Lakes and Redwoods of Rotorua

Apart from geysers, there’s more to see and explore in Rotorua, New Zealand. With about 18 lakes, a forest, several Maori villages, nearby dormant volcano, wildlife attractions, and adventure activities, Rotorua is a traveler’s haven. When we arrived in this city, Linda (guide #2 who picked us from the Hobbiton in Matamata) took us around Rotorua’s centre to see the different sights that the place has to offer, before she dropped as at Te Puia.

After our geyser watching, Fran (guide #1 who drove us from Auckland to Matamata) took over and toured us to more sights. It seems that Rotorua is also known for the many lakes found here. Another attraction is the Redwood Forest. Here are some of the places we visited, other than Te Puia, during the entire day (no, make that 8 to 9 hours) that we spent in Rotorua.

Rotorua Museum and Government Gardens

The Elizabethan Tudor-style Rotorua Museum that sits within the Government Gardens used to be the famous Bath House. Built in the early 20th century, the Bath House had seen many uses, including housing a restaurant and a nightclub, before it became the home of the Rotorua Museum in 1969.

But there’s more to see in the Government Gardens, located in the edge of Lake Rotorua. Near the Rotorua Museum is where the Mediterranean style Blue Baths is located; beside it is the Rachel Spring Whancapipiro.

There’s also a plant nursery found within the compound. Blue flightless birds, called Pukeko, were spotted roaming the area near the Arts Village. We also passed by an art installation that marks the friendship between the Netherlands and New Zealand, especially that the Dutch community has been active in Rotorua for many decades.

Polynesian Spa

Near the Government Gardens is the famous Polynesian Spa, where families come to enjoy their heated pools. It’s one of the historic places in Rotorua. Located at the edge of Lake Rotorua, near the Sulfur Point, the Polynesian Spa gives a beautiful view of the lake, often smoking with steam due to the geothermal activities nearby. Its facilities include the Lake Spa, the secluded Private Pools, the Family Spa, and the Adult Pools &  Priest Spa, plus other services like the Spa Therapies. People visit this place to relax or for some wellness treatment.

Maori Villages

Maori Villages are still very much alive in Rotorua. Linda brought us at the entrance of the Whakarewarewa – The Living Maori Village. But we only stopped until the arch. Apparently, the village is connected to Te Puia  so this is also a geothermal village. Apart from Whakarewarewa, Linda also took us to an overlooking spot that provided us with a view of the Ohinemutu Maori Village of the Ngāti Whakaue tribe. The most prominent landmark is St. Francis Church. Located by the lakeside of Lake Rotorua, Ohinemutu is abundant in geothermal energy.

Lake Rotorua

At 79.8-square meter surface area, Lake Rotorua is the second largest lake in New Zealand’s North Island, next only to Lake Taupo. But in terms of volume of water, it is considered smaller than nearby Lake Tarawera because Lake Rotorua’s mean depth is only 10 meters. The lake was the Rotorua Caldera formed from a large volcano located in the Taupo Volcanic Zone, which is within North Island’s Bay of Plenty. Due to the geothermal activity near the lake, it still has sulphur content. Within the lake is the Mokoia Island which is seen from the lakeshore. Since the city of Rotorua lies on the southern edge of Lake Rotorua, many of its residents and visitors come by the lake to enjoy its breeze, view, and the birds frequenting the area. We drove along Lake Rotorua’s shoreline several times and we capped it feeding doves, seagulls, ducks and swans while the sun was setting at Mokoia Island.

Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake)

Considered as the smallest among the four smaller lakes located between Lake Tarawera and Lake Rotorua, Lake Tikitapu is often called as the Blue Lake. The color can be attributed to the pumice and rhyolite found at the bottom of the lake. We drove past it for a brief moment and we saw some people enjoying the lakeshore as well, probably trying to catch some fish.

Lake Rotokakahi (Green Lake)

If Lake Tikitapu is the Blue Lake, the neighboring Lake Rotokakahi, on the other hand, is called the Green Lake because of its shallow waters and sandy lake bed. The Green Lake is said to be closed to the public and remains undisturbed because there are no towns or roads nearby, not to mention that it is owned by the Maoris. They named it as such because of the many shellfishes found within the lake. We only caught a glimpse of the Green Lake when we drove past it.

Lake Tarawera

On our way to Lake Tarawera, we passed by the buried village of Te Wairoa, which killed about 150 people when Mount Tarawera erupted on June 10, 1886. The village is found near the southwestern shore of Lake Tarawera. With a surface area of 39 square kilometers, it is the largest lake surrounding Mount Tarawera. Its distance from Lake Rotorua is 18 kilometers. The lake is popular for various water activities, fishing, glamping and camping. When we got there, we saw some locals putting their fishing boats to the lake. The lake was so peaceful and serene, it’s a great place to meditate and commune with nature.

Redwoods

We made a brief stopover at the Whakarewarewa Forest or more popularly referred to as the Redwoods. There was even a tree walk somewhere within the forest, just near the entrance. Rows of Californian Coast Redwood trees towered over us as we entered the woods. There were families biking, hiking, and doing other activities at the site. But foresters seem to have limited the area since it was nearing sundown.

Interestingly, the area used to be bare over a century ago until a Maori tribe settled in the area. When Mount Tarawera erupted in 1886, the area was also damaged. European settlers also came and a large portion of the forest was being cleared. With this, the government attempted to replace the native forest. But since native NZ trees grow very slow, the government set up a plant nursery and seeds were imported and among these, the Californian Coast Redwoods that were planted in 1901 grew and flourished. Over a century over, this forest still stands and land ownership was returned to the Maoris in 2009.

It was amazing to see all these in just a day. Rotorua is a great place to explore for probably days or weeks. Definitely, there’s plenty to see and do in this part of New Zealand. And there’s plenty of heat here, Rotorua is a wonderful destination during winter.