Some of the greatest walks in all the North Island can be found in Rotorua. And best of all, few people realise it, so you usually get them all to yourself. From incredible views of coloured mountains and steaming vents, to natural hot springs, ancient mossy forests, giant redwoods, stunning lakes and even a couple of night walk options where you can spot glow worms for free, Rotorua really does have it all.
We’ve walked every trail on this list personally and are covering options from very easy flat walks to slightly more challenging tracks (though none have tricky terrain).
Here are the best walks in Rotorua.
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1: Tarawera Trail
2: Te Auheke Track (Cascade Falls)
3: Redwoods Circuit
4: Lake Ōkāreka Walkway
5: Hamurana Springs
6: Tarawera Falls & Lake Outlet
7: Ngahopua Track (Twin Lakes)
8: Maunga Kākaramea Summit (Rainbow Mountain)
9: Pohutu Geyser Lookout Track
10: Whirinaki Waterfall Loop
11: Okere Falls Track
12: Mangorewa Track
13: Blue Lake Glow Worms
The best walks in Rotorua
1. Tarawera Trail - a gorgeous walk to a hot spring lake
Distance: 15.8km one way (we recommend taking a water taxi back)
Elevation gain: 570m
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
Trailhead: Tarawera Trail Car Park
Is there anything better than a beautiful walk followed by a long soak in a hot spring at the end?
Maybe a walk where you can soak in a hot spring part way along the trail too - which is exactly what you’ll find on the Tarawera Trail!
While the track itself is predominantly through the forest, it visits three hot springs, as well as a stunning crystal clear lake (which has real tropical island vibes!).
The Tarawera Trail is an easy to moderate track if you just walk one way. If you do it as a return I would class it as hard due to the distance and cumulative elevation gain. The track is generally in good condition, although some parts are a little overgrown.
The trail undulates for the majority of the way, with just two slightly steeper climbs. There is no tricky terrain, although you’ll find some short muddy patches if walking after prolonged or heavy rain.
You can read our detailed Tarawera Trail guide here.
2: The Te Auheke Track (Cascade Falls) - a mossy forest and glow worm cascades
Distance: 1.7km circuit
Elevation gain: 30m
Difficulty: Easy
Trailhead: Okataina Outdoor Education & Recreation Trust Car Park
Entering the incredible mossy forest of the Te Auheke Track feels like stepping onto the set of the Lord of the Rings. It has a wild and mysterious vibe and is perfect in any weather. We visited twice on rainy days and the dense canopy shields you from the worst of the elements.
It’s an easy walk and would be worth it for the forest alone, though the waterfalls do make it extra special.
Come back at night and you’ll find one of the best glow worm dells on the North Island. It’s not well known, so there’s a very high chance that you’ll get this dazzling night time display all to yourself, and it doesn’t get much more magical than that.
Almost the entire trail is flat, with just a couple of tiny undulations and one staircase along the way. The dirt path holds up really well even after a lot of rain.
There is one very short patch where you need to walk over a couple of rocks, but it’s easy enough and generally isn’t slippery.
The track is marked with orange triangles which are easy to follow in the daytime, but you do have to watch for them a little more carefully at night.
Here’s our full track guide, which includes where to find the glow worms.
3. Redwoods Circuit (Memorial Grove Track and the Waitawa Walk) - amazing redwoods & treeferns
Distance: 3.4km circuit
Elevation gain: 140m
Difficulty: Easy
Trailhead: Rotorua Redwood Forest Car Park
This easy circuit walk is spectacular from start to finish. You’ll wander under the impossibly tall redwoods before finishing the loop under towering tree ferns.
The mix of redwoods and native tree ferns is really striking and there’s even a turquoise blue spring early on in the trail.
When it comes to feeling immersed in the redwoods, this walk is hard to beat. We’ve done it many times and it never loses its magic. It’s really peaceful and relaxing and the excellent pathway means that you never have to watch your feet and can fully take in the beauty of the forest.
The trail is almost entirely flat and when there are short inclines they are very gentle.
If you’re also thinking about doing the paid Redwoods Treetop Walk, you can read our unbiased opinion on it here.
4. Lake ŌkārekaWalkway - a flat walk to a picturesque lake
Distance: 5.2km return
Elevation gain: 40m
Difficulty: Easy
Trailhead: Lake Ōkāreka Car Park
It’s rare that simply walking around a lakeshore would be one of my favourite walks, but Lake Ōkāreka is something special.
The trail takes you through a wetlands area alive with birdlife before heading around the gorgeous lake to a serene spot by the lake’s source. It may not sound overly exciting on paper, but it was a delight from start to finish.
I do think it was made more scenic because we lucked out with low wind and stunning late afternoon light, and on that note the spot beside the lake source is a lovely place to watch the sunset.
The water that lapped the small lakeshore beaches at the end of the trail was crystal clear and would be perfect for a swim in summer.
The walk begins and ends at the car park on Acacia Road, just up from the shore.
5. Hamurana Springs Walk - a leisurely loop to a natural spring
Distance: 1.7km circuit
Elevation gain: 70m
Difficulty: Easy
Trailhead: Hamurana Springs Nature Park & Golf Course
The Hamurana Springs Walk is on private land that you do have to pay to access, however, it’s almost always on Book Me where you can get a discounted ticket and it’s well worth seeing.
Hamurana Springs is a stunning blue spring which reminded us of the famous Putaruru Blue Spring, but without the crowds!
The very easy well-maintained path around the spring takes you through stunning forest that even includes a small Redwood grove. The trail is just beautiful and walking beside the electric blue water is very relaxing.
Towards the end of the walk you’ll reach the source of the spring which you’ll know by the bubbles and you are allowed to fill up your water bottle here!
Drinking straight from the spring is hard to beat - it’s cool, crystal clear and tastes so much better even than bottled water.
A visit here is definitely one of the best things to do in Rotorua.
6. Tarawera Falls and Lake Outlet Track - a dramatic waterfall and blue river
Distance: 10.6km return, or 1.5km return to visit the waterfall only
Elevation: 275m
Difficulty: Easy
Trailhead: Tarawera Car Park
Tarawera Falls is majestic. Water gushes from multiple cracks in the cliffside making for a unique and dramatic waterfall. However, it’s not the only incredible sight along the trail, you’ll also discover what must be the most beautiful river in all the North Island.
The turquoise blue water has to be seen to be believed and a dip here feels like you’ve entered a secret paradise. The whole area has a really special feel to it, the kind of place that has you dreaming of returning before you’ve even left.
The walk to Tarawera Falls is all on a good gravel path which is mainly flat, the second part of the hike takes you to the Tarawera Outlet and it’s also pretty easy, but does have a little elevation gain and some sections of slightly less manicured trail.
To walk this track you need to obtain a permit before you go. At time of writing permits are $10 per car and only available from the Kawerau I-site on weekends and public holidays. You can read more on the trail and the access road to reach the trailhead here.
7. Ngahopua Track (Twin Lakes Track) - beautiful crater lake views
Distance: 2.05km circuit
Elevation gain: 55m
Difficulty: Easy
Trailhead: Ngahopua Track
We initially chose this walk for the chance to get a glimpse of the volcanic lakes of Rotongata and Rotoatu, and whilst you do get a glimpse, the lakes were not in fact the highlight of the walk.
For us it was the stunning native forest that really stood out. It’s especially beautiful in the late afternoon light which cast golden rays between the trees and across the lakes.
The path is well maintained the whole way and even the narrower sections were not slippery. You climb up to the viewpoints over the lakes, but it’s never very steep, either on the ascent or descent and there’s also plenty of flat track too.
Although we walked this as a stand alone track, you can link it up to form a bigger circuit which you can read about on the DOC website.
8. Maunga Kākaramea Summit Track (Rainbow Mountain Track) - a volcanic lake and colourful mountain views
Distance: 6.8km return to the summit, 1km return to the crater lake
Elevation gained: 350m
Difficulty: Easy to the crater lake and moderate to the summit
Trailhead: Rainbow Mountain Car Park
Rotorua’s Rainbow Mountain offers one of the best views in the whole area. A volcanic blue lake sits in front of red steaming cliffs creating a scene so mesmerising it’s hard to turn away.
Continuing further up the mountain along the summit track offers more great views (though none come close to the first view), including a panorama over the surrounding countryside and distant volcanoes from the top.
The most spectacular viewpoint along the trail is very quick and easy to reach, so even if you don’t fancy a longer walk, it’s well worth the short drive out of town.
If you’re only interested in going to the crater lake viewpoint then the trail is easy. It’s a good gravel path and only a very slight incline. If you want to head to the summit it gets steeper, but it’s rarely what I’d describe as very steep.
The path is generally in good condition all the way to the top, although there are a few rocky and muddy patches.
You can read our full trail guide here.
9. The Pohutu Geyser Lookout Track - a free view of the famous geyser
Distance: 3.7km return to the geyser lookout, or 4.9km return to all four lookouts
Elevation gain: 77m for the geyser lookout, or 110m for all four lookouts
Difficulty: Easy, but not flat
Trailhead: NZ Mountain Biking Car Park
This walk follows the Pohaturoa Track up to a free viewpoint over the Pohutu Geyser.
The view is great, far better than we were expecting for a free lookout, however, although a pleasant trail, this isn’t one of the prettiest parts of the forest by any means, so it’s definitely all about that geyser view.
If you’re already going into the Te Puia thermal park, then it’s not really worth also doing this trail, especially if your time in Rotorua is limited, but otherwise it’s fun to see the steaming vents from up high.
The walk heads steadily uphill much of the way, but is never steep and the track is in very good condition. It is a shared use path at first, though not a busy one generally speaking.
You can read more in our detailed track guide here.
10. Whirinaki Waterfall Loop Track - a hidden mossy canyon
Distance: 10.7km circuit
Elevation gained: 200m
Difficulty: Easy
Trailhead: Whirinaki Forest Car Park
Setting foot in Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park - Whirinaki Forest - is to follow in the footsteps of dinosaurs. The beauty and majesty of this 200 million year old forest can be felt as much as seen, with a definite aura of peace and serenity.
It contains some of the biggest trees in all of New Zealand and walking under the incredible forest canopy is almost a meditative experience.
As well as the breathtaking forest, there are also multiple waterfalls and an absolutely spectacular moss covered canyon.
The Whirinaki Waterfall Loop Track is an easy trail, there are a few ups and downs but no steep climbs. The path is generally in very good condition, with little in the way of mud, despite the fact we were visiting during a wet spell in winter.
There are a couple of narrow sections of track but overall the terrain is good.
You can read more in our full guide to Whirinaki Forest.
11. Okere Falls Track - spotting adrenaline junkies raft a 7m waterfall
Distance: 3km return
Elevation gain: 100m
Difficulty: Easy
Trailhead: Okere Falls Scenic Reserve Car Park
The Okere Falls Track a pretty bush walk which showcases three thundering waterfalls, a gorgeous emerald swimming hole and even a secret glow worm cave if you are up for an adventure after dark.
There are also several great spots if you simply want to watch the rafters - this is one of New Zealand’s premier whitewater rafting destinations and you can watch people shoot over the highest commercially raftable waterfall in the world!
The path is well maintained the whole way, and while there are a few ups and downs, there are no long climbs, so it’s quite leisurely.
Here’s our full guide which covers where to spot the rafters and where to find the glow worms after dark.
12. Mokaihaha Track - a beautiful old growth forest
Distance: 2.1km circuit, or 4km return
Elevation gain: 86m
Difficulty: Moderate due to the terrain
Trailhead: Northern section of the Mokaihaha Track
The Mokaihaha Track offers a chance to walk through the kind of forest you’ll find on the Milford Track, but it’s just a short drive from Rotorua!
The forest was never logged so it has that primordial feel with twisted roots and gnarled branches dripping in moss. The inconspicuous narrow dirt track weaves its way through the forest leaving little mark and only adding to the otherworldly atmosphere.
The path is much less manicured than any other on this list and as such can get muddy and slippery. There are some ups and downs and after rain little sections of the track can feel quite slick.
We only walked a short 2.1km circuit (to make the shorter loop you turn right at the signpost after the lake) here rather than the whole track due to the slippery mud following lots of rain, but even that small walk was incredible and very much worth it for those that love old growth forests.
If it’s been wet it’s also known for its fairytale like small blue mushrooms (Entoloma hochstetteri), though they are most commonly spotted in autumn and we sadly didn’t get lucky.
The road to reach the trailhead is unsealed and the parking place is not so obvious to spot, but DOC has you covered on the directions here.
13. The Blue Lake (Lake Tikitapu) Circuit by night
Distance: 600m return
Elevation gain: Flat
Difficulty: Easy
Trailhead: Blue Lake Circuit Trailhead
We could easily have included this walk as a day time option too because the lake is gorgeous, but for something a little different we recommend heading here after nightfall. This is when you'll discover one of Rotorua's best, and easiest to access glow worm dells.
After walking along the lake shore for a couple of hundred metres you will turn briefly into the forest and 100m later come to the magical hidden glow worm dell.
Glow worms line the cliff walls all the way along to the end of the dell, where you’ll see even more on the back wall (hundreds of them!).
It's an incredible experience and one you are likely to get all to yourself as it's not a well known glow worm spot.
All the details on exactly where to park and how to find the glow worms are in this guide.
Getting to Rotorua
Rotorua is located in the Bay of Plenty Region and is just under a three hour drive from Auckland and 5.5 hours from Wellington. You can also take the bus from various cities on the North Island and this usually takes a little longer.
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All the best walks in Rotorua from people who have actually done them; including ancient mossy forest, giant redwoods, stunning lakes and even a couple of night walk options where you can spot glow worms for free!