Luxury Lodge · Taupō
Huka Lodge
Listing available
(North Island) — Destination
Rotorua.
Geothermal & Māori culture
(01) — A field note
Steam rising from suburban streets, geysers in the park, and the heartland of living Māori culture — Rotorua is unlike anywhere else.
01
The setting
Built on a volcanic plateau in the centre of the North Island, Rotorua sits beside a 16 km-wide caldera lake. It is the heartland of Te Arawa iwi and one of the most accessible places in Aotearoa to experience tikanga Māori, kapa haka and hāngī.
02
How to eat
Eat Streat on Tutanekai Street is the city's restaurant and bar strip. For something distinctly local, book a marae-hosted hāngī (food cooked underground using geothermal steam) at Te Pā Tū, Mitai or Tamaki Māori Village.
03
Where to stay
Lakeside hotels in the city are walkable to Government Gardens and the Polynesian Spa. For a quieter base, stay on the Blue or Green Lakes (Tikitapu / Rotokakahi), 10 minutes south.
Best for
- Geothermal parks
- Māori cultural experiences
- Redwoods mountain bike trails
- Polynesian Spa
Where to go
All →
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