See the awe-inspiring Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland on a half-day tour, led by a knowledgeable guide. Follow a well-marked path alongside bubbling hot springs and volcanic craters at Rotorua’s most comprehensive geothermal site. Hear a morning presentation about the Lady Knox Geyser and observe the daily eruption before a short drive through the Waimangu Volcanic Valley. Numbers are limited to 12 people, providing a more personalized experience with a small group.

Half-day tour of Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland and Waimangu Volcanic Rift Valley, from Rotorua
Drive a short distance from Rotorua to view New Zealand’s largest geothermal parks with an experienced guide
Learn from your knowledgeable guide about the geology of the Waimangu Volcanic Rift Valley
Small-group tour limited to 12 people provides an intimate experience

What's Included

Driver/guide
Live commentary on board
Local guide
Transport by air-conditioned minivan
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Food and drinks

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Rotorua Museum
20 Queens Drive, Rotorua 3010, New Zealand
If you are staying outside the Rotorua CBD, you can meet our guide outside the Rotorua Museum at 8.15 am. There is plenty of free parking in the area. The Rotorua Museum is located in the government gardens and is one of New Zealand's most iconic buildings and is impossible to miss. Thank you

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

08:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

We pick up from all Rotorua accommodations within the city limits at the following times. We do not pick up from the port of Tauranga and Auckland Black Swan 8.05 am On the Point 8.05 am Koura Lodge 8.05 am Cosy Cottage 8.05 am Bella Vista 8.05 am Awa hotel 8.05am Red Rock 8.05am Tasman HP 8.10 am Novotel 8.10 am Regent 8.10 am Ibis 8.10 am Aura Accommodation 8.15 am Haka house 8.15am Pullman 8.15am Princes Gate 8.15 am Museum 8.15 am YHA treks 8.15 am Lava Lodge 8.15 am Quest 8.15 am Millennium 8.20 am Sudima 8.20 am Rotorua central backpackers 8.20 am Rydges 8.30 am Four canoes 8.25 am Silver Fern 8.25 am Regal Palms 8.25 am Devonwood 8.25 am Capri on Fenton 8.25am Sport of Kings 8.25am Emerald Spa 8.25am Arawa Park Hotel 8.25am Thermal Holiday park 8.30am Red Rock Thermal Hotel 8.05am Rock Solid BP 8.25am Arawa Park Hotel 8.25am Arista 8.25am Thermal oak 8.25am Silver fern 8.25am Kings of Peace 8.25am Distinction 8.30am

What To Expect

Following hotel pickup in the morning, depart Rotorua by minivan for the 25-minute scenic drive to Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, considered New Zealand’s most extensive geothermal site. Disembark here for a guided walk along wide and well-groomed trails that border volcanic craters, natural springs and bubbling mud pools in a vibrant range of yellow, orange and turquoise technicolor.

Listen to your guide describe the area’s geothermal activity since the 1866 eruption of the Tarawera Volcano, and see how the surrounding native bush has regenerated. Learn about the Lady Knox Geyser before you witness its fountain of water exploding into the air.

Your leisurely stroll allows for plenty of time to ask questions and take photos as you marvel at the surreal beauty of Wai-O-Tapu. After, hop back into your vehicle for the short drive through the Waimangu Volcanic Valley and discover how New Zealand’s indigenous Maori made use of these geothermal hot spots.

Your 4-hour tour ends with the return to your Rotorua hotel.

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Lady Knox Geyser

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Waimangu Volcanic Valley

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
Infant seats available

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Not recommended for participants with heart complaints or other serious medical conditions.
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 11 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

214 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 214 reviews

Great if you’re not renting a car

Gina_F, Apr 2024

Great way to see Rotorura geothermal sites without a car. Just sit back and enjoy the day. Walking down the hill in the volcanic valley might be a but difficult for people who aren’t super fit, but there’s a bus that takes you uphill. So glad I booked this. Met and solo traveler and we did the Treewalk after.

Awesome 👌

Swati_T, Mar 2024

The tour was awesome. The views were stunning. Our guide was very knowledgeable. Overall we enjoyed our time there.

WImangu and WI-O-Tapu

Wei_L, Mar 2024

Absolutely a wonderful visiting to the thermal park, just as beautiful as yellow stone park in US! Wish that I can have more time to enjoy！

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Hi Wei Thank you for sharing your excellent experience at the thermal park. It is truly a remarkable destination, reminiscent of the beauty found in Yellowstone Park in the United States. The team is delighted to hear that you enjoyed your visit with Elite adventures. Nga mihi

Beautiful Hot Pools

Therese_H, Feb 2024

The scenery and the areas we visited were a definite must see and we were very happy with the content of the tour. The one thing that did takeaway from the day was that Elite had elected to take too many passengers in the van for the tour, which made it very uncomfortable. We had nine (9) ordinary size people and the van would really only fit 9 very small people like a thin hobbit. We believe Elite had other vehicles going to the same venues at the same time with not full capacity and could have spread the people out to make it more comfortable. Clive the tour leader said he should have got a larger vehicle.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Hi Therese, Thank you for sharing your review with us. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed the scenery and the areas visited during the tour. Your feedback regarding the number of passengers in the van is greatly appreciated. We apologize for any discomfort caused by the limited space in the van. Clive, our tour leader, acknowledges the issue and agrees that a larger vehicle should have been provided to ensure a more comfortable experience for all passengers. We will take your feedback into consideration to improve our services in the future. If you wish to discuss further, please contact me at eliteadventures@xtra.co.nz Thank you Therese,

Amazing Sites

Yusuf_B, Feb 2024

Robbie our tour guide explained everything very well. The tour was well planned. However, the lady Knox geyser was a waste of time ..

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Hi Yusuf, Elite adventures appreciate feedback on your experience with us. We are delighted to hear that Robbie, our tour guide, was able to provide clear explanations and that you found the tour well organized. We take note of your comments regarding the Lady Knox Geyser and will strive to enhance that part of the tour for future guests. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. Thanks, Yusuf,

Great way to see how the planet works!

Karen_S, Feb 2024

Great tour! Blake was a great guide and we learned a lot. Very interesting active geothermal parks with lots of history and fun science! Even kids will love the bubbling mud and smoke!

Great volcanic experience.

Gregory_F, Feb 2024

Great natural scenes, volcanic lakes, geysers. Fun demonstrations and talks. That's all I can think of.

Fun and enjoyable

Karunakaran_J, Feb 2024

Guide was very knowledgeable and very friendly. He was explaining a lot on the local customs and culture. We had fun and enjoyed the tour.

Awesome and beautiful

Cynthia_B, Feb 2024

We really enjoyed the different areas we were shown and our tour guide was very personable and funny

Discovering Rotorua Surroundings

FernandoMuoz, Feb 2024

We had a great tour across different attractions in Rotorua. All of them were really interesting and enjoyable. The tour takes all morning and some walking - but our guide made the time to flow smoothly and we never felt any pressure or hurry. He also provided lot of fun and interesting facts. Great for going to all the key natural points around the city.

Convenient and informative!

Teak_H, Jan 2024

If you care to learn about the details of the Wai O Tapu and Waimangu Geothermal sites, this is the tour for you. It is definitely not necessary, as yo ucan book directly on the Wai O Tapu and Waimangu Geothermal websites, but it was very convenient and informative to book it through this service to get the hotel transfer and captivating knowledge about the sites. Brian was an awesome and super knowledgeable tour guide!

What an amazing sight!

Elizabeth_G, Jan 2024

This was such an other-worldly place! Bubbling mud pits, lakes with varying colors, steaming vents in the amazing landscape...it was wierd and gorgeous! The guide was very informative, but we had to keep close to her to hear the commentary. Don't miss this if you are near Rotorua!

Our tour guide Blake was...

Lillian_H, Jan 2024

Our tour guide Blake was a non-stop font of information and brought the rock formations to life. The transportation left a bit to be desired though, 10 of us were packed into the back of a Thrifty rental van like a tin of sardines.

A must-do!

Jennifer_K, Jan 2024

Amazing!! The small group was perfect, and our guide (Linda) was really really awesome! I was mesmerized by the nature, a definite must-do if you are in the area.

Enjoyable

maysun, Jan 2024

The scene is wonderful, but need to walk a lot, maybe a whole day trip is more suitable, then could take a good rest during lunch time.

Great Trip

Josephine_W, Jan 2024

This is a great trip and the guider is excellent and knowledgeable. I highly recommend my friends to jojn this trip.

Excellent

Francisco_R, Jan 2024

Very good selection of highlights. Our tour guide Brian was excellent, he went above and beyond. Good activity for the whole family.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Thanks for your wonderful review, we are blessed to have Brian in the team and he will appreciate your kind words!

Nice trip

Puja_O, Dec 2023

Brian our guide was informative and friendly and made experience full of fun and educational I would recommend for kids and family trip to go for it

Awesome experience

Greg_L, Dec 2023

The geothermal pools and natural vegetation . Brian our guide was extremely knowledgeable on the history and habitat of the region. Words do not do justice to the experience. Let your 5 senses experience the wonders.

Interesting contrast in geothermal landscape

Raymond_L, Dec 2023

This tour provides an interesting contrast in geothermal landscape. Wai-o-tapu is more varied and colourful while Waimangu offers lake and valley and represents one of the youngest geothermal systems in the world. During my visit, the steam can be seen swirling above the inferno crater. If the tour starts half an hour earlier, there would probably be enough time to see Wai-o-tapu in its entirety. As it stands, the walk has to be cut short to meet the timing of the Lady Knox eruption. However, completing two of the three looped tracks still offer a worthwhile experience.

...

Special Offer