This park was well worth the 20 minute drive south from Rotorua. I had visited the Te Puia thermal park previous to this one. Although I was blown away by the erupting geyser there and enjoyed the Maori Cultural show I preferred the more natural environment of Wai-o -tapu.
There are tracks to walk around a variety of thermal areas. This park features the largest silica terrace in the southern hemisphere and the famous Champagne Pool.
This area is associated with volcanic activity dating back 160,000 years and is located on the edge of a volcanic caldera.
When you visit this park you have the opportunity to do 3 different walks, each having a unique vista and providing a natural experience. There are many graphics along the way to help visitors understand the thermal acitivity and what has caused these incredible geothermal wonders. The colours seen in this area are vibrant and caused by different mineral elements. If you want a more natural experience I would recommend Wai-o-tapu

The smell of rotten eggs, the fumes, the smoke and the boiling mud. These are some of the things you will see here. It i basicly a park, marked out with pathways that are clearly marked with yellow arrows. It is something you have to see and expirence a whole lake smoking. If you want to catch a geyser, you should come early and make sure to look up when the geyser show is. it is 1 to 2 times a day and is a big geyser. the thing about this is that it is not 100% on a timer. what the park does is that it has a normal time you can come every day, and then when people are gathered, they poor soap down the geyser so it will make a reaction. 1 minute later or so, you got a geyser. You have to see this place for youreself so go, go go...

This Thermal Wonderland is simply great. In the morning around 10:00am you first gonna watch the geysier 'Lady Knox' spitting. For me it was the first time I ever seen such a thing so it was fantastic. Later you walk through that park with all different kinds and colors of thermal activity... I especially liked the neon-green lake! A tip: Close by but out of the tourist area near the street in the forest is a small free hot spring... Check it out it was so worth it!

There are several places around Rotorua to see the thermal activity, but none compare to Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. The thermal park located in Rotorua does not even begin to compare. It's worth the drive to get to the good stuff.

My favorite of the thermal areas surrounding Rotorua/Taupo.  The colors are amazing and there are several paths to take for views of all the different pools.  We took a lot of guests here and they all enjoyed it.