Rotorua: Family survival tips

Lake Tikitapu - otherwise known as the Blue Lake - is ideal for swimming and picnicking. Photo / Daily Post

Free fun
A family jaunt to Rotorua need not cost an arm, a leg or your firstborn.

Less than 10 minutes' drive from the town centre, Lake Tikitapu - dubbed the Blue Lake - is ideal for swimming and picnicking. On the edge of town, walk or picnic among towering Californian Coastal Redwoods in Whakarewarewa Forest (get maps and info from the visitor centre, ph (07) 350 0110), or hit neighbouring mountain bike trails. Both of these places are perfect antidotes to attraction fatigue; our children tend to drag their feet when too many activities are pressed upon them. They need time to run and play without reading interpretive signs or being strapped into a scary ride or looking at one more cluster of bubbling mud pools.

More free fun can be had on the waterfront right beside town. While the lake is not attractive for swimming, the playground here is fabulous and there is an endless procession of boats and float planes, swans, ducks and people to watch. A walkway skirts the lake edge and the golf course and tucks in behind the museum, passing plenty of thermal activity along the way. The expansive museum grounds are another great free play space.

Kuirau Park, near Rotorua Hospital, has another great playground and plenty of geothermal activity.

Where to eat
In general, people who appreciate good food should avoid the cafes and cafeterias at Rotorua's top attractions. The fare at these assembly line places is frequently so-so at best. One notable exception is the Buried Village - it's not gourmet food but it's good home-style cooking and parents can sit on generous decking and watch their children climb trees nearby.

Fat Dog is an established, relaxed favourite with decent food, a good $8 menu for children, mismatched furniture, high chairs and a box of toys. It's so busy and noisy that no one will notice junior climbing on the table.

Capers has a wee room with a television and video and some younger children's wall-mounted activities. Good salads for the parents.

Gelatamore does gorgeous Italian frozen confections that look almost too good to eat. Almost.

If you're in the neighbourhood, there are two notable out-of-town options. Essence Café, in quiet Ngongataha village, is a few minutes' drive from the luge, Rainbow Springs, the Agrodome and the woodchopper's show. Lovely food and a big roadside courtyard where the kids can tear around.

Near Lake Rotoiti, Okere Falls Store is a legend in its own time, for fabulous fresh deli meals, loads of organic fare and a newish garden bar and sand pit out back.