Rotorua is AMAZING (even in just 3 days)
- Kahiau
- Feb 12, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 25, 2023
Exploring Rotorua, New Zealand, in just 3.5 days has us going the majority of the time. These adventure-filled days are well worth all of it to experience this town, its people, and its culture.
Day 1: Thursday
It has been a busy four days as we made our way down to Rotorua. This town is known for its geothermal activity and Māori culture. About 40% of the town's population is Māori. Before we arrived in Rotorua, we drove 1.5 hours from Auckland to Hobbiton. Of course, I did my homework before I came and watched all of the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. We walked all over the movie set of The Shire and even visited Bilbo Baggins's hobbit hole. There are 44 hobbit holes, and this one was my favorite (see picture below).
Later that evening, we were immersed in culture at the Te Pā Tū Māori village. We joined them for their summer harvest celebration. We were welcomed with a formal haka pōwhiri (welcoming). Then we spent four hours learning Māori words, customs, dances, and games. They performed beautiful songs and dances. At the end of the evening, we enjoyed a 4-course meal with seasonal Māori-fused ingredients. I always think it is important to learn about the place and people of the land you're visiting. I highly recommend anyone visiting Aotearoa and specifically Rotorua to respectfully learn about the Māori people and history.
Day 2: Friday
In the morning, we started with breakfast at the Caper Cafe to prepare us for a day of shopping and fun. We walked from the cafe to many different shops and boutiques around town. This is where we did most of our souvenir shopping for our family at home.
In the afternoon, we had FUN! We booked a gondola ride to the top of a hill and enjoyed a fabulous wine tasting. The Skyline Gondola + Wine Tasting package was a great price. You truly can choose your own adventure as they offer zipline rides, lunches, dinner, bungy swings, and LUGE rides. We went up at 4 pm for a tasting and stayed there until 7:30 pm. We finished our wine tasting with a luge ride, and it was SO MUCH FUN! A luge is a 3-wheeled sled ride that uses gravity to quickly take you through the course. My mom and aunty enjoyed the WHOLE thing. After 5 pm, they offer night luge rides for $12 NZD.
We came back down on the gondola and decided to get dinner. If you have no clue what you want to eat, arrive at Eat Street on Tutanekai Street and pick when you get there. Within one city block, there are more than a dozen eating spots. You'll surely find something here with great vibes and choices.
Day 3: Saturday
We started at another yummy cafe called Columbus Coffee. The mocha coffees are excellent here. Next, we visited the local Kuirau Park Saturday Market. It's open from about 7 am to 1 pm. Pounamu stones, or jade, in Aotearoa, hold great significance. These greenstones are carved into specific symbols that each hold their own meaning. At this market, a local pounamu carver crafted many beautiful pieces. Her stones were locally sourced from the South Island region of Aotearoa. The porowhita, or circle-shaped greenstone, caught my eye. The emblem signifies the never-ending journey of discovery and re-discovery through life. It reminds me of the endless opportunities and our choice to attain what we want out of life.
2023 NRL Harvey Norman All-Stars Rugby: Māori vs. Indigenous
Now for 6 hours of rugby games!! Rugby may be my new favorite sport. It is the off-season for rugby, but we were lucky it all worked out perfectly. The one rugby game I could find happened to be exactly when we were in Rotorua for the week, and it was spectacular. How’s that for good luck. There are two different types of rugby: league and union. This was an annual rugby league game showcasing the best of the best rugby league players from Australia and New Zealand. We could watch three games: touch, women's and men's games. All with halftime performances and an exchange of cultures between the two teams. A Māori Haka was performed, and an Indigenous Australian dance. Overall, it was a spectacular evening with great company and a great game of rugby.
The Māori women's team won vs Australia, but the Australian men's team won the men's game. Both games were thrilling and kept us on our toes. Here is a snippet of one of the points by Australia.
After the game, we were HUNGRY. Since Aotearoa is a melting pot of cultures, there are a lot of great and different foods around us. We found the Chimney Indian Restaurant, and it hit the spot. It had a great atmosphere and YUMMY food. My favorite was the creamy chicken korma and the fresh, warm garlic naan bread.
Accommodations
For all our stays, we have been booking through Airbnb and found a great place in town that had the cutest puppy ever. This is Zion. He and his parents were the kindest people. In fact, everyone in Aotearoa is so kind and friendly.
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