Centrally located in the centre of town, Base Rotorua offers clean and spacious accommodation in a homely atmosphere. This hostel is a popular choice for groups and adventure-seeking individuals.
Whether it be a dorm room, a girls’ Sanctuary room or a deluxe private room with a kitchen and ensuite, Base has something for everyone. Helpful and friendly staff added to the relaxed and comfortable stay.
Not only does Base have an onsite restaurant and bar but it also has a cinema and indoor rock-climbing wall. With a big screen TV, a sun deck and a thumping dance floor, The Lava Bar is Rotorua's most popular night spot! We met "the locals" as well as travelers from all over the world at this awesome bar. Wednesday night was live music and karaoke night so we had a few laughs with our new friends from Hells Gate and Nzone watching people make douches of themselves on karaoke.
Our private room was at the back of the building secluded from the buzzing Lava Bar. It featured a double and a single bed, a private bathroom and kitchen as well as a back entrance into the carpark.
For more information please visit their website at: www.stayatbase.com
Nzone Skydiving
Why wouldn’t you jump out of a perfectly good plane, 15000ft above the beautiful lakes of Rotorua just for fun? Sounds like a very reasonable and sane activity to me…
On the 11th of May 2010 I left the faith of my life in the hands of a very experienced skydiving instructor, Paul. The personal challenge of being strapped to nothing but a parachute and hurling yourself towards the ground at 130 miles/hour is immense.
As I started to prepare for my jump, the sign-your-life-away forms were a bit of a reality check. Every paragraph stressed that there is a possibility (however miniscule) that you can die from jumping out of a plane. Okay, palms starting to sweat a little bit… However Paul reassured me that this is just a precautionary procedure and the chances of something actually going wrong is very slim.
After watching an instructional video on what to do and what not to do, Sarah the sales and marketing manager helped me get into my very attractive jump suit and harness.
All geared up I was ready for my flight high above the Rotorua thermal region, where I had a birds eye view of the dramatic geothermal activity and forests. As we were climbing Paul shared his vast knowledge about the region pointing out iconic features of Rotorua.
Trying very hard to take in all the information he was sharing, my brain started to conjure up the ‘what if’ scenarios. ‘What if’ my parachute doesn’t open, ‘What if’ my harness isn’t done up properly, ‘What if’…
“Right we’re at 15000ft” Paul yelled over the noise of the engine. What?? OMG. No turning back now I thought as I was hanging out of the plane, legs dangling in the air. ONE, TWO, THREE…
No words can describe the feeling of free falling to what seems like your death. I didn’t know whether to scream or smile so I just did both. I hope Paul has regained his hearing.
After freefalling for the longest 60 seconds of my life, Paul deployed the parachute and we screamed to a halt (literally- I hadn’t stopped screaming by this point). Taking in the view we slowly glided back to earth. The canopy ride took about 5 minutes and Paul let me have a bit of fun by pulling down hard on one of the cords. Consequently we went round in circles extremely fast and any sense of orientation I had recovered instantaneously disappeared.
The first thing I said once we safely landed was “can I do it again?!”. The whole experience was amazing and I’m so glad my first jump was in Rotorua- the scenery is just spectacular.
Prices start from $249 per person. For more information on prices and altitudes please visit their website at: www.nzone.biz
River Rafting
A short drive out of Rotorua will bring you to the Kaituna River where you can experience grade 5 rapids, 7 metre high waterfalls, narrow gorges and beautiful flora and fauna.
At the rafting base a 15-minute training session was provided prior to the trip teaching us all the required paddle commands and safety information. Before we entered the water, our guides Stevie and Cory payed their respects to the Kaituna River and to those who once fought on the river. After they said the traditional Maori prayer it was time to hit the rapids.
After running through some precautionary procedures, including what to do if you fall out, we tackled our first challenge, the 1 metre high waterfall. Clapping our paddles together in the air and cheering we celebrated the success of our first waterfall.
Listening to Cory’s commands we all paddled as a team to contend with the grade 5 rapids. Fast and furious we steered our raft through foamy white water, narrowly missing sheer rock walls. The perpendicular cliffs are covered in ferns and other native plants creating a stunning backdrop to this exciting tour.
Time to take the ultimate thrill ride down the awesome 7 meter high Tutea Falls, the worlds highest commercially rafted waterfall. Before you reach the falls there is an escape path for those who want to chicken out and take the walk of shame. No one in my raft chickened out but Stevie told me there have been a few throughout the years.
With my eyes closed and a very tight grip on the ropes in the raft we went over the 7 meter drop. It wasn’t until I we resurfaced that I realised we had lost one of our teammates. Hysterically laughing we helped him back into the boat and had fun with the rest of the river.
We even attempted to stand up on the last set of rapids.
Although this trip provides full on action, it is not technically difficult as every rapid is followed by calm water making it suitable for adventurous beginners. In fact around 70% of customers have never rafted before.
For those wanting a little extra they also offer world class white water sledging. For more information on activities and prices please visit their website at: www.kaitiaki.co.nz/
Wingspan Birds of Prey
Wingspan Birds of Prey offers an interactive tour of birds of prey by New Zealand falconers. We learnt about the art of falconry, visited the aviaries, and learnt about these amazing birds through educational displays.
At the top of the food chain, fearless and territorial, raptors seem unlikely candidates in need of sanctuary. However, there are estimated to be only 4,000 pairs of New Zealand native falcons surviving in the wild and Wingspan provides a sanctuary for these endangered raptors. Sick, injured and orphaned birds of prey are brought to Wingspan to be nursed back to health with the aim of eventual return to the wild.
Debbie took us on a guided tour through the museum and aviaries providing very interesting information regarding the New Zealand Falcon and other birds of prey along the way. The aviaries contain a selection New Zealand raptors ranging from the Falcon, Morepork and Hawk. One of my favourite Falcons was Ozzie, named after Ozzie Osbourne because of his reckless behaviour.
After our personal tour we watched Andrew provide a demonstration of the lure, which consists of a chunk of meat being whipped around on a baited line attracting the falcon. Falcons are the fasting flying birds in the world and it was amazing to watch this bird reach up to 200 km/hour trying to catch the piece of meat.
Visitors to Wingspan are recommended at arrive at 1:30 pm. This allows the opportunity to view the museum and aviaries before the flight and lure displays at 2pm. Tours may be tailored for your requirements.
For more information please visit their website at www.wingspan.co.nz
Hells Gate
Hells Gate is Rotorua’s most active thermal park offering a vast range of relaxing and revitalizing treatments. We weren’t feeling so flash after our big night in the Lava Bar so we were really looking forward to our treatments at Hells Gate.
Before our spa treatments Hayden, the marketing and sales manager took us on a 2.5 km natural geothermal walk past boiling mud and hot water pools in excess of 100 degrees centigrade.
So keeping to the paths Hayden led us to the Kakahi Falls, the largest hot water falls in the Southern Hemisphere. The steaming water running over them is around 40 degrees Celsius - just perfect for a luxurious bath or shower.
Another highlight that Hayden brought us to was the largest Mud Volcano in New Zealand. It is an amazing object that stands about 1.8 metres high and has a diameter of about 5 metres. In its centre is a small crater of dark brown and grey boiling mud that could erupt at any minute.
Hayden was an awesome guide and shared his vast knowledge about Hell’s Gate through hilarious anecdotes and jokes. Next on the agenda was our mud bath, sulphur spa and massage, mmmm massage…
For 700 years Hell’s Gate has been treasured by Maori as a place of healing and revitalising. The soothing mud’s and sulphurous waters, which have been guarded for centuries, are kept at 40 degrees Celsius allowing the skin’s pores to open so that all the active ingredience gently exfoliate and treat the skin. It was so relaxing and left my skin feeling smoother than a baby’s bottom!
The Wai Ora Spa offers a range of treatments including massages facials, body wraps and mud scrubs. I experienced their signature Wai Ora total body massage, which was absolutely amazing! It incorporated elements of Miri Miri a traditional Maori massage regime that has been practiced for hundreds of years.
Entry into Hell’s Gate Theothermal Reserve is $30, and the mud bath and spa starts at $75. There are also various combo packages available.
A complimentary shuttle bus (bookings essential) leaves Rotorua at 9am, 1pm and 5pm daily. For more information call 07 345 3151, email bookings@hellsgate.co.nz or visit their website: www.hellsgate.co.nz
Tamaki Tour
Winner of New Zealand's Supreme Tourism Award and four times winner of the national heritage and cultural tourism awards, The Tamaki experience begins with a journey back in time.
As we travelled by coach to the village, our driver/guide Uncle Wallace lead us back to pre-European times with stories, history and protocols in preparation for the ceremonies to follow. He also nominated a chief for our ‘Waka’ i.e. bus, who lead us into the pre-European village where we received a traditional welcoming ceremony.
Huge crackling open fires in front of traditional whare (houses), the sound of ancient Maori instruments and the activities of the people of days gone by, created an palpable and electric atmosphere.
At the heart of this village, stands the meeting house, where the Rangiatea culture group offer a special glimpse of the many traditions, performance, songs and history of the Maori people. Sitting in awe amongst a crowd of young and old we roared with applause and thanked the tribe by yelling “Kia Ora” between performances.
To top off the 3.5 hour evening experience, we enjoyed a traditionally-cooked feast from their earthen ovens otherwise known as a Hangi. After our meal our lively and humorous hosts shared the secrets of how to make the Hangi as we all gathered around the bon fire.
For further information about our New Zealand native culture experience, please visit their website www.maoriculture.co.nz
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