New Zealand’s cultural centre is definitely the Bay of Plenty city of Rotorua. The city is surrounded by gorgeous lakes and is in the centre of a range of active thermal activity. When you couple that with the huge variety of Maori cultural experiences that Rotorua offers, it can be a bit like going back in time and experiencing New Zealand a century ago. Having said that, Rotorua is also an extremely modern city, with everything you need to enjoy the holiday of a lifetime.
Rotorua is an inland city surrounded by lakes. Shelter from high country to the south makes the city less windy than many other places in New Zealand. In summer, Rotorua is sunny and buzzing with adventure. The temperature range is from about 21 – 29 degrees Celsius. The winter months usually bring clear and crisp weather, with a temperature range of 9 – 16 degrees Celsius.
Whatever the season, you won’t have any trouble finding something to do in Rotorua. The places to enjoy are all relatively close to the city centre and well signposted. In the morning you can be travelling up the side of a mountain in a gondola before speeding down the popular luge track and in the afternoon you can be strolling through native bush learning about the life cycle of trout. Or you can be rolling down the hill inside the Zorb in the morning and relaxing in thermal baths in the afternoon. On another day you can be visiting geysers and mud pools in the morning and biking through a redwood forest in the afternoon. The evenings offer plenty of chances to relax as well as taking in an array of spectacular Maori cultural performances complete with the delicious traditional Maori Hangi meal.
Rotorua is packed full of interesting, adventurous and educational activities for the whole family and one of the best options for getting the best value for money in Rotorua is to base yourself in a motel. When you stay in a motel, you have space to spread out and relax after a busy day of adventure and the kids can release all their extra energy outside on the trampoline, at the playground or in the motel swimming pool. You can save money by cooking your own meals and you will have all the comforts of home to keep you happy in the evening as you prepare for the next day of sightseeing.