Area guides
For travellers
Rotorua
Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand
Where Rotorua sits, what to see there, and what to book.
- Top sights
- 8
- Bookable experiences
- 120
- Time zone
- Pacific/Auckland
Rotorua sits in North Island, and this guide is the shape of it: where it is, what it breaks down into, and what there is to do once you are there. The sights below are ordered by how many tours and tickets are sold for them, which is the closest thing there is to a ranking of what visitors actually go and see. There are 120 bookable experiences here in total, with prices, durations and cancellation terms on every card.
New Zealand › North Island › Rotorua
What to see in Rotorua
Ordered by how many tours and tickets are sold for each — the closest thing there is to a ranking of what visitors actually go and see.
Whakarewarewa Forest (The Redwoods)
51 tours & tickets
Free to visit
Tours of Whakarewarewa Forest (The Redwoods)
Sample itineraries for Rotorua
Built from this guide: the sights in the order visitors book them, the areas with a catalogue of their own, and places within day-trip range. A starting shape, not a researched route — check opening hours before you go.
One day in Rotorua
Rotorua's most-visited sights
- 1
Day 1
Rotorua's most-visited sights
- MorningTe Puia78 tours & tickets sold for it.
- MiddayWhakarewarewa Forest (The Redwoods)51 tours & tickets sold for it, free to visit.
- AfternoonWai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland51 tours & tickets sold for it.
- Book aheadMitai Maori Village Cultural Experience in RotoruaTakes about 3 hours.
2 days in Rotorua
Rotorua's most-visited sights · More of Rotorua's top sights
- 1
Day 1
Rotorua's most-visited sights
- MorningTe Puia78 tours & tickets sold for it.
- MiddayWhakarewarewa Forest (The Redwoods)51 tours & tickets sold for it, free to visit.
- AfternoonWai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland51 tours & tickets sold for it.
- Book aheadMitai Maori Village Cultural Experience in RotoruaTakes about 3 hours.
- 2
Day 2
More of Rotorua's top sights
- MorningLake Rotorua38 tours & tickets sold for it, free to visit.
- AfternoonGovernment Gardens Rotorua34 tours & tickets sold for it, free to visit.
- Book aheadCultural Experience & Seasonal Māori Cuisine at Te Pā TūTakes about 3 hours.
3 days in Rotorua
Rotorua's most-visited sights · More of Rotorua's top sights · Day trip to Tauranga
- 1
Day 1
Rotorua's most-visited sights
- MorningTe Puia78 tours & tickets sold for it.
- MiddayWhakarewarewa Forest (The Redwoods)51 tours & tickets sold for it, free to visit.
- AfternoonWai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland51 tours & tickets sold for it.
- Book aheadMitai Maori Village Cultural Experience in RotoruaTakes about 3 hours.
- 2
Day 2
More of Rotorua's top sights
- MorningLake Rotorua38 tours & tickets sold for it, free to visit.
- AfternoonGovernment Gardens Rotorua34 tours & tickets sold for it, free to visit.
- Book aheadCultural Experience & Seasonal Māori Cuisine at Te Pā TūTakes about 3 hours.
- 3
Day 3
Day trip to Tauranga
- Early startHead to TaurangaAbout 51 km from Rotorua — its own guide has what to see there.
5 days in Rotorua
Rotorua's most-visited sights · More of Rotorua's top sights · Day trip to Tauranga · More of Rotorua's top sights · Day trip to Taupo
- 1
Day 1
Rotorua's most-visited sights
- MorningTe Puia78 tours & tickets sold for it.
- MiddayWhakarewarewa Forest (The Redwoods)51 tours & tickets sold for it, free to visit.
- AfternoonWai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland51 tours & tickets sold for it.
- Book aheadMitai Maori Village Cultural Experience in RotoruaTakes about 3 hours.
- 2
Day 2
More of Rotorua's top sights
- MorningLake Rotorua38 tours & tickets sold for it, free to visit.
- AfternoonGovernment Gardens Rotorua34 tours & tickets sold for it, free to visit.
- Book aheadCultural Experience & Seasonal Māori Cuisine at Te Pā TūTakes about 3 hours.
- 3
Day 3
Day trip to Tauranga
- Early startHead to TaurangaAbout 51 km from Rotorua — its own guide has what to see there.
- 4
Day 4
More of Rotorua's top sights
- MorningWhakarewarewa34 tours & tickets sold for it.
- AfternoonPolynesian Spa20 tours & tickets sold for it.
- Book aheadHobbiton Day Tour from Rotorua with lunch at HobbitonTakes about 7 hours.
- 5
Day 5
Day trip to Taupo
- Early startHead to TaupoAbout 77 km from Rotorua — its own guide has what to see there.
A week in Rotorua
Rotorua's most-visited sights · More of Rotorua's top sights · Day trip to Tauranga · More of Rotorua's top sights · Day trip to Taupo · Day trip to Hamilton · Day trip to Waitomo
- 1
Day 1
Rotorua's most-visited sights
- MorningTe Puia78 tours & tickets sold for it.
- MiddayWhakarewarewa Forest (The Redwoods)51 tours & tickets sold for it, free to visit.
- AfternoonWai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland51 tours & tickets sold for it.
- Book aheadMitai Maori Village Cultural Experience in RotoruaTakes about 3 hours.
- 2
Day 2
More of Rotorua's top sights
- MorningLake Rotorua38 tours & tickets sold for it, free to visit.
- AfternoonGovernment Gardens Rotorua34 tours & tickets sold for it, free to visit.
- Book aheadCultural Experience & Seasonal Māori Cuisine at Te Pā TūTakes about 3 hours.
- 3
Day 3
Day trip to Tauranga
- Early startHead to TaurangaAbout 51 km from Rotorua — its own guide has what to see there.
- 4
Day 4
More of Rotorua's top sights
- MorningWhakarewarewa34 tours & tickets sold for it.
- AfternoonPolynesian Spa20 tours & tickets sold for it.
- Book aheadHobbiton Day Tour from Rotorua with lunch at HobbitonTakes about 7 hours.
- 5
Day 5
Day trip to Taupo
- Early startHead to TaupoAbout 77 km from Rotorua — its own guide has what to see there.
- 6
Day 6
Day trip to Hamilton
- Early startHead to HamiltonAbout 93 km from Rotorua — its own guide has what to see there.
- 7
Day 7
Day trip to Waitomo
- Early startHead to WaitomoAbout 100 km from Rotorua — its own guide has what to see there.
Plan your trip
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Near Rotorua
Other destinations we publish within a few hours of here, closest first.
What travellers book in Rotorua
The experiences Viator ranks highest here, with the price, the duration and the cancellation terms on every card.
Book on Viator
Free cancellation
Instant confirmation
Mitai Maori Village Cultural Experience in Rotorua
4.6 (1,415)3h
Enter the world of Mitai Māori Village and embrace our history and culture. Watch our stories unfold through the dynamic scenes of our warriors paddling down Wai-o-Whiro stream, the melodious sounds of our instruments…
from $100.49 / personView details
Book on Viator
Free cancellation
Instant confirmation
Cultural Experience & Seasonal Māori Cuisine at Te Pā Tū
4.8 (1,691)3h
Feast on song, drama, tradition, and divine seasonal kai (cuisine) within our forest Pā (village) blanketed by towering Tawa trees, its blazing bonfires, and forest-formed amphitheatre. Te Pā Tū offers 3-hour evening…
from $166.49 / personView details
Book on Viator
Free cancellation
Instant confirmation
Hobbiton Day Tour from Rotorua with lunch at Hobbiton
4.5 (594)7h
Setting out from Rotorua, your Hobbiton Movie Set Tour starts with a scenic drive across to Matamata where your local driver guide will provide informative commentary and share stories about the region and its history.…
from $181.95 / personView details
Book on Viator
Free cancellation
Te Puia: Te Pō Indigenous Evening Experience with Dinner
4.7 (115)3h
Experience a night that will enlighten you - see, hear and taste Māori culture with a hāngī buffet dinner and cultural performance. Savour a delicious hāngī buffet at our Pātaka Kai Restaurant & Bar, which overlooks a…
from $120.70 / personView details
Book on Viator
Free cancellation
Instant confirmation
Rotorua Rafting: Kaituna River White Water Rafting & Free Sauna
5.0 (2,142)2h 30m
Spend one adrenaline-crammed hour of white water rafting down the Kaituna River on this tour from Rotorua. Start at a spot where wild waters meet subtropical rainforests and canyons engraved in the earth. Raft over…
from $80.27 / personView details
Book on Viator
Free cancellation
Instant confirmation
Rotorua based Small Group Morning Tour Waimangu and Wai O Tapu
4.8 (383)5h
Join a small-group morning tour from Rotorua to explore two top geothermal parks: Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland and Waimangu Volcanic Valley. Get picked up around 8-8:30 AM. See New Zealand's largest boiling mud pool,…
from $136.76 / personView details
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Sights, areas and experiences here were last checked 2026-09-13.
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