Rotorua – alias ‘Sulphur City’ – can sometimes be smelled before it’s seen, though they say you get used to it. Of all the places in the Bay of Plenty, nature has indeed given Rotorua ‘plenty’. The natural thermal wonders first attracted the Maori in the 14th century and later the Europeans, though nature has not always been so kind. The violent eruption of the Tarawera volcano in 1886 led to the loss of 150 lives.
Rotorua is deserving of its ‘most visited’ tourist status. The city and the region probably offer more unusual sights and activities than anywhere else in New Zealand. And although, like Taupo, it is particularly famous for its thermal and volcanic features, lakes and fishing, the region offers a multitude of other activities. Here you can join in a Maori concert or gorge yourself at a Maori hangi (feast), throw yourself down a 7-m waterfall in a raft, jump out of planes, bike, walk or shop till you drop.
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