Having arrived in North Island later than anticipated, our stay in the Raglan overlander train was cut short but we made it to Hamilton as scheduled. We had the most amazing day at the cricket, spent with good friends we’d not seen for some three years. The following day we were on the move again, the destination of choice thermal city Rotorua located 100 kilometres away. The heartland of New Zealand’s indigenous Maoris, due to the marae (meeting grounds), Rotorua is renowned for its hot springs, mud pools and geysers.
The majority of Rotorua is located in the Bay of Plenty region with the western section in the Waikato region. It’s nicknamed Sulphur City due to the hydrogen sulphide emissions which give the city its “rotten eggs” smell. The Rotorua region is home to 16 lakes, collectively known as the Lakes of Rotorua, where popular activities include swimming, waterskiing and fishing. There are also botanical gardens and historical sites to visit, mountain biking in the Whakarewarewa Forest with kayaking and rafting on the Kaituna River.
Being situated in the Taupo Volcanic Zone, much of Rotorua’s appeal is around its geothermal activity with geyser fields, mud pools, fumaroles and hot springs dotted around the city. If you’re keen to witness the volcanic activity in the region, check out Wai-O-Tapu, Waimangu Volcanic Valley or the spooky Hell’s Gate. There’s also the Pohutu Geyser which can reach heights of up to 30 metres.
We paid one of Rotorua’s oldest, yet internationally recognised, spas a visit. It’s a 100% New Zealand-owned private company, operated by the Lobb family since 1972. The Polynesian Spa offers unique views onto Sulphur Bay on Lake Rotorua and also overlooks the Wildlife Reserve.
There are a choice of four different hot mineral bathing options available – a deluxe Lake Spa, adult only pools, private pools and family spas. The Deluxe Lake Spa is a premium hot mineral bathing and relaxation area with four alkaline mineral hot pools, each with different temperatures, one acidic mineral hot pool and a cold plunge pool for hot cold hydrotherapy. There are seven mineral pools for adults only, three with acidic water from the Priest Spring and four with alkaline from the Rachael Spring. For families, there’s a large freshwater chlorinated pool with a toddler section, a deeper area with a hydroslide and two hot alkaline mineral pools.
We opted for the ultimate in privacy with one of the 38°C private pools which are filled with soothing alkaline water from the Rachael Spring. There are nine standard options, with an open roof for sky views, and four deluxe which offer panoramic views. We opted for the latter so we got to enjoy the ultimate in relaxation and take in the glorious surroundings. Having rushed around in the early part of our trip, it was wonderful to just stop for a bit. We even braved going from hot to cold in a bid to revitalise ourselves. Given the time we would have embarked on some treatments too. Rotorua is a beautiful spot and it’s certainly worthwhile investing in one of these thermal experiences. They are truly sumptuous!
Joining Wander Mum and Mummy Travels for #CityTripping.
I’m not sure I’d like the smell of Rotorua but I sure do like the view!! The thermal experiences sound amazing!
Awesome photos! We visited New Zealand many years ago and stayed at a youth hostel with its own hot springs in Rotorua. It was absolutely bliss! Such a magical place x
Wow it looks absolutely stunning. Possibly the only kind of wild swimming I’d ever fancy would be in a thermal pool. Not sure about the sulphur smell though – how strong was it? Or do you just get used to it after a while?
What a fab experience. My niece has just returned after living in NZ for the last 10 years. My sister in law did this with her before she returned.
Reminds me of the Blue Lagoon in Iceland, but on a much grander scale. Beautiful writing and photos Charly
Not sure about the smell of rotten eggs, but other than that this sounds incredible – I am a big lover of being immersed in hot water!
New Zealand really is an awesome place, isn’t it? I see what you mean when you said 3 weeks wasn’t long enough. Places like this need time to settle in!
What an wonderful experience this must have been. The spa pools sound brilliant.
Rotorua always sounds so amazing – would love to see it myself first-hand. And I never say no to some kind of volcanic or thermal springs either! The private pools sound amazing, although I suspect I’d have to go for the family ones for now… #citytripping
Wow this looks amazing. So many wonderful places to visit, I need a bigger bucket list!
Wow! New Zealand is somewhere I long to visit but we still haven’t got there despite having close friends out there, Hopefully one day
Rotorua is such a unique place…I visited many years ago and found it fascinating (albeit a but stinky)… seeing the geysers shoot up into the air and having a dip in one of the natural thermal pools were highlights. Not nearly as luxurious as your experience in the thermal spa though… sounds divine! Thanks for linking to #citytripping
Amazing, I remember learning about geysers in school and wondering how it would be to visit one day! I still hope we will, New Zealand has so much appeal!xx