Top Oz Tours offers a great range of Rotorua tours and experiences. You can browse the options here.
The North Island’s Bay of Plenty is a popular travel destination — not only for visitors to New Zealand, but also for New Zealanders themselves.
Named by explorer Lieutenant James Cook in 1769, the region certainly lives up to its title. You’ll find fresh seafood, fabulous produce, and local wines in abundance, not to mention great beaches and stunning natural landscapes. There are also lots of opportunities to delve into the area’s intriguing Māori cultural heritage. All in all, this is a destination that caters for everyone, and whatever your interests you’re in for a fabulous holiday.
Here’s a checklist of our top ten things to do in the Bay of Plenty on a first visit.
Watch our video of ten top things to do on a North Island road trip:
Ten Amazing Things to Do on the North Island, New Zealand 2020 – The Big Bus
Welcome to The Big Bus tour and travel guide’s YouTube channel. In this video, we bring you ten amazing things to do on a road trip around New Zealand’s fabu…
1. Hit the beach
Pop a pair of togs on your packing list and splash down at any of the Bay of Plenty’s gorgeous beaches. They’re big, beautiful, and generally crowd free. Top options include Mount Maunganui Beach in Tauranga, the neighbouring 16-kilometre-long Papamoa Beach, gorgeous Ohope Beach outside the town of Whakatane, and up north, wondrous Waihi Beach. It’s considered to be one of the best all-round surfing spots in the country.
2. Bathe in a thermal pool
A soak in a thermal pool is an absolute must-do for anyone visiting New Zealand, and the Bay of Plenty has plenty of options to choose from. Thermal pools are thought to have healing properties due to their high mineral content, and they’ve been used for centuries to soothe aching bones and muscles. Located just 30 minutes from Rotorua or 45 minutes from Taupo, Waikite Valley has a number of different recreational pools to choose from, an eco walking trail that showcases evidence of the geothermal forces at work underground, and even camping options if you would like to stay overnight.
3. Explore local Māori culture
The Bay of Plenty is an important centre for Māori culture, and a visit to the Mitai Māori Village in Rotorua is an opportunity to learn more about the traditions of the First People. The Village’s Evening Experience includes a cultural presentation and hangi dinner, and you can add on other tourist activities (such as an evening visit to Rainbow Springs Nature Park to spot kiwi, or a 4WD buggy trip up to the peak of Mount Ngongotaha). Māori heritage is fascinating and an experience like this should not to be missed during your stay in the area.
4. Ride in a gondola at Skyline Rotorua
Lakeside Rotorua is packed with amazing attractions and you’ll need two or three days here to do it justice. One of the highlights is ever-popular Skyline Rotorua, which sits on the slopes of Mount Ngongotaha. Ride the gondola, conquer the luge, go ziplining and mountain biking, and brave the sky swing. When hunger strikes, head for Stratosfare Restaurant or keep it casual at Market Fair Cafe. A wine tasting room with a view showcases the locally crafted wares of Volcanic Hills Winery. Sample sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot gris, and of course, pinot noir.
5. Climb Mount Maunganui
If you are planning to visit Tauranga — the region’s biggest city — put a climb to the top of Mauao (Mount Maunganui) on your to-do list. The 45-or-so-minute walk to the summit of this dormant volcano is doable for anyone of average fitness, and will reward you with breathtaking views of the coastline and city. If the climb sounds a bit too challenging, then a leisurely walk around the base of the mountain is also a pleasure. Keep your eyes peeled for seals sunning themselves on the rocks.
If the weather is cool, round off your exploration of Mauao with a soak at the Mount Hot Pools. If it’s a scorcher, head across the road to Copenhagen Cones and dive into one of their popular waffle cone ice creams.
6. Try some top notch red wines
Red wine lovers, there’s an outstanding cellar door to visit just north of Tauranga. Levert and Mills Reef Winery is located in Katikati and offers wine tastings in a picturesque setting. The winery draws on fruit grown in Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough, and you’ll definitely be tempted to purchase a bottle or two from their stable of award-winning brands. The Mills Reef Collection is a local label and is best known for its Bordeaux-style reds.
7. Take a break in Ohiwa Harbour
If you want to plant yourself somewhere for a couple of days of solid R&R, Ohiwa Harbour is the ideal option. Stay at the Ohiwa Beach Holiday Park for easy access to the glittering harbour, golden beachfront, and surrounding countryside. Take a walk up the hill into Onekawa Te Mawhai Regional Park and enjoy the views from the historic pa site (Māori hilltop fort), or wait for dark and find your way to the local glow-worm grotto. Ohiwa Harbour is also a top spot for swimming, kayaking, and fishing, or, alternatively, doing not much at all!
8. Pay your respects to those lost on White Island
Sitting 50 kilometres off the coastline from Whakatane, Whakaari/White Island is New Zealand’s only active volcanic island. It tragically claimed the lives of 22 visitors in December 2019, when an eruption sent searing ash and toxic gas shooting 12,000 feet into the sky. Since that time there have been no on-land tours to the island, but it is still possible to see it from a safe distance and honour those lost in such terrible circumstances. There are several lookout points on the mainland that offer views of Whakaari, and 60-minute scenic flights around the island are operating. You may see dolphins, whales, and other marine life en route.
9. Chase waterfalls on a river rafting adventure
No holiday in New Zealand would be complete without getting the pulse racing at least once, and a white water rafting trip on the Bay of Plenty’s grade five Kaituna River will certainly do the trick! This activity is enjoyed by thousands of enthusiasts every year — and with good reason. It features the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world — Tutea Falls — a drop of seven metres! Most make it to the bottom without flipping over, but the occasional crew does go under. Calm waters follow and there’s plenty of time to get back in the boat. However, it’s not an experience for the faint-hearted!
10. Walk the Waitawheta Tramway
Those who prefer hiking by a river to being dunked in one should tackle the Waitawheta Tramway — a popular trail just out of Waihi (under an hour’s drive from Tauranga). It follows a 1920s-era tramline along the Waitawheta River through stunning Waitawheta Gorge. The 19-kilometre return trek can be completed in around eight hours, but is best done over two days (with a night spent at the 26-bed Waitawheta Hut). There are several river crossings — all of which are done by bridge. However, the last one requires a bit of a detour if you don’t want to get your feet wet!
Nearby Karangahake Gorge offers some some shorter-but-equally-epic trails (including the popular Windows Walk), and you can relax with refreshments in the gorgeous gardens at the Talisman Cafe.
For more travel inspiration, visit www.bayofplentynz.com.
Browse our range of New Zealand tours and experiences here.
Do you have any suggestions to add to our list of top things to do in the Bay of Plenty? We would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below.
Cover image: Tourism New Zealand/Fraser Clements. Additional images: Bigstock
About the writer
Hailing from Aotearoa New Zealand, Karllie Clifton is an avid midlife traveller and blogger who loves an adventure. In 2015, Karllie left her teaching profession, sold her home, and spent the next three years travelling full time. It sparked a real passion for budget solo travel, which she now loves to inspire others to do. In recent years, Karllie has visited more than twenty countries across three continents. She loves hiking and anything to do with the ocean.
