Rotorua has many attractions
White Island Crater from the air
Rotorua has 2 golf courses within 15 minutes drive from The Lake House.
Ken, a keen high handicapper, is a member at the local Springfield Golf Club where Danny Lee, World number one ranked amateur until he turned professional in April 2009, was also a member. Ken can give you an insight into both courses and, subject to availability, is happy to take you to play at Springfield as a members guest, showing a significant reduction in green fees.
Wai-O-Tapu
Mitai concert and hangi
All of these activities are within easy access of The Lake House.
Wai Ora Lakeside Spa
Waikite Thermal Pools
Hamurana stream
Lake Okareka
All year round you will find lots going on in Rotorua, New Zealand, enough to satisfy even the most discerning of visitors. What you do will depend on the amount of time you have to spend here, your interests and your budget, the only limitation is your imagination!
Rotorua is one of the world’s most concentrated and accessible geothermal areas, which is rich in Maori culture. The area surrounding Rotorua has a number of serene lakes, trout springs, wildlife parks, farm shows, adrenalin activities and walking tracks including a Redwood forest. We can advise and help you plan your precious time in Rotorua, make bookings for you and offer you discounts on the following attractions: Te Po concert and Hangi, Wai-O-Tapu,and Te Puia geothermal experiences and The Agrodome. Check out the link to Grab a Pass on the left hand panel for the current offers on major Rotorua attractions.
Just east of the town centre, you will come to the Government Gardens where croquet lawns, bowling greens and rose beds surround the grand Tudor style bathhouse which is now the Rotorua Museum of Art and History. Well worth a visit and open until 8pm in the Summer. The museum covers: the building itself, the Maori Battalion, the Tarawera eruption (with a not to be missed movie), the local tribe-Te Arawa, plus a changing art display
Maori Culture, Concerts and Meals
Te Puia and Maori Arts & Crafts Institute: Daily cultural concerts are held at 10.15 am, 12.15pm, and 3.15pm. Te Puia is home to national schools of carving and weaving where you can watch and interact with master carvers, weavers and their students.
Whakarewarewa Thermal Village: Part of the same reserve as Te Puia. Guided tours show how a local tribe use natural heat to cook, wash and heat their cottages. Concerts at 11.15am and 2pm.
Ohinemutu: An ancient lakeside Maori village in town. Here you will find the historic St Faith’s Anglican Church which is beautifully decorated with Maori carvings, woven panels and painted scroll work. It features a window with an image of Christ, wearing a Maori cloak, positioned so that he looks as if he is walking on the lake.
Mokoia Island: Mokoia is the Island you can see directly in front of The Lake House. The love story of Hinemoa and Tutanekai originate from here. Cultural cruises are available which include: guided walks, nature treks, indigenous foods trail and tasting.
A popular option is to go to an evening performance and hangi (traditional Maori earth-oven-meal).
Te Po: A prize winning cultural group with the performance held in the meeting house. They have a great buffet and end the evening with a 'road train visit' to see the floodlit geysers. The venue is in the Te Puia thermal reserve and you can get a combination ticket which includes the guided tour of the thermal area.
Mitai: This has a more educational intent with enthusiastic hosts and begins with seeing a Maori war canoe (waka) paddled by warriors. The concert is performed on stage in an authentic village setting. At the end of the evening there is a bush walk to see glow worms and trout and eels in the spring.
Click here to go back to top of page
St Faiths Church, Ohinemutu Village
Thermal Springs, Pools and Spas
Thermal springs make Rotorua a natural spa centre. Choose from spas which each have their own style and special focus; Lake Spa Retreat at the Polynesian Spa, Spa at QE and Wai Ora at Hell’s Gate and at Holdens Bay, Lake Rotorua.
You can now enjoy a spa treatment just a few steps away from The Lake House Bed and Breakfast at the Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort.
Below you will find information on Rotorua's attractions under the following headings: click on a heading to go directly to it.
Maori Culture, Concerts and Meals
Thermal springs, pools and spas
Te Po concert and Hangi
Polynesian Spa
Kerosene Creek is one of the few places where the public can bathe in natural thermal pools for free.
The Polynesian Spa and Waikite Valley Thermal Pools are popular places to enjoy a relaxing soak in pools of varying temperatures.
Whakerewarewa
Hells Gate
Waimangu Volcanic Valley
Local Attractions and Scenic Tours
Scenic Flights: Take a float plane or helicopter to get a wonderful bird’s eye view of the lakes and volcanoes. Board your float plane from the jetty just along the lake edge from The Lake House Bed and Breakfast or be picked up by helicopter from the airport just a few minutes from The Lake House or from the jetty in town.
Skyline: Take the gondola and enjoy extensive views from the top of Mt Ngongotaha. It has a cafe and restaurant, the fun filled gravity ‘luge’ ride, sky swing, shop and scenic flights.
Rainbow Springs: A natural spring with trout pools, hatcheries, and nature walks coupled with native and endangered species. There is also a night tour. We strongly recommend a vist to The Kiwi Encounter which is located here and is a working hatchery and nursery dedicated to kiwi conservation.
Paradise Springs: Trout springs and wildlife park including a lion enclosure.
Agrodome: A full on farm experience including sheep show, organic farm tour, woollen mill and shearing shed. Home also to adrenalin activities.
Te Amorangi Trust Museum: Just round the corner from The Lake House. Open on Thursdays and Sundays for a look at yester year.
Buried Village: This site has been developed to tell the story of Te Wairoa village which was buried when Mount Tarawera erupted in 1886. There is a museum, theatre and numerous excavated buildings.
Rotorua Duck Tour: A 90 minute sightseeing tour aboard an amphibious World War II vehicle - visiting 3 lakes and spectacular scenery.
Mount Tarawera: On the 10th June 1886, Mount Tarawera spectacularly erupted burying over 1500 sq km in ash, lava and mud. Three Maori villages were destroyed and 153 people were killed. The mountain can only be visited through guided tours and several companies offer a range of experiences.
Lake Tarawera: A water taxi can be booked to take you across Lake Tarawera to the Tarawera Falls Track (a 3 hour moderate walk) and Hot Water Beach.
Skyline Gondola
Kiwi Encounter
Agrodome
Mount Tarawera
The Redwoods-Whakarewarewa Forest; There are great, well signposted, walking tracks from 1.5kms to 34kms plus. A separate area of the forest is home to World class mountain biking trails. There are trails for all grades of riders. Maps are available from the visitors centre off Long Mile Road.
Okere Falls: This is an easy walking track of 1.2kms through native bush. From the viewing platform you can watch rafters and kayakers sweep over the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world.
Okareka Walkway; 5.5km of easy walking which takes about 2 hours return. The walkway runs along the southern end of the lake from the end of Acacia Drive and follows the edge of the lake to Okareka Outlet through farmland, beach and wetland areas. It features wildlife and expansive views of the lake.
The Blue Lake: A 5.5km loop through native bush and quiet beach areas which takes about 2 hours. It provides good opportunities to look out over the Blue and Green Lakes. It starts at the eastern end of the beach, opposite the Blue Lake Holiday Park.
Hamurana Springs: A beautiful, flat, 20 minute walk to the largest natural spring in the North Island.
Great Walking and MountainBike Riding
The Redwood Forest
Golf
There are no end of thrill seeking adventures to be had in Rotorua and the surrounding areas. There are numerous operators offering white water rafting, jet boating, skydiving experiences, luge rides, off road driving and mountain biking on world class tracks.
The Agrodome has a number of adventure attractions, including the infamous Zorb - an 11 ft high inflatable sphere which you can ride inside, Rotorua Bungy, Freefall Xtreme, The Swoop, The Schweeb and the Agrojet.
Adrenalin activites
Fishing
There are eleven fishable lakes in the Rotorua Area. Lake Rotorua is open for fly fishing 12 months of the year and is the most productive of all the lakes. We can recommend a great fishing guide, Bryan Coleman.
Freefall Xtreme
The Schweeb
The Swoop
Agrojet
Carving School
Geothermal Experiences
Te Puia: This geothermal environment has a range of thermal activity ranging from boiling mud and silica terraces to the world famous 30 metre Pohutu geyser erupting up to 20 times a day. Guided tours are available and also include Maori carving and flax weaving plus the kiwi house.
Whakerewarewa: is a living thermal village, home to the people of Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao. Explore the nature walks, colourful steaming lakes and thermal pools .
Hells Gate: This 10 hectare reserve has a 2.5km walk past boiling mud, hot water pools, land coral formations, sulphur lake and the largest hot thermal waterfall in the southern hemisphere.
Wai-O-Tapu: This thermal area has a wealth of different features including the large Champagne Pool, craters, blow holes, colourful mineral terraces and the Lady Knox Geyser which erupts at 10.15 am daily.
Waimangu Volcanic Valley: This thermal area was formed during the eruption of Mount Tarawera making it very recent history in geological terms. There are a variety of walking, hiking and cruise options.
Kuirau Park: Located in town, below the hospital. The park has lots of bubbling mud and regular eruptions.
Rainbow trout
Rotorua Museum
Rotorua Golf Club
Springfield Golf Club
New summer season attraction
Fashion, Fads and Famous Caberet Show at the Blue Baths in Government Gardens
A three hour dinner show taking guests on a sweeping journey of this iconic building's 75 year history. Great venue, food and entertainment.
Pure Cruise - Lake Rotoiti: Experience the best of what The Rotorua Lakes have to offer on this unique cruise aboard the luxurious Tiua and explore the many historical and culturally significant sites at the Lake. There are 3 daily sailings to choose from, morning, afternoon and sunset sail with options to swim, trout fish or soak in a natural hot pool.
Clear water cruise on lake Tarawera
Clearwater Cruise: A range of options and activities are available including scenic, trout fishing, water sports and natural thermal bathing. Cruise for 3 hours or a full day.
Pure Cruise on Lake Rotoiti
Rotorua Golf Club
Springfield Golf Club
NZ Riverjet: Located just 30 minutes out of Rotorua, NZ Riverjet offers a range of exciting packages which include enjoying nature, geothermal experiences, hot swim, the squeeze (where you maneuver your way through narrow crevasses, climb boulders and wade through waist deep water to relax in thermal waters as you enjoy the stunning native NZ bush) and there are combination jet and helicopter adventures.
Look at 'grab a pass' to book activities online often at discounted prices
Springfields Golf Club
Rotorua Golf Club
Rainbow Trout
NZ Riverjet
The Lake House
6 Cooper Avenue
Holdens Bay
Rotorua 3010
Tel: +64 7 3453313
enquiries@thelakehouse.co.nz
$225-$245 per night Double
$195-$215 per night Single
Inclusive of a continental breakfast and the cooked dish of the day
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)