NZ has really set the bar in the geyser world!
My aunt is actually from Rotorua so for that reason it’s always been pretty high on my list of places to visit – what a treat to be able to experience all those Maori traditions!
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
No excuses not to go if your aunt is their Rhiannon. You’ll just have to go and see how the geysers measure up ?
James Smith says
The north island sure is a hot mess!! So can you pronounce the long name yet? Those geysers look amazing, I’m inspired to go and photograph them. I’m also inspired to go eat one of those chocolate mousses!
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
Lol no I couldn’t quite get my tongue around that one lol! Chocolate mousse is the best ?
Aryane @ Valises & Gourmandises says
Wow that looks like a very interesting place! I don’t know that much about it, but I do love the Maori culture.
It would be a great opportunity to extend my knowledge! I like watching them play rugby just for the haka at the beginning. Don’t they look terrifying!? I thought the video was a great addition to the post, thanks!
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
Thanks Aryane. I’m not sure my hubby’s version was terrifying but he had a go lol.
Abigail says
I’ve always been fascinated by the Maori culture in NZ. Natural beauty combined with a rich culture and history makes the perfect travel destination in my book. Keep it up, I’ve enjoyed following your NZ journey/posts!
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
Exactly Abigail! I have a few more New Zealand post coming out soon before I move on to Tasmania ?
Maria says
Looks like a great place to visit and a really interesting experience. Specially the feast at the end really looked yummy 😉
Sudipto says
I fell in love with hot geysers at the Yellowstone National Park. This exhaustive guide is so beautifully written. Is the food also a part of the trip?
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
Geysers are one of natures miracles. Yes the food is part of the Te Po experience and was delicious ?
Sheena says
Love everything about this post but what really blew me away was the geothermal geysers of Te Puia – I haven’t seen anything like it before! I don’t know anything about Maori food either, Hangi looks amazing, I will have to find out more about it. NZ I’m coming for you in 2017!
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
Hope you have an amazing trip Sheena. Hope you get to see the geysers if ate Puia in person ?
Aisha says
This looks like such a great way to spend the day! I so want to see geysers erupting at some point in my life, this looks like a great spot for that! The food looked delicious as well…mouthwatering to say the least. Thanks for sharing this experience 🙂
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
Te Puia has some of the most reliable geysers Aisha which makes it perfect for visitors and you are almost guaranteed to see an eruption during your visit. And yes the food! Yum!
Flo @ Yoga, Wine & Travel says
Rotorua looks like an amazing place to visit – what a unique and stunning landscape! The food looks incredible as well, you definitely wouldn’t leave hungry. Visiting New Zealand is high up on my bucket list so I will have to add this to the agenda!
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
I hope you make it NZ soon Flo. So much to see that we certainly couldn’t cover it all in a week!
The Travel Ninjas says
Wow those geysers are amazing. It’s thrilling to think how close the magma is to the surface there. And the Maori traditions are so captivating too. What a great place to experience a mix of nature and culture.
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
The Maori culture is fascinating. And I think The Hubs did a great Haka ?
LC says
I’m a bad Australian and haven’t been to NZ… Which is silly. Really enjoy going to geothermal locations. Will get there eventually. 🙂
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
It so close LC so there is no excuse! The landscape is so different to Oz but in many respects it feels just like home so it’s the best of both worlds.
Doro says
The geysers look amazing! I’ll take your word on the bubbling mud pool – sounds like something you have to experience in person 🙂 I’d be really interested in learning about Maori traditions as well, sounds fascinating!
Great post, I love reading about places that have both natural and cultural attractions 🙂
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
Mother Nature at her best Doro. The mud pool is slower and much less dramatic than the geysers but still worth taking a look. That’s the great thing about Te Puia; you get the best of both worlds all in one place!
Leah says
I loved getting to hear about Maori culture, I didn’t know anything about it! Seems like such a cool destination 🙂 Will definitely have to add this to my bucket list!
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
I did know a little bit about the Maori culture before we visited but learned so much more. I hope you make it to Te Puia soon Leah ?
neha says
I have read a couple of other posts at Rotorua. Looks like quiet a place to visit. Not been to newzeland yet but when I do I will make sure to take some time out and visit this unique place
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
I’m sure you will love it Neha ?
Punita Malhotra says
Rotorua makes for a great trip. I remember being fascinated by the hot water geysers and enjoying the Maori dance cultural experience. What a wonderful day trip it was!
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
Glad you enjoyed your visit Punita. Rotorua has such a different environment to the rest of NZ it really is a must visit ?
Jen Morrow says
Those geysers and hot springs look amazing! What a lovely area for food and enjoying natures wonders.
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
The geysers were indeed spectacular! I’ve never seen anything like it in all the countries I have visited. Te Puia is a great place to experience this very unique environment.
Promise Chika Maxwell says
I would also feel a bit disappointed not having to see the kiwi birds but I’m sure their are much activities to make up for it if not coming back next time. Providing a wheelchair paths was really thoughtful enabling more tourist attractions. BTW the video was cracking, getting ready to play rugby, hahaha! nice one! Thanks for this!
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
Absolutely Promise! While we didn’t get to see the Kiwi we did of course see her habitat and learn a little more about their plight. Numbers are decreasing in the wild and steps are being taken to protect them. Strange to think the Maori used to eat them!
Devesh Joshi says
This place looks amazing! But I think more than the place.. it’s the food that will compel me to visit here. Lovely post indeed. Never been to NZ, but this post only makes me want to be there soon.
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
New Zealand is such a beautiful country Devesh. The hangi was amazing but Rotourua has such a volatile landscape and watching the geysers was such a unique experience. I’ve travelled extensively and have never seen anything like it anywhere else. Not to be missed!
Daisy Huntington - DaisLikeThese says
This place looks amazing! I love the idea of staying to see geysers lit up…and the food certainly looks like it’s worth sticking around for!!
Look forward to reading your other NZ posts. X
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
The hangi was great and we ate waaaay to much lol. The geysers were spectacular. Rotorua is such a unique part of the world and Te Puia shows off its best!
Mel l TravelingMel says
While the hot springs look interesting, I think learning about Māori tradition seems just as fascinating. I love the combination of natural and cultural and how the two interact. Putting this on my list of places to get to!
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
There are no hot springs at Te Pui Mel. The Maori cultural experience was great and I’m humbled they were so willing to share with us.
Ticker Eats The World says
Lovely post. I haven’t been to NZ but my parents have a couple of times and they speak highly of the country. Have heard a lot about Rotoura and yes the Maori culture is quite exquisite and different.
A funny cultural dofferentce would be how they greet each other by touching their forehead/nose (right) and since it’s so different from what we have here in India, my mom was so fascinated by it when she went there.
Lastly, nothing beats the charm of nature and especially the geysers are always wonderful.
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
Such a rich history and very lucky they are so open to sharing. We had a great time at Te Puia ?