After the Taupō Marathon: Rotorua

The Route: Taupō → Rotorua → Whakarewarewa → Rotorua → Auckland or Tauranga Logistics: About one hour by road on State Highway 5, roughly 80 km. A hire car is easiest, and intercity coaches also run between the towns, so check the timetable. Rotorua has an airport with domestic flights. Marathon Month: August Duration: 2 nights

Taupō ──(about 1 hr by road, SH5)──> Rotorua ──(about 10 mins)──> Whakarewarewa
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Rotorua Airport (ROT) <──(about 10 mins by road)──┘

The Taupō Marathon is held on a Saturday in early August. Rotorua is only an hour up the road and is built for slow, seated sightseeing, with steam rising from the parks and plenty of warm water.

August in Rotorua: winter. Days are typically around 12 to 13°C, with cold nights and frequent rain. The cold air makes steam clouds larger and more dramatic, and thermal attractions are at their best. Roads are usually clear, but check the forecast before driving. Sulphur smell is part of the city, so expect it.

Night One: The Lakefront and Kuirau Park

Rotorua's lakefront on Lake Rotorua is flat and paved, with a promenade and a playground, and the city centre is walkable. Kuirau Park is a free public park a few minutes from the centre, where steam vents, boiling pools and a hot foot bath sit among lawns. The paths are level and the park can be covered in 30 to 45 minutes. Keep to the marked paths and fences, because the ground is hot in places.

Eat Streat, on Tutanekai Street, is a pedestrian street of restaurants and bars, and it is flat, close to the lakefront and lively in the evening. Check the winter opening hours.

For a bed, the Novotel Rotorua Lakeside sits on the waterfront, and the Regent of Rotorua is a smaller boutique hotel in the centre. Both are close to the lake and the restaurants, so a car is not needed for the evening.

Night Two: Whakarewarewa and the Redwoods

Whakarewarewa Living Māori Village is about 10 minutes by road from the centre, and residents there have long used the natural steam for cooking and bathing. Guided tours explain the village's history, and there is a cultural performance. Check the current times and prices, and book ahead in winter school holidays. The paths are level with some steps. Te Puia, next door, has the Pōhutu geyser, which erupts frequently, and carving and weaving schools.

Whakarewarewa Forest, known as the Redwoods, has tall trees and a canopy walkway on a suspended bridge system. The paths near the visitor centre are compacted and gentle, but the forest has hills, so keep to the short loops. The Redwoods Treewalk operates on a booking system, so check the times. Winter dusk falls early, and an evening lantern experience runs at the treewalk, so check the schedule.

For a soak, the Polynesian Spa on the lakefront has mineral pools with lake views, and it is worth booking. Keep the soak short and do not overheat on tired legs.

For a meal, restaurants on Eat Streat serve local produce, and hāngī, a meal cooked in the earth, is offered at cultural experiences. Book ahead on weekends.

The Redwoods and the Lake

If the weather is fair, the Redwoods Whakarewarewa Forest is a short drive from the town centre and has walking tracks of all lengths on compacted paths through tall, straight trees. Check the track conditions and choose a level loop. The forest is cold and damp in August, so bring a warm layer and waterproofs.

The lakefront in Rotorua is level and sealed, and the Government Gardens beside it hold the old Bath House building, now a museum, with a formal garden and a bowling green. Check the museum's opening hours and admission price. A short walk around the gardens and along the lake edge takes about half an hour and asks very little of the legs.

The smell of sulphur is constant in Rotorua and comes from geothermal vents around the town, so expect it. Steam rises from grates in the street and from the ground in Kuirau Park. Take care on hot surfaces and follow the signs.

Getting Home

Rotorua Airport (ROT) is about 10 minutes from the centre by road and has domestic flights. Auckland Airport (AKL) is about three hours by road. Allow a generous buffer, and check the weather before an early drive.