Rotorua

Drive three hours southeast of Auckland, and you’ll approach Rotorua. Settled by Maoris in the 14th century, Rotorua is a major tourist draw in North Island. It’s best known for its Maori culture and geothermal activity, including geysers and hot mud pools, since it’s on a caldera. (Some of the hot springs smell pretty bad because of high sulfur content.) It gets its name from nearby Lake Rotorua, one of 17 lakes in the region. Rotorua has been a tourist spa since the 1800s because of the curative powers of its natural hot springs. Government Gardens is also worth a visit.

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