I love this place and have been coming here for many years, however this last trip I was confronted by a number of things new removed. The first thing was no cafe anymore. and the second is no fish to feed as this area is well known for trout it was puzzling to see not one this trip. There is now an $18 entry fee but with no cafe of value-added services I feel this the operator will not see the numbers coming to visit.
I've been here before and it's a nice enough spot. Recently some greedy locals put up a fence and started charging for access.
I was expecting a couple of bucks per adult or something, as there's no visitor infrastructure in place, just the same old tracks; but they're asking $18 per adult. Total rip-off. For that kind of money I'd rather pay a little bit more and go to rainbow springs or paradise valley any day.
Greed has ruined another great spot.
The springs are as beautiful as ever and we were able to get a $10 locals pass, which covers 2 adults and 3 children for 1-year, which is great value! The locals pass is available for BOP residents.
The fact that Hamurana Springs is now back in the hands of Maori and not the Crown is a good thing and rightfully so, but I worry the regular ticket cost will be a deterrent to people visiting this beautiful place. On the other hand, it was blissfully quiet when we visited, with only one other couple there at the time.
It is definitely worth getting the locals pass if you’re eligible, but I’m not sure its good value at $18 per adult otherwise. Perhaps install more interpretative boards, produce an information brochure and an activity sheet for kids? You could also have a guide walking around or stationed at the springs to engage with guests? This would very much increase the ticket value and give more back to your visitors.
As a local, I recently headed off to Hamurana Springs with family from Auckland, who had been coming to Rotorua and enjoying this beautiful spot since the 1960s. Needless to say, our friends thought the new rates were over the top, so we drove off and found a 'free' walk at Okere Falls. We don't have a problem with a charge, but $18 for Kiwi 'out of towners' is just ridiculous. Hamurana Springs should be affordable for all, not just wealthy busloads of foreign tourists or rich New Zealanders. You are losing hoards of average Kiwi families of two adults and two children, who come to Rotorua in the holidays, wanting to enjoy Hamurana Springs with its bush, lookout, trout and bird life. These average Kiwi families will turn around and run a mile at the thought of paying these exorbitant prices and will be spending their money elsewhere, that's for sure.
Hello,
I have just called your office requesting a frequent visitors pass, however this is limited to Bay of Plenty residents only.
We are from Waiuku and are very very frequent visitors to Hamurana Springs and Rotorua, are owners at the local Ramada Resort and are extremely disappointed with the charge fee you are now wanting ...
We were wanting to bring our sons with us, one of whom is from Perth to experience this amazing wonderland.
We believe frequent visitors like ourselves should also be entitled to the locals pass, as should others like us.
We understand it costs to keep a place such as this but the fees are totally unreasonable, especially as there has been no charge since before end of last year. Perhaps you should rethink this and people like ourselves will once again visit.
We have a wedding in Feb with over 20 people coming from Australia, we will now also advise people to avoid Hamurana Springs due to this, on principle. We would have brought all of these people with us to visit.
Rotorua is an expensive place to do most things, Hamurana Springs was one of the rarities in the area that was free.
We would accept the fee same as locals. However were advised this was limited to Bay of Plenty only.
Please advise if you can do something otherwise unfortunately you will not see us again, our wedding visitors, and many others like us.
Kia ora Tania,
The good news is that as an owner in the local Ramada Resort you will definitely be eligible for the locals discount which is only $10 for a year and covers two adults and up to three children (ages 0 - 15). You will just need to bring I.D and Proof of address for the Ramada address (utility bill or mail correspondence) to the kiosk at the reserve to be issued with a locals card.
Further should the management for Ramada Resort wish to discuss a deal for their visitors then please advise them to contact office@hamurana.co.nz, and one of our team will be in touch.
We have made some significant upgrades across the reserve since 2017 which is reflected in the positive feedback received from visitors over the summer, further we expect more exciting developments to be finalised over the next couple of months. We hope that the above information has been useful and we would love to continue welcoming you and your family back to Hamurana Springs Nature Reserve.
Nga mihi,
Michael
