• Waimangu win two Rotorua Business Awards

    Excellence in Tourism and Innovation Awards

Waimangu Win Two Business Awards

We are rapt to be winners of two awards at the 2019 Westpac Rotorua Business Awards. The awards were held at the Energy Events Centre, a huge celebration of business success in Rotorua.

Innovation & Technology Award

Our application for the Innovation and Technology award focussed on the development of the Waimangu App. The App was launched in 2018 and is available free of charge to visitors on the geothermal walk and boat cruise.

The app brings history to life, telling stories of the creation of the Waimangu Volcanic Valley in the eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886. It uncovers the mystery of the lost Pink and White Terraces, which can now be seen through an augmented reality feature of the App on the Lake Rotomahana Boat Cruise. Guests can see how the valley has regenerated from total destruction and discover what lies beneath the surface of the World’s largest hot spring, Frying Pan Lake.

As one of the first tourism business to use technology in storytelling in this way, we feel that the App perfectly demonstrates our commitment to our mission statement, “Sharing our korero, our history. Delivering exceptional experiences to our manuhiri in a sustainable way.”

The award recognises a huge team effort, using scientific research from GNS Science and NIWA, working with local Digital Elements and Australian based Specialist Apps to bring the project to life.

Excellence in Tourism Award

Taking out the the Excellence in Tourism Award was the icing on the cake. This award reviews all areas of the business

Throughout 2018, an ambitious plan of projects was implemented across the business to raise profile of the attraction. This included a complete rebrand, creation of a new website, development of visual assets and implementation of new booking system and point of sale software. Product development has been a key focus, with the introduction of the Waimangu App and the development of guided products and catering offerings.

Waimangu also maintained the strong focus on sustainability that is core to its existence. As kaitiaki of the area, the commitment to the environment is taken very seriously at all levels of the organisation.

We are so proud of the whole team. It’s great for their hard work and dedication to be recognised in this way.

We’d like to congratulate all the finalists and winners of the awards. It was great to see so much talent and forward-thinking business in one room and what a great night!

See all the winners in the Rotorua Daily Post story here

  • What an unbelievable walk, really good information on both the brochure and on boards at strategic points. Lots of activity from the thermal vents and the lakes, it took us 3 hours to walk down, and after the boat around the lake we took the free bus back to the top, but you can walk back. A great day…

    Andy
    Hatherleigh, United Kingdom

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  • We had a great trip here - very organised walk with lots of information and fascinating views of the craters. The boat trip on the lake was very relaxing and timed to allow us to catch the bus back up. We had a good lunch back at the…

    Penny
    Brisbane, Australia

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  • So impressive and wonderful to tramp through...fantastic vapor whirls on the magnificent colorful lakes...great ferns with thousands of different shades of green.....amazing viewpoints to look down into the valley...awesome hues of ever changing volcanic terraces in different lights of the day....a great bus service for weary people or elderly ones to appreciate this veritable gem of…

    Thomas Rhöse
    Google Review

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  • A must-go in Rotorua, where you'll explore a stunning scenery of ferns and volcanic rocks and…

    Simone
    Brasillia

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  • A peaceful quiet walk in the rain. We came here on a rainy day, as there wasn’t much else to do outside when in rains in Rotorua. Staff was nice and walked us through the bus stops and how everything worked there. We paid the additional $5 to rent a heat thermometer gun (not sure was the actual name of it is). It was cool to see how hot the water was getting with the temperature gauge. This was a good place to go when it rains. The walkway is…

    Spring
    Texas

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  • We were fortunate to visit when there were no crowds and walked the valley in almost complete isolation which added to the mysterious and prehistoric feel. Everywhere we turned was a feast for the eyes. Our teenage son only wished we could have spent more time there. If you appreciate nature, enjoy an easy hike, want to see something unique Waimangu is for…

    Dianna
    Tokyo, Japan

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