Rotorua packs a lot into a weekend, writes Alexia Santamaria.
Picturesque lakes in multiple hues, adventure tourism, lush forests and unique geothermal activity all make Rotorua an incredibly popular holiday destination for overseas guests. But it may be surprising to learn that less than half of Rotorua's visitor spend is from international folk and 55 per cent comes from Kiwis playing tourist in their own country — as I did last month.
We arrived after work on a Friday night, delighted to find our hotel was not only on the lakefront, but also right next to Polynesian Spa. As the pools were open till 11pm it seemed rude not to head there for a soak — and we were glad we did, as the views of twinkling lights over beautiful Lake Rotorua in the still night air were pure central North Island magic.
We progressed from an initial 36C bathing temperature to 42C, relaxing more with each move from pool to pool. We watched loved-up couples gaze into each other's eyes and groups of friends pose for that look-at-us-in-paradise social media shot as we proceeded to melt into the healing waters of the Rachel and Priest spring, physically feeling the working week lose its grip.
After lounging on the heated chairs way too long, we dragged ourselves out, our relaxed bodies almost floating the 150m to our accommodation, past plumes of steam coming off the lake. I can't imagine how odd that kind of casual geothermal activity must look to tourists — just a gently boiling lake, no big deal.
