• TE WHAKAREWAREWA Geothermal Valley

The Geothermal Features of

Whakarewarewa Village

One of the highlights of visiting Rotorua is getting up close and personal with the natural geothermal features across the region.

Whakarewarewa Valley is an active geothermal area with hot pools, boiling mud and geysers. Māori people have lived here for centuries, co-existing in harmony with the geothermal forces that lay beneath their feet.

Born of Legend

In Māori myths and legends it is said that when Te Hoata and Te Pupu (Goddesses of Fire) travelled from Hawaiki in the form of fire to relieve their brother’s chills, they created New Zealand’s volcanoes, mud pools, geysers and hot springs. Their path through Te Whakarewarewa Valley remains alive and visible to this day.

More to Explore

Take advantage of your time at Whakarewarewa and explore the geothermal landscape that makes the Village so unique. There are multiple ways to appreciate the geothermal treasures that live beneath the ground at Whakarewarewa, whether you want to be mesmerised by the boiling mud, or, learn more about the geological forces created Whakarewarewa over millennia.

Steaming geothermal hot pools

Geology of Whakarewarewa

Learn about the Earth Science forces that formed Whakarewarewa, The Living Māori Village hundreds of years ago, and are still in effect today.
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Village Nature Walks

Private: Nature Walks

Explore beyond the village with the self-guided Whakarewarewa Nature Walks. Walk around boiling mud pools, coloured lakes, and through native New Zealand bush. With walks ranging from 5 to 50 minutes, requiring only comfortable shoes and a low level of fitness, these are a must-do to experience our beautiful home.
Find out more >
  • The guided tour was super educational, and the guide was very skilled at painting a picture of their life and culture
    Stef_347 – 07/2024 – via Google
  • A "must do' activity when you visit New Zealand. Recommended to do a self-guided tour so you can spend more time to explore the area. Enjoy.
    Rosman Tulin- 08/2024 – via Google
  • Absolute must for people visiting Rotorua, who want to get in touch with Maori culture
    Daniel – Rotorua, New Zealand – via Google
  • It was an excellent guided tour especially brought alive and with 100% passion by Kylie. Her knowledge and her customer service brought the tour to an intimate crescendo. Love the sweet corns and stories of her ancestors and living traditions of cooking and bathing
    Michael Leong – 19/09/2024 – Google Reviews
  • Do not miss the performance. We enjoyed the village tour but the performances where they sang and made the haka were special! 
    Yani56 – Village Tour and concert 11/09/2024 – Tripadvisor review
  • A wonderful morning spent, we did the guided tour and our guide was excellent. The geo walk was quite eerie amongst all the steam and bubbling pools. Highly recommended.Sall J
    Sall J – A gentle walk 15/09/2024 – Tripadvisor review