Rotorua's Essential 50: Day 1 - Kuirau Park

GREAT SPOT: Rebecca Malcolm and her children, Alex, 4, and Izzy, 1, think Rotorua's Kuirau Park is an essential 'must do'. PHOTO/STEPHEN PARKER 011213SP15.

The Kuirau Park Flea Market could quite possibly be the only market surrounded by bubbling mud and hot steam, and is one feature that makes Kuirau Park a Rotorua essential.

Where else can you walk among geothermal activities, soak your feet in hot water, watch the ducks, play on the swings and, if you time your visit right, buy a wide range of goods?

There's much more to Kuirau Park too. The park is home to a fortnightly book and magazine sale, organised by the Friends of the Rotorua Library, and there's the sensory garden where you can smell a variety of scents. If you look closely you might also spot a kereru (wood pigeon) swoop from the trees.

It's best to stick to the paths in the geothermal area - in 2001 mud and rocks the size of footballs were suddenly hurled 10 metres into the air as a new steam vent was formed. There have been more eruptions to keep the park evolving.

"Kuirau Park is an essential because it's such an iconic part of Rotorua," said Rotorua Daily Post reporter Rebecca Malcolm, who nominated the park.

"There's a cool playground there for kids with a range of different activities, then there's the duck pond, the footbaths, the little sprinkler and paddling pool area in summer and of course all the geothermal. By it's very nature the geothermal is changing all the time, so it's always exciting for the kids to see what's bubbling away where and they love being able to explore and walk through the steam - and they're learning while they're doing it."

Kuirau Park Flea Market manager Rick Mansell said they believed the market was unique.

"Kuirau Park is the epitome of the thermal area in the region. I'd say we're the only market with boiling water and bubbling mud around us."

The Rotorua Daily Post Essential 50 lists the city's must-see, must-do and must-try activities and experiences. We'll be highlighting one every day over summer.