5 Things to do in Rotorua in the Rain
We can’t always have blue skies and sunshine. If you find yourself in Rotorua on a rainy day, you could be tempted to hide under the duvet and wait for the clouds to clear. With so many options to keep you entertained on a rainy day in Rotorua, we urge you to come out from under that duvet and explore our top 5 rainy day activities.
Embrace the mud at Off Road New Zealand
Some Rotorua activities are even better in the rain! More rain means more mud and if you’re charging around rugged and remote native New Zealand bush in a 4WD monster truck, or testing your driving prowess on a series of off road obstacles at Off Road New Zealand, the muddier the better!
Get steamy at a geothermal area
Cloud and rain make the geothermal activity even more atmospheric and lead to some awesome photo opportunities. Stick on a rain jacket, bring an umbrella (or borrow one on site) and get out an explore Rotorua’s living, breathing geothermal activity at Waimangu Volcanic Valley.
Get wet anyway on the Kaituna River
Whitewater rafting is a perfect rainy day activity in Rotorua. It doesn’t matter if it’s raining when you’re wearing a wetsuit and rafting over the world’s highest commercially rafted waterfall. You’re going to get wet anyway, so you may as well embrace the water and jump right in! Rotorua is also the best place to warm up after your time on the river, which brings us to….
Soak in geothermal hot pools
There’s something quite special about sitting in warm geothermal water with cooling raindrops tapping on your shoulders.
When it comes to options for a hot swim on a rainy day in Rotorua, you’re spoilt for choice! With natural springs like Kerosene Creek, mineral mud baths at Hells Gate, or lakefront views at Polynesian Spa, you could spend the whole day hopping from pool to pool.
Catch a movie at the Basement Cinema
What do the Rotorua local’s do when it rains? You’ll find a few of them out in town catching a good movie. The Basement Cinema is a cute, independent theatre, tucked away from the main drag. Here you can see the blockbusters, the best of New Zealand made movies or often an eclectic range of international festival films. The two tiny theatres feel more like a living room and you can even take food and drink in from the bar.
