Top Rotorua Attractions & Museums

Learn about Maori culture and see boiling mud pools, geysers, and hot springs by visiting Whakarewarewa Village in Rotorua. To save time waiting in ticket lines, prebooking your admission means you can select an entry slot to suit your travel plans. Then, once inside, join a Maori guide to learn about Maori traditions—including a chance to try food cooked in geothermal pools.

Treat yourself to a therapeutic mud bath and sulfur spa package at Hells Gate Geothermal Park. Located in one of Rotorua’s most active geothermal zones, Hells Gate features mud bath treatments that leave your body rejuvenated and skin smooth. You also have the option to cool off with a dip in waterfall pools after your treatment.

While in Rotorua, see a cultural performance and take part in a 3-course seasonal fusion feast at Te Pā Tū, featuring lesser-known delicacies. A local guide escorts you by coach to the “marae” (Māori village) for an immersive evening that begins with a welcome ceremony by New Zealand's Indigenous people. Learn about local customs based on the Māori lunar calendar and watch a powerful display of song and dance.

Gain entry to the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute at Te Puia on a guided tour of this geothermal hot spot. Take a walking path up to steaming vents, boiling mud pools and erupting Pohutu Geyser at Te Whakarewarewa Thermal Valley; observe the emblematic kiwi bird; and discover Maori traditions at the cultural center. Upgrade to include a cultural performance of Maori song and dance, including the warlike ‘haka.’ Showtimes are available several times a day during admittance.

This Rotorua zipline tour takes you soaring through a centuries-old forest canopy as you switch between the six zipline cables suspended 72 feet (22 meters) above the ground. Get a bird’s-eye view as two expert guides suit you up with safety equipment and teach you about the forest environment. Bonus: you can later download photos taken of you during your treetops adventure. Round-trip hotel transport is included on this small-group tour, limited to 10 people.

Complete your trip to Rotorua with a visit to the Agrodome. If there's one thing people associate with New Zealand, it’s sheep, and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to interact with the gentle creatures at the Agrodome Sheep Show, Farm Tour or both. This educational and family-friendly experience lets you join in on farming activities as you meet the farmers and their sheep.

Treat yourself to a relaxing spa experience at adults-only Lake Rotorua hot pools, where pre-booking admission gets you access to acidic and alkaline pools, a reflexology walk, and a hot pool with views across the lake. It’s a serene and soothing alternative to the all-ages Rotorua spas, and includes plenty of spa time to ensure you never feel rushed.

Gain admission to your choice of five heart-thumping activities at Agroventures, an adrenaline-packed theme park located just minutes from central Rotorua. Not for the faint-hearted, each extreme ride on offer — such as the Rotorua Bungy and Freefall Xtreme — provides non-stop blood-pumping action. Complimentary round-trip hotel transport is available.

Gain entry to the National Kiwi Hatchery in Rotorua with this guided tour and ticket combo. Learn about New Zealand's renowned conservation program as you take a tour of the hatchery which has successfully hatched over 2,100 kiwi chicks. After a guided experience, explore the interactive kiwi burrow where you can see the life cycle of a kiwi from egg to burrow.

While in Rotorua, take a wild and wacky ride in a ZORB ball. You’ll love downhill ball rolling as you slide around inside an inflatable ball with water for a thrilling ride (in winter the water is warm, while in summer it's filled with cool water). Choose from three different tracks—straight, sidewinder, or mega—and get instruction before enjoying twists and turns.

Art, craft, and culture-loving travelers will enjoy this guided tour of a New Zealand jade (pounamu) carving studio. Learn about the cultural significance of jade to the local Maori people, and about traditional and contemporary designs. Get the chance to meet jewelry artists and to see them at work. Choose a piece of jade to string and keep as a memento.

Slip into steaming water and cold pools at the Rotorua Deluxe Lake Spa, where pre-booked admission gets you access to premium changing rooms, an indoor lounge, mineral pools, and heated poolside recliners. The all-ages facility is a family-friendly alternative to Lake Rotorua’s adults-only options, and with four hours of spa time, you won't feel rushed as you relax, soak, and pamper sore traveling muscles.