My wife and I plan on going to Rotorua and visiting the Agrodome, the Thermal Reserve and the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute. Some questions: How many days would you suggest to do this area justice and any recommendations for anything further in the area? Thank you for your responses.

Walking around the reserve and Institute at Whakarewarewa will take the better part of a day. Looking around Agrodome and attending a show will take a half day. Nearby is the buried village of Te Wairoa, a Maori village that was buried by 2-3 meters of ash and pumice by the eruption of nearby Mt. Tourer in 1886.

An interesting activity is to attend a Maori 'hangi' feast and dance concert. While somewhat touristy, we enjoyed ourselves and learned something about how the Maori lived before Europeans arrived. The one we went to was at Te Tawa Ngahere Pa.

Lots of folks will tell you to go to the Polynesian Spa, but I personally could not see the attraction. The hot spring waters are hard and smelly, so you don't feel refreshed when you bathe. Plus, it tends to be quite crowded. I would skip this one.

I would take a day or two to drive south to Taupo, and Tongariro National Park. One fun thing to do is to take the chairlift up the Whakapapa Skifield, high up onto Mt. Ruapehu.

Alf,
with respect you give some good tips usually but please check your details and names in particular before posting, it can mean someone spends hours obtaining the correct information. Where do you get Mt Tourer from, it was Mt Tarawera which exploded, and buried some Maori villages. Te Wairoa is about a fifteen minute drive from Rotorua past the blue and green lakes and well worth visiting. Like a mini Pompei. Allow two to three hours. There are also four wheel drive tours to the crater edge, leaving from Rotorua.
As for the Whakarewarewa thermal area, and Pohutu geyser, two hours are enough and perhaps one hour in the Institute which is on the same grounds.
Time the Agrodome for the sheep shearing and sheepdog display in the morning session, and then visit Rainbow Springs on the way back to Rotorua. Both can be covered in half a day. Rainbow Springs has a pleasant cafe. Both are a few miles north of the city centre. Te Wairoa is to the east. Going south, I would recommend my favourite which is Waiotapu, it covers a large area and allow a half day to do the full walk. They also have a nice cafe. You can also consider Waimangu Valley which is on the way to Waiotapu turning of the main Rotorua - Taupo road. AS the drive between those to places only take sone hour you can visit Taupo for a day leaving early or do these other attractions on the way and stay overnight in Taupo, which is quite beautiful. Near Taupo turn off to huka Falls, only a drop compared to most but still worth a look and the prawn farm and honey shop, again all have nice cafes. You are now almost in Taupo.
The Tamaki brothers 'hangi' and concert is regarded as the best now, they will pick you up from your hotel. The Maori in Whakarewarewa village still cook their food in this traditional so it certainly isn't pre European.
As for the thermal pools, a soak in one of those at the end of a long day is bliss, there will more than likely be a private one at your hotel or B & B.
Any more questions please ask, all of these attractions are former customers of mine that i used to visit every six weeks from Auckland on business.
Three days is comfortable for Rotorua, try to have an hour or so at the museum in Government gardens, it is well worth it, they have interesting items from the 1800's and old photographs and the gardens themselves are lovely. Take old fashioned tea and scones (or lunch) at the Blue Bath building which is in the gardens, very historic and unique in this day and age.

Hi Flatbush:

We did the 2 day whirlwind tour of Rotorua and I'd say thats the minimum (would have liked at least 1 day more to head out to White Island).

But if your looking to make choices then I'd go with "Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland" (but need to be there by 10am as Lady Knox gyser goes off about 10:15) over "Whakarewarewa Thermal Village".

Te Wairoa (burried village) was nothing special but amazing drive to it (especially the Blue Lake).

Definately spend an evening at a 'hangi' & concert.

If you visit St. Faiths Church there is a real nice little Maori craft shop nearby.

If your going to Rotorua from Auckland loop by the Waitomo Glowworm Caves, it will has 2-3 hours to nthe trip but well worth it. And if you do decide to Taupo do stop at Huka Falls, don't waste your time with Craters of the Moon but do have a nice long lunch at one of the downtown cafes that overlook the Lake Taupo the snow-topped mountains of Tongariro National Park in the distance.

Z

one of my best rotorua memories from my first trip to nz was soaking in the polynesian spa on christmas night and meeting locals and just relaxing and feeling great afterwards...