Rotorua & the Bay of Plenty
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©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Rotorua & the Bay of Plenty Includes ¨ Why Go? Rotorua . 279 Captain Cook christened the Bay of Plenty when he cruised Around Rotorua . 294 past in 1769, and plentiful it remains. Blessed with sunshine Tauranga . 298 and sand, the bay stretches from Waihi Beach in the west to Opotiki in the east, with the holiday hubs of Tauranga, Mt Mt Maunganui . 304 Maunganui and Whakatane in between. Katikati . 308 Offshore from Whakatane is New Zealand’s most active Maketu . 309 volcano, Whakaari (White Island). Volcanic activity defines Whakatane . 310 this region, and nowhere is this subterranean spectacle Ohope . 315 more obvious than in Rotorua. Here the daily business of life goes on among steaming hot springs, explosive geysers, Opotiki . 317 bubbling mud pools and the billows of sulphurous gas re- sponsible for the town’s ‘unique’ eggy smell. Rotorua and the Bay of Plenty are also strongholds of Best Places to Eat Māori tradition, presenting numerous opportunities to ¨ Macau (p302) engage with NZ’s rich indigenous culture: check out a power-packed concert performance, chow down at a hangi ¨ Elizabeth Cafe & Larder (Māori feast) or skill-up with some Māori arts-and-crafts (p302) techniques. ¨ Post Bank (p307) ¨ Abracadabra Cafe Bar (p291) When to Go ¨ Sabroso (p292) ¨ The Bay of Plenty is one of NZ’s sunniest regions: Whakatane records a brilliant 2350 average hours of sunshine per year! In summer (December to February) Best Places to maximums hover between 20°C and 27°C. Everyone else is Sleep here, too, but the holiday vibe is heady. ¨ Koura Lodge (p290) ¨ Visit Rotorua any time: the geothermal activity never ¨ Warm Earth Cottage sleeps, and there are enough beds in any season. (p309) ¨ The mercury can slide below 5°C overnight here in winter, ¨ Moanarua Beach Cottage although it’s usually warmer on the coast (and you’ll have the (p316) beach all to yourself). ¨ Opotiki Beach House (p317) ¨ Tauranga on the Waterfront (p301) 279 8 Getting There & Around ESSENTIAL ROTORUA & THE Air New Zealand (% 0800 737 000; www . airnewzealand co. nz). has direct flights from BAY OF PLENTY Tauranga and Rotorua to Auckland, Wellington Eat At the buzzy cafes and restaurants and Christchurch . along the Strand in Tauranga (p301). InterCity and ManaBus services connect Tau- Local craft beer from Rotorua’s ranga, Rotorua and Whakatane with most other Drink ROTO main cities in NZ . Bay Hopper bus services run Croucher Brewing Co (p292). between Tauranga, Whakatane and Opotiki . Twin Read How to Watch a Bird, an exposi- R City Express buses link Tauranga and Rotorua . tion on the joys of avian observation, THE OF& UA PLENTY BAY written by Mt Maunganui schoolboy Steve Braunias. ROTORUA Listen to Kora, the eponymous rootsy POP 65,280 album from Whakatane’s soulful sons. Catch a whiff of Rotorua’s sulphur-rich, asth- Excellent bilingual shows in matic airs and you’ve already got a taste of Watch NZ’s most dynamic thermal area, home to Māori and English on Māori TV. spurting geysers, steaming hot springs and Go green Negotiate the verdant bush- exploding mud pools. The Māori revered this clad experience of Rotorua’s Redwoods place, naming one of the most spectacular Treewalk (p285). springs Wai-O-Tapu (Sacred Waters). Today Online www.rotoruanz.com, www.bay R 35% of the population is Māori, with their ofplentynz.com otor cultural performances and traditional hangi % as big an attraction as the landscape itself. Area code 07 U Despite the pervasive eggy odour, ‘Sul- A phur City’ is one of the most touristed spots on the North Island, with nearly three mil- With peace in the early 1870s, word lion visitors annually. Some locals say this spread of scenic wonders, miraculous land- steady trade has seduced the town into rest- scapes and watery cures for all manner of ing on its laurels, and that socially Rotorua diseases. Rotorua boomed. Its main attrac- lags behind more progressive towns such as tion was the fabulous Pink and White Ter- Tauranga and Taupo. And with more motels races, formed by volcanic silica deposits. than nights in November, the urban fabric Touted at the time as the eighth natural of ‘RotoVegas’ isn’t particularly appealing… wonder of the world, they were destroyed in but still, where else can you see a 30m geo- the 1886 Mt Tarawera eruption. thermal geyser! 1 Sights History The Rotorua area was first settled in the 14th 1 City Centre century when the canoe Te Arawa, captained by Tamatekapua, arrived from Hawaiki at oRotorua Museum MUSEUM, GALLERY Maketu in the central Bay of Plenty. Settlers (Map p284; %07-350 1814; www .rotoruamuseum . took the tribal name Te Arawa to commem- co .nz; Queens Dr, Government Gardens; adult/ orate the vessel that had brought them here. child $20/8; h9am-5pm Mar-Nov, to 6pm Dec- In the next few hundred years, subtribes Feb, tours hourly 10am-4pm, plus 5pm Dec-Feb) spread and divided through the area, with This outstanding museum occupies a grand conflicts breaking out over limited territory. Tudor-style edifice. A 20-minute film on the A flashpoint occurred in 1823 when the Ar- history of Rotorua, including the Tarawera awa lands were invaded by tribes from the eruption, runs every 20 minutes from 9am. Northland in the so-called Musket Wars. The Don Stafford Wing, dedicated to Roto- After heavy losses on both sides, the North- rua’s Te Arawa people, features woodcarving, landers eventually withdrew. flax weaving, jade and the stories of the re- During the Waikato Land War (1863–64) vered WWII 28th Māori Battalion. Also here Te Arawa threw in its lot with the govern- are two art galleries and a cool cafe with ment against its traditional Waikato ene- garden views (although the best view in town mies, gaining troop support and preventing is from the viewing platform on the roof). East Coast reinforcements getting through The museum was originally an elegant to support the Kingitanga (King Movement). spa retreat called the Bath House (1908): .