Things to See in Rotorua

Come here for an excellent Twilight Cultural Tour to a marae (meeting house) and Maori village complex. It provides transport and on the way explains the traditional protocol involved in visiting a marae. A 'chief' is chosen from the group to represent the visitors. A concert is followed by a hangi meal, cooked on hot rocks under the earth.

This impressive museum, better known as the Bath House, is in a grand Tudor-style edifice in the Government Gardens. Originally an elegant spa retreat (it opened in 1908), displays in the former shower rooms give a fascinating insight into some of the eccentric therapies once practised here, including 'electric baths' and the Bergonie Chair.

This is Rotorua's largest and best-known thermal reserve, and a major Maori cultural area. It's pronounced 'fa-ka-re-wa-re-wa' - most simply call it 'Whaka'. Its most spectacular geyser is Pohutu (Big Splash or Explosion), an active geyser that erupts between 10 and 20 times a day. Pohutu spurts hot water about 20-30m into the air.