TIME PERMITTING ONLY: Beautiful and spacious gardens near the centre of Rotorua. The Government Gardens offer a bowling club, petanque, croquet and a golf course. Within the gardens, you'll also come across various points of interest that include the 1927 Arawa Soldiers Memorial, a number of geothermal features and the Kwaqiulth Totem Pole. The beautifully maintained gardens are a short walk to Lake Rotorua, the town centre and the wildlife refuge of Sulphur Bay. The land is one of legend and historical importance to the local Maori people, with a number of significant battles having taken place. The original Maori owners gifted the 50 acres of land in the late nineteenth century for 'the benefit of the people of the world'. The Government Gardens is also home to the Rotorua Museum , Polynesian Spa and the Blue Baths. The restored Blue Baths offer the opportunity to enjoy a dip in the warm waters and relax in an architecturally stunning building.

TIME PERMITTING ONLY: Located at the southern end of Lake Rotorua, Sulphur Bay is a perfect example of Rotorua's famous geothermal environment. The constantly changing landscape around the bay has everything visitors to Rotorua could wish for. Silica flats, rocky terraces, and sulphur ledges sit alongside active boiling mud pools and steam vents. Even the water is interesting, its milky colour the result of sulphur particles that are suspended in the water. The bay's closeness to feeding grounds and the warmth generated by the geothermal activity, means the area attracts many native birds. Fans of bird watching can spot around 60 different species here including the banded dotterel, the scaup, and three types of gull in this protected wildlife reserve.

TIME PERMITTING ONLY: Known to locals simply as ‘The Redwoods’, the 55,000ha Whakarewarewa Forest is a playground for mountain bikers, walkers, hikers and horse riders set amongst magnificent stands of towering Californian Redwoods, lush native forest and exotic trees. The Redwood Memorial Grove was planted in 1901, dedicated to the memory of the men of the New Zealand Forest Service who dies in the two World Wars. These iconic trees tower above you at approximately 67 metres (219 feet) tall providing incredible photo opportunities. This easy short walk also features a boardwalk over an old thermal pond, home to unique aquatic plant life.