If you and your favourite person love adrenaline-inducing activities, Rotorua is the perfect destination.
There are so many activities to choose from, so we thought we’d create a two-day itinerary to show you how to cram in as much fun as possible.
Day 1
Start the morning with a coffee in one hand (a few of our faves are Revolver Coffee Roasters, Arts Village Café, and Scope Rotorua), your bestie’s hand in the other, and take him or her out to Adventure Playground to select your weapon of choice and see who’s the best shot at clay bird shooting. Or get down and dirty with a self-drive 4X4 tour, or a guided 4WD buggy tour.Grab lunch at the chic and flavour-filled Terrace Kitchen near the lakefront before you head off for a luxurious soak in hot pools. While hot-pooling in itself might not sound very action-packed, you can choose from a few transport options to up the excitement factor as getting to the secluded Manupirua Springs Hot Pools on Lake Rotoiti is possible only by boat or air.
Choose to make a splash landing when you arrive via floatplane with Volcanic Air, or on a jetboat with Katoa Lake Rotorua. Other options include a kayak tour with MDA Experiences, River Rats and Waimarino Kayak Tours.
Finish the evening with a Redwoods Nightlights self-guided tour along suspended walkways between towering Californian redwoods brought to life by stunning David Trubridge lighting.
Day 2
Let’s get the adrenaline flowing by rafting the world-famous Kaituna River. Kaitiaki Adventures, Kaituna Cascades, Raftabout, River Rats, and Rotorua Rafting, and offer tours here that start out in a gentle Grade 2 scenic section and work their way up to full-on Grade 5 action featuring the world’s highest commercially rafted waterfall at seven metres.Following your rafting adventure, stop off at Okere Falls Store for a delish bite to eat outside in the beer garden while you relive your rafting thrills.
Buckle up and head to either Velocity Valley or Off Road NZ. Both have multiple activities that will get the blood pumping and laughter flowing. The fun can include the Freefall Xtreme, Swoop, jetboat rides, Shweeb Racing, 4x4 thrill rides and 4WD self-drives, and the only place in the country where you can race karts imported from France on the same track as the professional racers.
Wrap up your weekend with a sunset tour to see magical glow worms in their natural habitats. They can be seen with Real Rotorua (walking tour), or on the water with Waimarino Kayak Tours (kayak or canoe) or Paddle Board Rotorua (kayak or paddle board).
