Best Seller
Want to Run Your Own
My Guide Website?
Find Out More
My Guide Website?
Rotorua: Government Gardens Walking Tour
Join a walking tour of Government Gardens in the center of Rotorua. Learn about the unique story of New Zealand's only government-run spa town.
Our Top Experiences and Tours in Rotorua:
If youʻre booking your trip to Rotorua last minute, we have you covered. Below are some of the top tours and experiences!- Rotorua: Guided Zipline Adventure Tour with Photos
- White Island & Whale Island 1-Hour Volcano Scenic Flight
- Mitai Maori Village: Cultural Experience and Dinner Buffet
- Okere Falls: Zipline over Waterfalls Experience
- From Tauranga: Skydive over Mount Maunganui
Highlights
- Smell the sulphur and feel the heat from the geothermal features
- Enjoy a historic walking tour undertaken by a former museum curator
- Get to know the town's unique history and curious spa treatments
- Learn about the local landscape and the birds that live here
- Cater to your interests and choose between a shorter or longer walk
Description
Begin your tour in Sulphur Bay and learn how the Māori knew about the special qualities of these waters for centuries and how in the 19th century Pākehā (non-Māori) traveled from around the country to sit in hot pools and springs because of their healing powers. Continue around the lakefront and walk through the Government Gardens to learn about the construction of various bathhouses over 100 years or so to be the South Seas version of a European-style spa. Using historic photographs your guide will bring to life the risks and unusual treatments undertaken by patients keen to ‘take the cure’ in Rotorua. Listen to your guide as they tell you about interesting historical figures, the geothermal activity and how it works, what exactly the scary-looking therapies and treatments given to patients were, and about the flora and fauna of the area. At the end of your walk, have the option of continuing to the new luxury Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa on the lakefront where there is a cafe. The shorter version of the walk is a circular walk, returning to the starting point.Includes
Walking tour GuideImportant Information
- This walk has 2 toilet stops The walk requires moderate fitness and currently is not wheelchair accessible A wheelchair-accessible variation of the walk is available
Easy cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund-
Reserve Your Experience
FromNZ$38.00Book Now! Reserve now & pay later to book your spot and pay nothing today
Gallery
Book Now!
Rotorua: Government Gardens Walking Tour
