Wai-O-Tapu: Geothermal Wonderland Awaits
4.4
275 Ratings
Rotorua

Explore Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, a surreal geothermal park in Rotorua. Discover nature’s artistry and marvel at stunning geothermal wonders.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland - Tourists flock to Wai-O-Tapu to witness the hot pools, volcanic craters, and steaming fissures of this extraordinary location.
    Discover the natural geothermal landscape at your own pace. Stroll along clearly marked paths leading to vibrantly colored steaming pools that bubble and hiss with geothermal activity. Attend…
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What's Included
  • Guide map
What's Not Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Food and drinks
Additional Information

A Wonderland of Breathtaking Geothermal Activity, Thousands of Years in the Making. This extraordinary location is technically described as part of an 18-square-kilometer active geothermal park located at the northern edge of the Reporoa Caldera, a collapsed volcanic crater formed 230,000 years ago within the Taupo Volcanic Zone. The ‘wow’ factor is…

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Location
Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland
201 Waiotapu Loop Road, Rd 3
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.4
(275 Ratings)
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Jval2014
May 8, 2025
Really neat, would definitely recommend - Went in April 2025 with a friend (mid 30's). We would both for sure recommend going here! So many cool geothermic pools with various colours from different minerals - was really neat to see. We did the Geyser eruption at 10:15am (which you drive to and then park, and then drive back for the rest of the thermal pools/walking area), and it was cool to see but not overly worth it if you don't have time. They add soap in the geyser to make it erupt. It was quite warm walking around (which makes sense, hot pools), but just keep that in mind - I brought a jacket and just ended up holding it the entire time - t-shirt was fine. Took us just over 2 hours - did the Geyer eruption and all 3 paths.
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Sjdale
Apr 30, 2025
Amazing natural wonders. Good value. - Superb. Good value. Amazing natural wonders. Staff friendly and helpful. Park spotless a full 90 minute self guided walk. Almost empty - arrived 1.30pm.
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Thesydneydoll
Apr 22, 2025
A TRUE WONDERLAND - Waiotapu Geothermal Wonderland is famous for being New Zealand's most colourful geothermal attraction. Within the park, is a magnificent landscape sculpted over thousands of years by natural geothermal activity, where unique volcanic features can be viewed. There are 3 different walks you can do, simply labeled Walk 1, Walk 2 and Walk 3. Walk 2 and 3 are not suitable for wheelchairs and prams. I did walk 3, the longest walk but it was worth it, it took me about an hour and a bit to do the full walk. The scenery throughout the park was truly spectacular but of course the most impressive was the famous Champagne Pool. About half way through, the walk started to get harder, much steeper and a few stairs, although i very much enjoyed it, I imagine that it may be a bit difficult for some people so do keep that in mind.
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Nomad36032924912
Mar 31, 2025
It was more than I could have imagined! - It was so much better than I imagined. Geysers are the most talked about thing, but I wonder if this was such a big deal. We went on a wide 3km 90min course in the park. The view of the colorful hot springs was really unrealistic and very beautiful. It was a pleasant walk without any particular pain♬ There are quite a few places to climb the stairs, so if you have a bad leg or lack of strength, you may have to work a little harder. Still, I think it's a place worth walking around slowly. I learned a lot from the signs explaining geothermal areas. I can see people commenting that it is the same as Japan, but I have been to Beppu and other places, but it is different from Japan. In Japan, you can see vast geothermal landscapes of different sizes. A must-visit spot for half a day!
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T1691zxhelened
Mar 29, 2025
Best experience I had in New Zealand - Amazing place. Loved the atmosphere, the smell, the energy coming out everywhere. Gets all senses going except touch. Make sure you stop at the free bubbling mud pools coming in, very special place.
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958eleanorm
Jun 7, 2023
A NZ highlight - One of our NZ highlights! A natural thermal wonder that can't be experienced back home in Aus. Definitely add to your itinerary if you enjoy a relaxing wander/sightsee
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Cgv5279zc
Jun 28, 2021
Thermal wonder as each one is in its own way. - The last time we saw anything volcanic was 1981 Kilauea, Maui, after that Mount Fuji on the north island of Japan. Each one was so enjoyable in its own way.
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Foodlover34543
Mar 29, 2021
Beautiful - Amazingly beautiful place. Absolutely breathtaking views throughout. Really well kept paths and board walks. Highly recommend
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Beezee2010
Jul 23, 2025
- We visited three thermal parks while in Rotorua. Te Puia, Wai o Tapu and Orakei Korako. They are all different and worthy of a visit depending on what you are interested in. This is the park to visit if you like colours and is obviously popular with tourists. Wai O Tapu was by far the most busy of the three, even in Winter. We attended at the time to see the Lady Knox geyser. It was impressive but did feel a bit staged (especially as we had seen the Pohutu geyser at Te Puia). We watched the large number of people rushing for the entrance to Wai O Tapu at the end of the geyser presentation and figured we would go waste half an hour at the mud pools. We are glad we did as we had the mud pools pretty much to ourselves and the big slug of people had largely dissipated by the time we arrived at the ticketing office for Wai O Tapu. The mud pools we thought were a little under rated! We really enjoyed that aspect of the park, especially with most of the crowds rushing for the ticket office. Wai O Tapu is quite sizeable and takes a while to walk around. There are three different walks that loop into each other and you can choose to do one, two, or all three. We did all three and if you are able to do so, it would be recommended. There are quite a few steps on the later walks. The boardwalk area is very cool, in particular the famous Champagne pools. It was interesting to see that you can actually visit both the Lady Knox Geyser AND the mud pools without buying a ticket for Wai O Tapu, although you are probably missing out on the best part of the park. If you have time and means it is worth visiting all three thermal parks. If you are after a unique experience Orakei Korako would be the choice. For best value combo (with the hangi banquet deals) you can't go past Te Puia. If you are particularly taken with thermal colours, Wai O Tapu is the one to choose. We really enjoyed Wai O Tapu but, strangely, it was the least favourite of the three for us (although the colours were completely amazing).
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Danr803
Jul 7, 2025
Interesting volcanic sites. - An interesting place, with unique sites in NZ. But if you have time to do one, I'd pick Waimangu. Champagne pool is neat. We didn't see the geyser. Feels a bit staged that they prime it (with soap) to go off daily at 10:30.
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Check Availability
From $27
From $27
up to 9 guests
1 - Adult
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Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).