Best Time to Visit Rotorua

November to April

Months to avoid: June to August (coldest months, short days, some outdoor activities less enjoyable, though geothermal sites are year-round)

Recommended stay: 3-4 days

Plan Rotorua for November to April. Give it 3-4 days. The window to avoid is June to August (coldest months, short days, some outdoor activities less enjoyable, though geothermal sites are year-round).

What the season gets you

• Wai-O-Tapu at 10:15am when the Lady Knox Geyser erupts: a ranger pours soap in to trigger it, which feels like cheating until a column of boiling water shoots 20 metres into the air and nobody cares anymore
• The Redwood Forest mountain bike trails are some of the best-developed in New Zealand, with everything from flat family loops to technical descents through 100-year-old California redwoods
• A hangi dinner and cultural evening at a genuine Maori-owned venue is a three-hour experience of song, haka, and food slow-cooked underground in geothermal steam that most visitors leave wishing they had spent more time on