With only 4 days in NZ, we have decided to spend one night in Auckland and three in the Rotorua area. I am torn as to whether we should base ourselves in Rotorua and take trips from there (ie-waitomo for black water rafting & glow worm caves) or should we do a driving loop through Rotorua and back around to Auckland staying at different locations.

Please help. If you have suggestions and/or 'must sees' in that area, I would be extremely grateful.

With that short period of time, I should think that you would want to do a loop route, staying in a different place each night - in order to minimize driving time. Why not Auckland - Rotorua - Taupo - Waitomo?

Rotorua has some interesting sites and activities, but I think that the geothermal features, mountains, and scenery are superior in the Taupo region, and merit going a bit further south (before swinging east toward Waitomo).

Hey there, just got back from NZ a week ago. It's a beautiful time to be there, even for 4 days.

We rented a car and drove from Auckland down to Rotorua (make sure to get a free Avis driving map if you can-they are the best ones to navigate with), and were in a rush to drive all the way to Wellington. I am from Chicago and a city is always a city. So, my vote is for staying around Rotorua and checking out the lake areas. There is a lot to see and experince. Just be prepared for the sulfur smell all around Rotorua.

We took motorway 1 from Auckland to Hamilton, get into motorway 5 that will take you through Tirau (recommend stopping for a rest here-cute town),
and into Rotorua. We were given this driving route due to all the logging trucks that take motorway 1 all the way to Rotorua.

We got the special weekend, get-away rates at the Sudima Hotel (purenz.com) and relaxed/soaked away stress at the Polynesian Spa (that is literally, next door).

We checked out the Whakarewarewa Thermal Village. Totally cool geothermal activity, but the village itself and the tour guides were kind of depressing. Almost as if you were to pay an American Indian to look around their reservation. It was good talking with the Maori people and breaking through the ice eventually.

We also checked out the Agrodome along the way and saw the wool carding machine do its thing. I have never seen so many different types of sheep. There is the Zorb there as well. It's a big plastic hamster ball for humans. You get in it and roll down a steep hill...

I wish I had time to go to:
The Buried Village
Mitai Maori Village
Te Puia
Waitomo glow worm caves

Places in Rotorua we tried and liked:
Oppies fish and chips (fried scallops, and fish were light and not greasy. Yum!)
Lime Cafe (tasty, but a little on pricey side)

Town of Tirau
You'll see a lot of corrugated steel roofs and a lot of art forms made with it. Kitschy, but fun. There is a little store called Tirau Country Store with funky gifts, but next to it, there is a little cafe (sorry, forgot the name) with a fabulous pumpkin curry soup. We also stopped by the Big Sheep Gallery store with wool crafts.

I don't recall many places to stay in-between Auckland and Rotorua, but I would highly recommend making Rotorua your home-base, if you can stand the aroma of sulfur. : ) There is a lot to see and do around there.

Please stay in touch. I'd love to hear your adventures with black water rafting. That sounds way cool.

I just saw ALF's posting. I would agree that the Lake Taupo region is beautiful and worth a visit, if you have time for it.

Hope this helps!

This message is for luvtraveln.
We are going to be staying in Rotorua and had looked into the Sudima but reserved at the Park Heritage even tho it was a bit more money. I has been told (by the Sudima reservationist) that they were undergoing some renovations and was afraid it would be noisy. How did you like it? The 2 night break they offer seems very enticing especially the discounted meals. Can you get back to me on this? Much appreciated.

Sorry, kind of new to this site...this reply is for itchyfeet5:

As much as the Sudima Hotel website pics look wonderful...the actual hotel is run down and not as beautiful as the images make it to look. We only stayed there one night. I did not see any new rooms or rennovations, they might have started that after we left. However, the night we did check in, there were several, huge, noisy tour groups in the lobby.

However, the rooms were clean, the beds, uh...so-so, bathrooms were clean, but old. The best part was we could just walk over to the Polynesian Spa next door and soak and relax in the mineral baths at night.

The weekend discounted rates we got were pretty good for around that area. But I would definitely check out the local eateries rather than eat at the hotel. For a small town, they have a lot of options for food. Can you tell I like to eat? : )

Hope this helps!

Thanks luvtraveln...I love your name. we love to travel too. The info on the Sudima really helped. The location is closer to town than where I booked but I think I'll stay put at the Park Heritage. The price is only $30 NZ more a night but I'm told it's very nice. I'm new to this site (just a few weeks) or any other travelblog but it has helped me tremendously. We will be in Australia for 3 weeks in early Oct. and then on to NZ for another 3 weeks. We will have a car in NZ and I've booked all the hotels and tours, etc. on the internet.

The people responding to questions here seem really nice and I in turn have responded with any help can give.

We recently (July) stayed at a B&B called the Maple House and found the Hosts very pleasant and accommodating. Nice new home, and great Breakfast. We would HIGHLY recommend it Contact Info... If you want more particulars, post another message here and I will try to help.

Maple House
154aTarawera Rd
Rotorua NZ Ph. +64 7 3458434
I-Net
[email protected] or [email protected]

I was in NZ for a year back in 1996. Waitomo not to be missed. The glow worms is a sight to see. I did the absail into the cave and rock climbed, absolutely beautiful