Get an introduction into the vibrant Maori Culture with an evening spent with the Mitai family. An evening at Mitai will give you an authentic introduction to Maori culture leaving you amazed and in awe. Enter the world of Mitai. Be enthralled by the natural bush setting, see warriors in traditional dress paddle an ancient warrior canoe (waka) down the Wai-o-whiro stream, and don’t miss your only opportunity in the Rotorua area to see glow worms in their natural habitat. During our cultural performance, you’ll learn about our past, carvings and ta moko (tattoo art). Be captivated by the displays of weaponry and combat, coupled with the grace and beauty of the poi dance. You’ll be amazed by the spine-tingling haka finale. The Mitai family is proud to have created a sacred and spiritual place that offers you an indigenous cultural experience like no other. See your traditionally cooked Hangi meal being lifted from the ground before enjoying the Hangi dinner. Hotel Pick up and Drop off departing 5.30pm approx. Cost from: $88 USD per person

You can get a taste of a Maori cultural experience by attending the Maori feast and concert at your hotel. When it comes to memorable moments in welcoming restaurants, Rotorua NZ offers something special in the remarkable Feast & Revue Rotorua in the Millennium Hotel. The Magically Maori Feast and Revue features a traditional New Zealand Maori cultural experience combined with a superb evening meal, performed by the pool in a tropical setting. A fantastic photo opportunity. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. for the feast Maori Revue concert begins at 7:45 p.m. Cost from: $56 USD per person

Take in three of the most famous of the Rotorua attractions during the morning tour. Discover three iconic Rotorua visitor attractions on a Great Sights morning sightseeing tour. Experience Maori culture at Te Puia with a traditional welcome and cultural performance, and then take a tour through a thermal valley full of forceful geysers and bubbling mud pools. You’ll also see Te Puia’s woodcarving and weaving schools and see how these ancient arts are being passed on to a new generation. Explore Rainbow Springs Nature Park, where you can get up close to all kinds of native flora and fauna, including the famous kiwi, a flightless native bird. Then see New Zealand’s agricultural industry in action at the Agrodome, a working farm where you can view a sheep shearing display and sheep dog trials. Hotel Pick up at 7.30 am approx. Drop off 12.30 pm Cost from: $120 USD per person

Take in three of the most famous of the Rotorua attractions during the morning tour. Discover three iconic Rotorua visitor attractions on a Great Sights morning sightseeing tour. Experience M?ori culture at Te Puia with a traditional welcome and cultural performance, and then take a tour through a thermal valley full of forceful geysers and bubbling mud pools. You’ll also see Te Puia’s woodcarving and weaving schools and see how these ancient arts are being passed on to a new generation. Explore Rainbow Springs Nature Park, where you can get up close to all kinds of native flora and fauna, including the famous kiwi, a flightless native bird. Then see New Zealand’s agricultural industry in action at the Agrodome, a working farm where you can view a sheep shearing display and sheep dog trials. Hotel Pick up at 7.30 am approx. Drop off 12.30 pm Cost from: $120 USD per person

For those who loved the stories of Middle Earth, take a guided tour of the Hobbiton Movie set – left exactly as it was during the filming of the Hobbit stories. Discover the real Middle-earth with a guided tour of the Hobbiton Movie set. After a scenic drive across the Kaimai Ranges to Matamata, see how a private working farm was transformed into The Shire for the award-winning The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movie trilogies. The home of plucky little hobbits like Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin has been preserved since filming wrapped, and now draws visitors from around the world. Take a guided tour of the movie set and learn how this picturesque farmland was transformed into a living, breathing piece of Middle-earth. Your guide will show you Hobbit holes, the Green Dragon Inn, the Party Tree, the Mill and many other structures from the movies. Hotel Pick up 1.00pm approx. Drop off at 6.00 pm approx. Cost from: $89 USD per person

Soak in a thermal hot pool under the stars (or sun). Pick your own time and pool to suit your needs. Polynesian Spa offers hot mineral bathing in a choice of four different bathing areas. You simply choose an area to suit your requirements: deluxe pools, adult only pools, private pools or family spa. Prices range from $20.00 through to $50.00 depending on which pool you choose. There are a variety of specialised massages available Walking distance from hotel Cost from: Entrance to complex from $15 USD per person

Enjoy nature at it’s best with a walk or a mountain bike ride under the stunning Redwood trees. If you love the outdoors this area is for you! Escape into the beautiful Whakarewarewa Forest, one of Rotorua’s most spectacular natural assets. Famous for its magnificent stands of towering Californian Coastal Redwoods it is just five minutes taxi ride from the hotel. Here you can experience some of the finest walking and mountain bike trails in the world. Entry to the forest, tracks and Gift Shop & Visitor Centre is FREE. Requires Taxi to and from Cost from: No Entry Cost. (Mountain Bike Hire additional)

Take a walk in the formal gardens among the hot springs and bubbling pools. The Government Gardens are situated on the lake’s edge in walking distance from the hotel. This site is of legendary and historical importance to local Maori people, for here many significant battles have taken place. In the late 1800s, the Maori people gifted 50 acres of this land to the crown “for the benefit of the people of the world”. The land was a scrub-covered geothermal area with several therapeutic pools. The scrub was cleared, and formal gardens planted. Several large trees remain from those early days, including multi-trunked Japanese firs and an unusual Californian weeping redwood. In 1908 the New Zealand government opened a large and elaborate bath house, built in the Elizabethan Tudor style of architecture. Walking distance from the hotel Cost from: Free

For those wanting to experience the best thermal experience available this 7 hour tour is the ultimate trip. For the ultimate journey through New Zealand’s most spectacular, colourful and diverse volcanic region, join the highly – acclaimed ‘must do ‘morning Geothermal Wonderland Tour of Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland and Waimangu Volcanic Valley. Witness the spectacular and violent eruptions of NZ’s largest boiling mud lake, the Lady Knox Geyser erupting daily at 10.15am to heights of 20 metres, colourful volcanic craters, sizzling hot pools, boiling hot springs, hissing fumeroles, vividly coloured silica terraces, steaming cliffs, hot crater lakes, hot streams, unique thermally adapted plants, lush rainforest and native birdlife. Continue with an afternoon cruise aboard the Ariki Moana launch on scenic Lake Rotomahana. Learn more of the fascinating history of this area from your captain, whilst enjoying lunch and the spectacular vistas of volcanic scenery surrounding the crater lake. Departs : @ 8.00am – returns @ 3.00pm – duration 7 hours Walking time : 3 hours distance 5.5 kms – reasonable level of fitness required Numbers: Minimum booking – 2 paying passengers Hotel Pick up and Drop off Inclusions : Fully guided by knowledgeable local guides : Lunch, with coffee or tea included and bottled water provided Cost from: $259 USD per person

A half day trip to experience the most stunning of the geothermal attractions in the Rotorua area. On an unforgettable awe – inspiring half day journey through New Zealand’s most spectacular, colourful and diverse volcanic region experience Rotorua’s amazing geothermal activity and the stunning volcanic landscapes of Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland and Waimangu Volcanic Valley on our highly – acclaimed ‘must do’ morning Geothermal Wonderland Tour. Witness the spectacular and violent eruptions of NZ’s largest boiling mud lake, Lady Knox Geyser erupting daily at 10.15am to heights of 20 metres, colourful volcanic craters, sizzling hot pools, boiling hot springs, hissing fumeroles, vividly coloured silica terraces, steaming cliffs, hot crater lakes, hot streams, unique thermally adapted plants, lush rainforest and native birdlife. Departs : @ 8.00am – returns @ 12.30pm – duration 4.5 hours Walking time : 2 hours – distance 2 kms – suitable for most levels of fitness Hotel Pick up and Drop off Inclusions Fully guided by knowledgeable local guides Cost from: $115 USD per person

For those with more time, experience the whole range of thermal sightseeing from the beauty of Waiotapu through to the grandeur of Waimangu. Observe the destruction wrought on the Buried Village by the explosion of Mt Tarawera. Start this full day adventure for an unforgettable awe-inspiring journey through New Zealand’s most spectacular, colourful and diverse volcanic region. Experience the very best of Rotorua’s amazing geothermal activity and stunning volcanic landscapes at Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland and Waimangu Volcanic Valley. After lunch spend the afternoon visiting the beautifully landscaped Government Gardens, unique Sulphur Bay, the scenic Blue and Green Lakes, Mt Tarawera lookout for breathtaking panoramas of Lake Tarawera and the Mount Tarawera volcano. At the historical Buried Village witness the destructive forces of the 1886 Mount Tarawera volcanic eruption and take a walk among lush rainforest to a picturesque waterfall. Departs : @ 8.00 am – returns @ 4.00pm – duration 8.00 hours Walking time: 3 hours – distance 4 kms – suitable for most levels of fitness Hotel Pick up and Drop off Inclusions : Fully guided by knowledgeable local guides : Lunch, with coffee or tea included and bottled water provided Cost from: $215 USD per person

Combining both the geothermal and cultural aspects of Rotorua this tour visits two geothermal areas as well as Whakarewarewa Maori Village where the thermal activity is used for the benefit of the residents. Experience the spectacular geothermal activity and stunning volcanic landscapes of Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland and Waimangu Volcanic Valley. Then journey back in time at the historical Buried Village of Te Wairoa and witness the destructive forces of the 1886 Mount Tarawera volcanic eruption, walk through the excavated sites, visit the Living Maori Village of Whakarewarewa and discover how the Maori people have lived in harmony within this unique geothermal environment for many generations and utilized the amazing geothermal activity of hot pools, fumeroles and boiling mud pools for bathing, cooking and medicinal purposes. Departs : @ 8.00am – returns @ 5.00pm – duration 9 hours Walking time : 3 hours – distance 3 kms – suitable for most levels of fitness No’s : Minimum booking – 2 paying passengers Hotel Pick up and Drop off Inclusions : Fully guided by knowledgeable local guides : Lunch with coffee or tea included and bottled water provided Cost from: $289 USD per person

This full day tour travels outside the Rotorua area to the pristine forest of the Whirinaki Rainforest before returning to Waimungu with its boiling lakes and steaming cliffs. Reflecting Rotorua’s natural diversity, the Volcanoes and Rainforest eco – tourism experience offers the more adventurous traveller an opportunity to get off the beaten track and to step back into the past on a morning walk in the untouched wilderness of the magnificent Whirinaki Rainforest. Walk trails beneath towering 800 – 1000-year-old rimu, totara, matai, miro and kahikatea . Beneath the rainforest canopy discover the amazing diversity of native vegetation and birdlife. After lunch, experience a stunning volcanic landscape and the spectacular geothermal activity of hot crater lakes, steaming cliffs, hot streams, boiling hot springs, sizzling hot pools, hissing fumeroles, vividly coloured silica terraces and more on an afternoon Waimangu Volcanic Valley walk and scenic Rotomahana Crater Lake boat cruise. Departs : @ 8.00am – returns @ 5.00pm – duration 9 hours Walking time : 3 hours – distance 5.5 kms – reasonable level of fitness required No’s : Minimum booking – 2 paying passengers Hotel Pick up and Drop off Inclusions : Fully guided by knowledgeable local guides : Lunch with coffee or tea included and bottled water provided Cost from: $289 USD per person

A relaxing scenic trip with stunning lake, farm and forest views. Now for the first time you can experience rail like never before. Imagine sitting in your own RailCruiser with nothing ahead but the unobstructed curve of the rail stretching out into the distance. Travel at 20 km/hr. through the beautiful Dansey Scenic Reserve on the steep 1:35 gradient railway with the scenery drifting by and the clickety clack of the rail beneath you. Stunning lake views and rolling farmland await; listen to the audio tour and discover a unique piece of New Zealand history. Duration: 1.5 hours Track Distance: 19km return Summer Departures: From 1 November to 31 April Daily at: 11:00am, 1:00pm, 3:00pm Hotel Pick up prior to those times. Cost from: $82 USD per person

A relaxing scenic trip with stunning lake, farm and forest views. Now for the first time you can experience rail like never – before. Imagine sitting in your own RailCruiser with nothing ahead but the unobstructed curve of the rail stretching out into the distance. Travel at 20 km/hr. through the beautiful Dansey Scenic Reserve on the steep 1:35 gradient railway with the scenery drifting by and the clickety clack of the rail beneath you. Stunning lake views and rolling farmland await; listen to the audio tour and discover a unique piece of New Zealand history. Duration: 1.5 hours Track Distance: 19km return Summer Departures: From 1 November to 31 April Daily at: 11:00am, 1:00pm, 3:00pm Hotel Pick up prior to those times. Cost from: $82 USD per person

A sightseeing trip with a difference on a 1949 amphibious vehicle. Discover Rotorua on a unique 90-minute sightseeing adventure onboard our WWII amphibious vehicle able to travel on land and water! Join us on this fascinating journey of discovery that begins in town where Rotorua’s rich history unfolds before you as we tour local landmarks and share stories and legends of the past. Highlights include Lake Rotorua, Mokoia Island, Geothermal Sulphur Point, Government Gardens, The Museum, Blue Baths and much more. The adventure continues as we venture out to the spectacular lake’s area for “SPLASHDOWN” (entry) into Lakes Tikitapu (Blue Lake) and Okareka. Visit a small lakeside community where the Duck’s elevation affords magnificent views of Mt Tarawera. Departure Point – walking distance from hotel. Departures times: 11.00am; 1.00pm; 3.30pm Cost from: $52 USD per person

A very scenic trip on land and water on a genuine amphibious vehicle. The Tarawera and Lakes Tour is the best way to appreciate the scenery of the Rotorua lakes district and learn more about the history of the land, the people, and the devastating 1886 eruption of Mt. Tarawera. This unique 120 minute fully guided adventure takes place on land and water on-board our genuine WWII amphibious Duck. The Duck Tours begin right in the heart of Rotorua and ventures out of town to the spectacular lake’s district where you will experience your first “SPLASHDOWN” into the sheltered calm waters of Lake Okareka. Your ConDUCKtor will then take you further, exploring the natural beauty of the lakes district with a backdrop of the magnificent volcanic domes of Mount Tarawera. After plunging into the deep blue water of Lake Tarawera, the return trip will see you viewing the sacred Lake Rotokakahe (The Green Lake) before splashing down on Tikitapu (the Blue Lake) your fourth and final lake visit before the homeward journey back to the sulphurous aroma of Rotorua’s city centre. Rotorua Duck Tours is suitable for all ages and the whole family, combining fun, learning and new experiences during a once-in-a-lifetime adventure in an authentic WWII amphibious “Duck”. Departure Point – walking distance from hotel Departure Times: Summer 1st October through 19th April 3.30pm Winter 20th April through 30th September 2.15pm Cost from: $66 USD per person

For those with a special interest in craft beers. Back in 2004 Paul Croucher and Nigel Gregory shared a mid-life-crisis, leaving well paid academic and corporate careers with the dream of making delicious craft beer. After a lot of hard work, the dream became a reality. We hope you enjoy our beers, and we appreciate your support. If you are visiting Rotorua, make sure you visit BREW – Croucher Brewing’s own pub, at 1103 Tutanekai Street, Rotorua. Come and visit us in Rotorua for a drink. Come in for a delicious meal. Come in, relax and enjoy the BREW experience! ‘Eat Street’, 1103 Tutanekai Street, Rotorua. No entry cost.

Three hours of magic as you zip over the pristine Mamaku forest on a personalised eco tour. The New Zealand zipline adventure activity is the experience of a lifetime. Deep in the native treetop canopy, you’ll have three hours of magic as the marvels of the Mamaku Forest are discovered in your personalised Rotorua eco tour. You’ll go on an adventure like no other, exploring the native forest on a 1.2km network of ziplines, swingbridges and treetop platforms where your safety is the number one focus. The guides are down to earth Kiwis, who each have unique knowledge of our forest and a passion for conservation, ask them nicely and they may even help you handfeed our native winged friends. Keep an eye out for our native birds including Robins, Kereru, Tomtit, Tui, Bellbirds, Whiteheads, Kaka and Fantails. If you can comfortably walk 1km you will be perfectly fine. From your arrival at the headquarters to the time you leave, you need to allow 3 – 3 ¼ hours. If you have asked for complimentary accommodation transfers, please allow another 15 minutes. Tours depart throughout the day from 8.00am until 5.00pm (and maybe even later in the summer months.) Hotel Pick up and Drop off Photos of your experience taken by guides (photos.canopytours.co.nz) Additional clothing such as jackets, gloves and warm hats All safety equipment No more than 10 customers and 2 guides per tour Maximum weight of 265 lbs Departures throughout the day from 8.00am until 5.00pm Cost from: $111 USD per person

For a fun experience catch the Gondola up to the Skyline and catch a couple of luge rides. The Skyline Rotorua complex is situated just minutes from central Rotorua, high up Mt Ngongotaha. To begin your Skyline Rotorua adventure, take a leisurely uphill Gondola ride and enjoy the extensive views of Rotorua, the surrounding lakes and geothermal areas. At the top, the thrill of the Luge, the culinary delights of the Stratosfare Restaurant & Bar, beautiful nature walks and exciting adventure activities all await you. For a casual dining experience visit our Food Market Kitchen, a marketplace style cafe that has something for everyone – from great coffee to real fruit ice cream. The whole family will enjoy our fun Jelly Belly gallery and store or just for the adults our new Volcanic Hills winery and tasting room. Cost from: $23 USD per person Gondola return