Rotorua Travel Guide! | Hell's Gate + Redwoods Forest!

Описание: From towering forests to otherworldly geothermal hotspots, Rotorua is a natural wonder that makes for one of the best holiday destinations in New Zealand!

We started off the day with some award-winning pies at Patrick's Pies. A branch of the legendary Tauranga bakery of the same name. The choice of flavours is definitely overwhelming but you're guaranteed a delicious pie whatever you choose!

Next, we headed to the Redwoods Forest to try out the famous Treewalk! It's a 40-minute walk amongst boardwalks that are suspended on the towering redwoods themselves. The elevated platforms provide a beautiful vantage point to admire the whole forest. It's suitable for all ages and fitness levels so we highly recommend it!

Lunchtime brought us to a famous Rotorua restaurant called Alibaba's They uniquely specialise in Tunisian food and what a first taste of the cuisine it was as the food was incredible! They also have pizzas, kebabs and desserts so they have something to suit everyone's tastebuds.

In the afternoon we drove to the famous Hell's Gate just a 20-minute drive north of the city centre. You'll find hellish-like geothermal landscapes as well as a relaxing and invigorating spa experience! The geothermal walk around the whole park takes around an hour or so across relatively flat ground. Our spa experience consisted of a 20-minute immersion into the mudpools where you cover your whole body in the volcanic mud! You finish off with a soak in their hot and cold sulphur baths to round out the experience. Definitely well worth it!

Finally, we hit up The Thai Restaurant just across Alibaba's back in the city centre. They serve great Thai food in a nicely decorated restaurant. From stir-fry dishes and noodles, to whole fish our food was very delicious! Definitely a good spot for a meal right in the city centre.

Enjoy!

This is part 2 of 3 of our Rotorua road trip so click the links down below to catch up on our other adventures!
~ PART 1:    • Must-see Geothermal Attractions in Rotorua...  
~ PART 3:    • Legendary SMASH BURGERS in Taupō, NZ! | Pa...  
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Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:35 - Patrick's Pies
4:16 - Redwoods Forest Treewalk
7:37 - Lunch at Alibaba's Tunisian Cuisine
10:43 - Hell's Gate Geothermal Reserve and Spa
14:33 - Dinner at The Thai Restaurant
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Deets:

~ Patrick's Pies ~
• Address: 89 Old Taupo Road, Mangakakahi
• Hours: 3:30am - 3:30pm (Mon- Fri), 5am- 2pm (Sat), closed (Sun)

~ Redwoods Treewalk ~
Their normal daytime treewalk costs $35 for adults and $20 for children. They also offer nightwalks where lights illuminate the forest. It costs the same as a daytime walk but requires a separate ticket. At the time of writing they are offering a free nightwalk pass with every daywalk purchase but please check their website for more info! The walk itself takes around 40mins to complete.
• Address: 1 Long Mile Road, Whakarewarewa
• Hours: 9:30am - 9:30pm (Sun - Fri), 9:30am - 10:30pm (Sat)
• Website: www.treewalk.co.nz/

~ Alibaba's Tunisian Cuisine ~
• Address: 1146 Tutanekai Street, Rotorua
• Hours: 11:30am - 8:30pm (Mon- Fri), 12pm - 8:30pm (Sat - Sun)

~ Hell's Gate Geothermal Reserve and Mud Spa ~
They offer multiple day passes and experiences to suit everyone's tastes. We bought 'The Hell's Gate Experience' costing $99 and is the most all-inclusive which includes access to the massive geothermal area, free Maori wood-carving, sulphur bath, and of course their mud pools.
• Address: State Highway 30, Tikitere
• Hours: 10am - 6pm (Sun, Mon, Fri), 10am - 8pm (Sat), closed (Tues - Thurs)
• Website: www.hellsgate.co.nz

~ The Thai Restaurant ~
• Address: 1141 Tutanekai Street, Rotorua
• Hours: 12pm - 2:30pm, 5pm - 10pm (all week)
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We'd love to connect with you!
~ Locavore (@locavore.eats)
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~ AG (@silverfluoride)
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~ Aleana (@aleana_f)
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Equipment
~ Camera - Panasonic Lumix G85
~ Lens - Panasonic Lumix 18-35mm
~ Camera Mic - Rode VideoMic Pro
~ Editing Software - Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2020
~ Music - Musicbed