90-120 minute walk around a selection of geothermal features. Hot smelly steam. Vibrant coloured pools. Erupting mud. Enjoyed by all 4 of us (including kids 12&13). $85 for family of 4. The fact that your not going to see this sought of thing in many places makes it worth 5*.

This is a MUST DO location for any tourists. The geological wonder is a scene to behold. You feel the sheer strength of Mother Earth at close quarters, and also smelling the hydrogen sulphite all the way! The highlights for me was definitely the Champagne pool and the highly acidic fluorescent green Roto Karikitea pool, which I have taken many photos of and will remain part of my memory in NZ for years to come! Staff are very friendly and we also did some shopping at the tourist centre. Prices are reasonable. Cafe however is pretty average and very short-staffed, not unexpected after COVID19 pendemic.

We bought tickets in advance, which went smoothly. It took us roughly 2 hours to see everything in a slow pace. However, we didn’t understand that the Lady Knox-event was once a day at 10.15, so we had to come back another day for that which messed with some of our plans. Overall a cool place I would recommend most people to visit!

Went for a long day trip from Auckland (about 2 1/2 hours) and was worth the trip. First stop was the Lady Knox Geyser. You have to be there by 10am as the guide talks to the history of the site and then provides some product that makes the geyser performed on cue (a little manufactured but still good to see). A big crowd as COVID restrictions now lifted and then headed off to the self guided tour and was not disappointed. The steam and hot underground water / lakes / mud was superb and the only comment I would make is that the sign posts for the key sites are too brief and more information would be helpful. Well worth a visit and the teenage family really enjoyed.

One of our highlights of NZ! Stunning natural wonders that you won’t see anywhere else set amongst a relatively easy stroll. Incredible colors, geological wonders, and surprises. We thoroughly enjoyed walking through Wai-o-tapi for around 2 hours.

As marketed this really is a surreal place. In such a geothermal area there are others nearby but this park seemed to offer a range of sights that truly feel out of this world when in fact they are the very essence of it. 3 accessible walks which will stop you in your tracks to think wow! I would add the young lady on the ticket desk was so friendly also and I wish I’d caught her name. There is a cafe on site which looked good with reasonable prices although I didn’t try it as my pickup arrived. If you are in the Rotorua/Taupo area add this to your itinerary. You won’t regret the reasonable entry fee.

I visited this after seeing several other geothermal attractions earlier in the day and was blown away at this parks sights! Incredible geothermal ponds and sulphur craters and beautiful trails that take you to the most interesting green lakes. My personal favourite was the neon green pond you see on your way out… truly speechless! I will remember this park for the rest of my life.

I was unsure whether to go to this, or to Waimangu, and had only a couple of hours on my last morning in Rotorua. Decided on WaiOTapu because a Kiwi friend recommended it, and so glad I did! The Champagne Pool and Artist's Palette alone is worth it! I wish I could have stayed and admired the view for ages. I also saw the Lady Knox Geyser (real but induced) which was good, but not as good as the geothermal trail, so if you only have time for one, i would skip the geyser.

My wife and I are fortunate in that we have travelled a lot. My wife thought this park was a 4 out of 5. When you've seen places like Yellowstone and the Eastern Sierras in California, you have seen some pretty spectacular volcanic places. This was pretty mundane to me. The color photos on the web page are from one lake, other than the green pics. If you have never seen anything like this, then definitely go. If you've been to Yellowstone, don't.

This place is absolutely mind blowing (and it is difficult to impress me). When we left the site it felt like coming out of the movies. The site is full of bright-colored basins: yellow, orange, bright green…simply majestic. Both the lady Knox and thermal area are worth it (just make sure you get there by 10h15 for the geyser). My 8 and 10 years old kids loved it too and the full walk was totally doable even for them. The staff is super friendly and helpful. We lost our credit card on site and the manager himself took care of contacting us and make sure we would get it back and this has no price at all. If you are visiting the area, don’t miss it!