Cycling and soaking in Rotorua

PANORAMA: Expansive views of Lake Rotorua and the town await cyclists at a high point of the Whakarewarewa Forest Loop cycle trail. Picture by Graeme Murray

Unleash your own sense of spring fever and embrace the elements around Rotorua.

The thrills are free on the lakefront boardwalk, a fresh development which has just been completed. There are some truly beautiful touches, like the lookalike silica terraces that cascade down to the water's edge. Your kids will love the colossal new playground too.

Another recent addition to the outdoor arsenal of attractions is the Whakarewarewa Forest Loop, a 33km trail through the soothing finery of the forest's tall timbers and tree ferns, underpinned by those famed pumice soils, with mud pools bubbling alongside the track.

With a spooling reel of ups and downs, runs, flats, berms and hairpins, this exhilarating new addition to Rotorua's treasury of world-class bike trails is a banner attraction. The climax is an eagle's view across to Lake Rotorua. Accentuating the atmos, you'll love the collection of five Māori art installations, including a piece crafted from a 10-tonne rock that was thrust into the forest by nature's fury during Tarawera's 1886 eruption.

Most of the trail is classified Grade 2 with some Grade 3 sections. Make lighter work of it by knocking off the entire loop on an e-bike, in under three hours. Alternatively, grab a trail map and you'll see the Loop is like a roundabout with multiple entry and exit points, so it's easy to do a distilled version of it. offers bike hire from the start/end of the trail at Waipa, including e-bike rentals.

For a complete change of scenery, I headed to the northern side of Lake Rotorua, to surrender to the enchanting beauty of Hamurana Springs Nature Reserve. The walk takes you through a stately grove of century-old redwood trees, flanked by the Hamurana Stream, crystal-clear water cast in vivid hues of emerald, jade and turquoise. The climax of the walk is the lookout platform, gazing down on the deepest natural fresh water spring in the North Island, Te Puna-a-Hangarua. The water for the springs and stream actually originates from the Mamaku Plateau. It takes about 70 years for the water to make its way through underground aquifers before resurfacing at the spring. From here, it flows into Lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti before plunging down the Okere Falls in the Kaituna River, making its way to Maketu and emptying into the Pacific Ocean. What a journey!

Speaking of Lake Rotorua's neighbouring sibling, Lake Rotoiti was my next stop. The prized real estate around this languid body of water at Okawa Bay sells at eye-watering prices. Before hitting the water, I met up with Matt Horder, the brains behind Pure Cruise and Rotoiti Water Shuttles. Matt's luxury catamaran, Tiua, has become a familiar sight at Rotoiti. He sailed her to New Zealand from the Caribbean and the vessel has been available for luxury charters on Lake Rotoiti for the past 13 years. But Matt has decided to change it up and for the past 18 months, he's been beavering away on an exciting project that is coming to fruition. His new vessel under construction is called Project Airstream, inspired by a decade of feedback from Pure Cruise's clients and crew.

The Pure Cruise team have conceived, designed and are now building a unique nine-metre-long pontoon vessel with electric drive. Its shape, form and finish have drawn inspiration from the vintage 1960s US Airstream caravans, World War 2 aircraft and luxury Italian speed boats.

The shiny exterior looks like the typical polished aluminium Airstream, while the interiors have a stripped back aircraft look and feel, with curved side windows. Seating 24 guests, you'll bask in plush leather, with high gloss native timber tables and ceiling detail. There are ingenious touches, like how the sides of the vessel are able to be lowered and locked in place by rotating couches, forming a swim platform and sunny lunch perch on both sides of the boat. Can you imagine a dreamier way to drift through the secluded bays of Lake Rotoiti? I can't. This silent running, floating work of art is set to be launched later this spring. Stand by for Rotorua's new summer sensation. (For more information, check out .

Few places can beat the lakefront splendour of Rotoiti's hot pools at Manupirua Springs. This secluded geothermal paradise is accessible only by boat or floatplane. The eastern shores of Lake Rotoiti have geothermal activity beneath them and are home to numerous hot sulphur springs including the Manupirua thermal springs, which feed the hot pools. Māori and local settlers have been using these thermal waters for bathing since 1849. The springs became a commercial venture in 1914. This is off-the-beaten-track bathing in excelsis. Soak in any of the eight hot pools, whizz down the slide and into the lake to cool off, paddle at the hot water beach, or grab a snack from the café.

My Rotorua basecamp was the Sudima Lake Rotorua, which has all the facilities and features you'd expect from a Qualmark 4-star hotel, including a heated pool and kid zone, plus a cracking buffet breakfast. I scored a great deal on .