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The unexpected long weekend proved a busy one for many in Rotorua with accommodation bookings peaking at 80 per cent occupancy rates on Saturday night.
Business owners say international tourists are returning to the city in numbers that promise a great summer ahead.
Three tourists from Sydney, Australia were amongthe crowds flocking to a busy Rotorua Lakefront on Sunday morning.
Jane Woodhead said the Redwood forest was her favourite place to visit.
Woodhead said she thought Rotorua was the perfect tourist destination.
Woodhead's friend Dianne Moral said she had never seen trees as tall as the Redwood pines. Moral had also enjoyed a visit to Tearriffic.
"I had bubble tea by the [Rotorua] lakefront. It was really good."
Suzanne Riley, a chef and hospitality worker from Australia, said she was in Rotorua for the day on Sunday.
"We had lunch by the lakefront and went for a walk."
Riley said this was her third time visiting New Zealand but there were still many places she had not seen before.
"I was determined to go out and see things," Riley told the Rotorua Daily Post.
"The highlight's been just to see the beauty. To compare it to what I know of Australia, the natural beauty and the greenness is much more rugged, more wild."
Riley said what was special about Rotorua was the culture but if she had any complaints to make about New Zealand they were mainly about driving.
"I do find New Zealanders are very aggressive drivers and another thing is that the signage is pathetic."
Wu said many of her guests were on working holiday visas and stopped in Rotorua for a holiday on the way to their jobs in the South Island.
Rotorua Accommodation Network chair and Aura Accommodation owner Nick Fitzgerald said more international visitors had been making their way to Rotorua since September.
"At Aura, we're [seeing] unusually high numbers of international visitors for the season.
Fitzgerald said there was "pent-up demand" for travel overseas.
"We've seen that firsthand through winter. I'm very optimistic about summer."
"In the accommodation sector, we're in the best position to say what summer will look like because we have forward bookings.
"At the moment we're tracking well ahead of any previous year."
Rotorua NZ chief executive Andrew Wilson. Photo / Andrew Warner
Rotorua NZ chief executive Andrew Wilson said on Friday that accommodation bookings in Rotorua were "looking great" with occupancy rates peaking at 80 per cent on Saturday.
"All of the indications for summer are looking extremely positive and we are expecting we'll be very busy given the full events calendar for Rotorua between now and March next year, along with international visitors set to return in significant numbers."
Rākai Jade owner and carver Lewis Tamihana Gardiner said there was more foot traffic in town on Saturday.
"It seemed like there were more people around. We had plenty of inquiries and browsers on Saturday but not sales."
Gardiner said Rākai Jade was already "way too busy" working on completing commissioned work and staff shortages had prevented the store from opening regularly on Saturdays.
Te Puia chief executive Tim Cossar. Photo / Andrew Warner
Te Puia chief executive Tim Cossar said staff were optimistic about the summer ahead.
"We have enjoyed a steady increase in manuhiri since international borders reopened and our team is looking forward to the summer season with excitement and a renewed sense of confidence.
"After two difficult years for the tourism industry, we're all hoping for a warm, restriction-free, busy summer."
