White-water sledge and raft in Rotorua

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A must-do when you travel through New Zealand is rafting or white water sledge in Rotorua. The Kaituna river is one of the few places in the world where you will experience real challenges while rafting.  It has a more than 7 meters high waterfall as a highlight, the highest commercial waterfall in the world. One for the bucket list right!?

Where is it?

Rotorua is located slightly north of the center of the New Zealand North Island, 60 kilometers south of Tauranga, and 105 kilometers southeast of Hamilton. The city has about 55,000 inhabitants and is located in an area with a lot of geothermal activity. When you drive through Rotorua you will discover this quickly. At the most weird places you will find steam coming from the ground, and the characteristic sulfur air welcomes you long before you arrive in the center of the city.

Where to stay

Almost every hostel and campsite in Rotorua offers trips to the natural whitewater, however we recommend the Koura Lodge (if you are not on a budget). It has a great location right on the lake. When we arrived we went kayaking, got in the hot tub and finished off by cooling in the lake. Just perfect.

Best time to visit 

We recommend visiting Rotorua in summer (December, January and February) because when the Glacier melts it fills the rivers. Click here for the average weather in Rotorua.