Wai-O-Tapu is one of, if not the, most popular geothermal tourist hot spots in New Zealand, but with a price tag of $45 per adult, is Wai-O-Tapu worth it? Especially when you can see (and smell) the geothermal activity for free or for considerably cheaper all throughout Rotorua.

We’re not usually fans of big touristy activities but we love anything to do with nature and when you’re in an area that’s as unique as Rotorua, it was hard to resist. So we bit the bullet, held our breaths and spent the day at Wai-O-Tapu; New Zealand’s Geothermal Wonderland.

Spoiler; Yes. Wai O Tapu is 100% worth the money…. In the winter. Continue reading for our full Wai O Tapu review

Wai-O-Tapu footpath with steam

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This post was originally written in 2019 but has recently been updated for 2024 prices & info

What’s Special About Wai-O-Tapu

What is Wai-O-Tapu, you ask?

It’s a geothermal area of New Zealand’s volcanic centre. It’s home to some of the most bizarre natural wonders I’ve ever seen – or smelt. They call the tourist park a geothermal wonderland, I’m guessing because you can get lost here exploring what mother nature has created.

Where Is Wai-O-Tapu

Wai O Tapu thermal wonderland just a 1 hour drive South from Rotorua’s town centre, a route that will have you driving down roads with volcanic craters hidden in the bushland that cause either side of the road to steam. It almost looks like a scene from an apocalyptic movie!

If you’re travelling New Zealand without your own car, or your trip is restricted to Auckland, you can join a small group tour to Wai O Tapu and the Rotorua area

Wai O Tapu Prices

Wai O Tapu isn’t the cheapest thing to do in New Zealand, especially for large groups. 

Wai O Tapu tickets are:

  • $45 per adult
  • $15 per child
  • $105 for a family of 2+2 or 2+3

It’s important to note that Wai O Tapu is now a cashless business, meaning you can only pay with a card. They do however accept all major credit cards & card providers. 

Wai O Tapu opening hours are from 8:30am to 4:30pm but be sure to check their website as it is subject to change.

dying tree with blue lake in the background
Decay. A piece from our portfolio. Taken at Blue Lake in Wai-O-Tapu

Why Does Wai-O-Tapu Smell?

Once you’ve bought your tickets and gone through the security gates – yep, they have security checking tickets and stamping hands – your senses will be hit with their first wave of what Wai-O-Tapu has to offer… the smell.

Don’t worry. It isn’t the toilets or drains, it’s actually coming from the ground!

The earth is high in Sulphur around Rotorua, thanks to all the volcanic activity that’s been happening over the years.

When the sulphur is released into the atmosphere, it, unfortunately, causes the eggy smell that you’ll experience for your entire time in and around Rotorua.

I wish I could tell you that you’ll get used to it, but for me, it hit me like a tonne of bricks every time I passed through a cloud of steam. I thought I had a strong stomach when it came to smells, Rotorua taught me otherwise!

Exploring more of the North? Read about our time at Mount Taranaki!

Things To Do In Wai O Tapu

Lady Knoxx Gassier

One of the main attractions in Wai-O-Tapu is the Lady Knox Geyser which is a natural tower that was created by volcanic activity.

This geyser is forcefully set off everyday at 10:30am, so if you want to see a bit of volcanic explosion, be sure to get there in time for this!

Artists Pallet and Champagne Pools

The park is made up of a series of paths that will take you past a lot of really cool lakes and craters. The first major attraction, after Lady Knoxx, is Artist’s Pallet and Champagne Pools.

Artists Pallet was formed by overflow water and minerals from Champagne Pools. You can see a beautiful mixture of blues, greens, yellows and orange scattered across the rocks, even though the colours aren’t as defined when the sun is high in the sky.

The boardwalk goes straight across Artists Pallet, so you can actually walk through the geothermal steam that comes off the water too!

Champagne Pools is a lot more dramatic than Artists Pallet due to its defined colours. This pool is over 62m deep in places and was formed roughly 900 years ago after an underground volcanic eruption caused the ground to collapse.

Since then it’s filled with water but the heat from deep underground still bubbles to the top, which is what gives it its famous fizzing effect – and it’s the reason behind the name.

The bright orange colour around the rim is caused by a build-up of the minerals orpiment and realgar (which, after a google, turn out to be sulphides of arsenic) that rises to the top with the bubbles.

The temperature of Champagne Pools is around 75’c at the surface but temps of over 200’c have been recorded at the depths… so it kicks out a lot of heat and a lot of sulphuric stinks too.

Mud Craters & The Blue Lake

After Champagne Pools the track winds through several open craters, some with bubbling mud in the bottom and some so deep I didn’t dare lean over the fence to see how far it goes.

Blue Lake is at the furthest point of the walks, and in the right light you can see its vivid blue colour. This again is due to minerals in the water and the atmosphere being just right for a chemical reaction. Keep your eyes open for the gecko too, he’s pretty hard to miss.

An image of champagne pools at Wai-o-Tapu showing the geothermal activity and sulphuric colours of the rock

The ground is always changing in these areas, so it’s really important that people stick to the marked paths to avoid any crumbling and unstable ground.

The Devil’s Bath

Our favourite part of the geothermal wonderland was without a doubt Roto Kārikitea, or more commonly known as The Devil’s Bath.

This lake looks exactly how it does in the photos, which really surprised me. I always thought the colours might have been slightly tweaked to make it look more vibrant but nope. It really is a fluorescent green.

The Devil’s Bath is a sunken pool, formed in the crater of a volcanic eruption. Its magnificent colour comes from the fact that this pool is made up of mostly sulphur.

While there aren’t isn’t any spectacular volcanic activity going on here like what you’ll see at other pools, the colour and the eerie feel around this particular pool is what made it our favourite part of the whole day. It looks almost like a chemical spill that has come straight from a comic book.

A bright green geothermal pool

Natural Mud Jacuzzi

If you haven’t had enough of watching the ground boil by the time you reach the end of Wai-O-Tapu, you can see more ‘natural mud Jacuzzis’ if you swing by the mud pools on your way out.

These are just outside the geothermal wonderland so they’re free to visit too! As my little nickname suggests, these mud pools are bubbling pools of mud, formed by escaping hot gases travelling up from deep underground. It’s scorching so don’t get too close and watch out for any stray explosions! It can get pretty messy when the activity peaks.

Can You Swim At Wai O Tapu

Absolutely NO! When researching, I was really surprised to find this as one of the most frequently asked questions and it explains why there are so many signs saying don’t touch the water! Guys, Wai O Tapu is geothermal. The water is scalding hot.

Is Wai-O-Tapu worth it?

Now you know a little bit more about the place, you’re probably wondering what we thought!

At first, we were expecting it to be a place that has been overhyped over the years but we actually really enjoyed it and it just about lived up to its expectations.

It was bigger than we expected but parts of the walk, particularly the bushland sections, can get a bit repetitive – a few signs about the native plants/birds would be a great addition to break it up a bit.

I think a huge part of us enjoying it so much was due to how few tourists there were. We arrived expecting it to be an overly crowded place, even in the winter. So being able to stand and view the pools without pushing through hoards of people was a really nice surprise.

The experience would be completely different in the summer, I’m sure.

Wai O Tapu mud pools

So yes, I think Wai-O-Tapu is worth the money… in winter. $45pp is a little steep in summer when the crowds are bigger and you’re left fighting to see things or queuing around the walkways, but I know it isn’t the most expensive thing to do in New Zealand either.

There are a few other similar places close by but they don’t have The Devil’s Bath, which is where we got our money’s worth – I’ve never seen anything like it before and I doubt I will again.

Whereas champagne pools, the mud baths and the other thermal activities are replicated throughout Rotorua and even other parts of the world.

If you’re looking for other things to do on New Zealand’s North Island, we have a growing list of recommendations here. Don’t forget to click share if you think others will enjoy this post!

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We’re Dec + Leah! Full time travellers and van lifers since 2017. Helping you navigate life on the road & encouraging you to stray off the beaten path with road trip, pet friendly and budget travel advice for couples.

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