Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland
4.5
Monday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
"One of the 20 Most Surreal Places in the World" Trip Advisor THOUSANDS OF YEARS IN THE MAKING, explore spectacular nature at New Zealand's most colourful natural volcanic area. Walk at your own pace - view the unique Champagne Pool, Sinter Terrace formations, Steaming Ground, Bubbling Mud, Expansive Vistas, Huge Volcanic Craters. The Lady Knox Geyser erupts daily at 10.15am. Excellent facilities at modern Visitor Centre. We are a cashless site, accepting all major credit and EFTPOS cards.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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  • mark
    Yealmpton, United Kingdom8 contributions
    Geothermal sights and sounds
    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*.
    Visited December 2022
    Travelled with family
    Written 16 December 2022
  • Clement W
    Sydney, Australia38 contributions
    Geological wonder you cannot miss!
    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.
    Visited December 2022
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 26 December 2022
  • Daniel B
    Uppsala, Sweden28 contributions
    Fascinating and unique place
    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!
    Visited January 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 3 January 2023
  • gedwards45
    Melbourne, Australia213 contributions
    Fantastic Day - plenty to see
    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.
    Visited January 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 12 January 2023
  • Liz B
    San Francisco, California24 contributions
    Stunning natural wonders
    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.
    Visited January 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 25 January 2023
  • Carolyn T
    63 contributions
    Wow! Don’t miss visiting here.
    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.
    Visited February 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 18 February 2023
  • Maps716420
    9 contributions
    Incredible otherworldly experience!
    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.
    Visited February 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 21 February 2023
  • Berny P
    Sydney, Australia30 contributions
    Can't miss it!
    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.
    Visited February 2023
    Written 5 March 2023
  • Hillrun1
    Lahaina, Hawaii212 contributions
    Not What I Hoped For
    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.
    Visited March 2023
    Written 10 March 2023
  • silversnailch
    Cincinnati, Ohio2 contributions
    Simply mind blowing
    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!
    Visited April 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 8 April 2023
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4.5
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Michal1500
Warsaw, Poland79 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
The “unearthly” and “wonderful” descriptions are definitely overstated. The entire park isn’t too large (took us about 1.5h to wander around), with most of the sights being rocks and lakes in various shades of grey and brown, some of them exuding smelly gases. The only truly noteworthy part was the lime-like Roto Kārikitea; but it really is just a strange-colored pond and hardly worth the entry fee. If you’ve seen geothermal areas elsewhere (NZ or e.g. Iceland) - don’t bother. Even if you haven’t, consider if elsewhere may be better.
Written 1 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Smoltman
Courtenay, Canada9,064 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
This Thermal site is indeed a wonderland. The colours of the cauldrons, ponds and lakes are superb. They are constantly changing with the sun and cloud movement. The mist also brings its own intricate designs. A few up and down stairs but not too strenuous.
Well worth a visit- we spent over 2 hours here.
Written 11 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Pippa H
London, UK76 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Beautiful and fascinating geology. If you're in the area you should definitely go here to understand more about the geothermal activity in the area and see some beautiful geysers. There are multiple route options depending on how long you want to stay for, although it you have time I would recommend doing the longest one as some of the cooler stuff is at the end, like the green lake.
Written 11 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

whitey7
surrey173 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Visited Oct 2023.
Wow. one of the highlights of our 3 week tour of NZ (both north and south islands). As you enter the park and start your walk, you see little streams of clear blue water with a bit of steam in the distance, Blow holes still grumbling and bubbling and signposts explaining the different coloured staining (yellow sulphur, red iron etc.). As you progress, it just gets more and more dramatic, highlighting with the champagne pool which is 60 odd metres deep!
There are 3 walking routes, colour coded and after the champagne pool, it gets more subtle and the beauty starts to shine.
You will see water of colours you wouldn't think possible and views to stun the senses.
yes, sulphur smells. but it's what you expect and it wasn't anywhere near as bad as some make out.
Make this one stop and attraction you book and tick off. We loved it. Allow a full half day to see it all, longer if taking lots of photos. Which you really should.
We didn't bother with Lady Knox Geyser. Sorry but I cannot really find an alleged natural occurrence exciting when to make it erupt, they have to throw soap powder in it. So we swerved that but the rest of the park is just incredible.
Written 10 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

UdayDesai
Vadodara, India71 contributions
Nov 2023 • Friends
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Thermal park. We reached in time for the Lady Knox Geyser at 10.15 am. The best part was the Artist Palette pool during the first loop walk. Lovely colours!
Written 8 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

kylie w
Sydney, Australia4 contributions
Sep 2023 • Family
This is an astonishing place to visit. Well worth the effort. there isn't any point getting there before 10:00am as the safety talk etc all occurs at the Lady Knox Geyser. It doesn't start right on 10am so if you are short on time it's worth planning around this. Some people walked from the entry building to the Geyser which is in a different direction but it's longer than you imagine and most walkers had to grab a lift with one of the passing cars, not a walk for children.
We had a wonderful time as a family and even with lots of people in the park it never feels crowded. They didn't have maps available which was a pity, you could take a picture of a map they had on display but that didn't really work.
It is ceratinly different to the other geo thermal sites we saw and were really glad we had gone. It's all easy walking and well set up.
Written 9 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Exploration826854
2 contributions
Sep 2023 • Solo
Stunning! A must when visiting Rotorua! Not too far from downtown Rotorua. Took about an hour to go through the park, including the geyser. I’ve been to Yellowstone National Park in the United States and while it had similarities, it was uniquely beautiful and well worth my time.
Written 7 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mel C
San Francisco, CA6 contributions
Sep 2023 • Friends
This visit is a MUST if you love mud pools. The colors are amazing on sunny days! The entire walk is about 90 minutes, and the map is very helpful. Highly recommended!
Written 15 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kiwi A
New Plymouth, New Zealand99 contributions
Aug 2023 • Solo
It's definitely worth a visit, with a variety of landscapes and geothermal wonders to see. There are three walks you can do: 45 minutes, 60 minutes or 90 minutes - I did the 45min-walk and that was plenty.

I also saw the Lady Knox Geyser, which isn't much to see: it's set off in a way that makes me wonder about the health and safety of the staff, and lasts for maybe two minutes? Worth seeing if you're there for the morning show but the real selling point is the thermal wonderland walk.

There's a cafe and toilets on-site, and plenty of parking.
Written 2 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Trail586825
9 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
We loved this experience with our 13 and 11 year old. So many interesting things to see. Sadly we arrived too late for the geyser and talk ( only happens once per day) but still felt the price was appropriate for the walks wedding. Lots of walking so would not recommend for people with mobilty issues or very small children who want to run.
Written 27 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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WAI-O-TAPU THERMAL WONDERLAND: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland