Looking for some amazing places to walk in Rotorua?
You’re in the right place.
While there are plenty of amazing things to do in Rotorua, you can quickly find your budget has been blown out.
Fortunately, other than the Mount Tarawera walk, all the walks are free.
If I was to give you what the top six best walks in Rotorua are for tourists, I would go with Blue Lake, Mount Tarawera, Rotorua Walkway (sections 8, 1, 2, and 3), Rainbow Mountain, Okere Falls, and the Pohaturoa (Yellow) Track.
That was harder than I expected…the Tarawera Trail is amazing too. These Rotorua walks have so much variety!
And yes, I’ve done all the walks in this post.
1. The Blue Lake Circuit (Easy | 1 – 2 hours)
2. The Tarawera Trail (Medium – Hard | 3 – 4.5 hours one-way)
3. The Mount Tarawera Guided Walk (Easy -Medium | ~4 hours 30 minutes (total tour time))
4. The Rotorua Walkway (Easy | 30 minutes – 6 hours)
5. The Jubilee Track (Easy – Medium | 1 hour 20 minutes – 2 hours 30 minutes)
6. Whakarewarewa (Black) Track (Medium | 5 hours 30 minutes – 8 hours)
7. Pohaturoa (Yellow) Track (Medium | 1 hour 45 minutes – 3 hours
8. Tokorangi Pa Road (Purple) Track (Easy – Medium | 2 hours 30 mins – 3 hours 30 minutes)
9. Okere Falls Walk (Easy | 45 minutes – 1 hour 30 minutes)
10. Western Okataina (to Summit) (Medium | 2.5 hours – 3.5 hours one-way)
11. Rotorua Treewalk (Easy | 30 – 40 minutes)
12. Rainbow Mountain (Medium | 2 – 3 hours)
13. Mokopuna Track (Easy | 40 – 60 minutes)
14. Lake Okareka Walk (Easy | 50 – 1 hour 20 minutes)
A MAP OF THE WALKS IN ROTORUA
Here’s a map so you can get an idea of where the walks are in and around Rotorua.
THE 14 ROTORUA WALKS
1. THE BLUE LAKE CIRCUIT
The Blue Lake is popular with both locals and tourists throughout the year. That’s not just the walking track, but because of the access to watersports as well.
The Blue Lake Circuit is a chill walk less than 6km, which everyone should be able to complete given there’s only a couple of short sections of incline. throughout the walk, you’ll have good views, yet there’s plenty of shade throughout so you won’t become a lobster while doing the walk in the summer.
The Blue Lake colour is best seen on a sunny day, I was surprised how blue it really was (this sentence sounds silly). And make sure to go to the Blue and Green Lake viewpoint to see the contrast (again best on a sunny day).
GET THE FULL DETAILS: THE BLUE LAKE CIRCUIT
2. THE TARAWERA TRAIL
The Tarawera Trail is what I would describe as a classic NZ tramping track. It’s never really flat, and while it’s easy to follow the trail you’re not on a perfectly manicured track. It’s a brilliant 15km track and finishes at Hot Water Beach which is an awesome spot to relax at.
The 30km round-trip is pretty long so you might want to walk there and catch the Totally Tarawera ferry back to civilisation (so it’s free, but you might want to invest in the ferry trip to make life easier).
GET THE FULL DETAILS: THE TARAWERA TRAIL
3. MOUNT TARAWERA GUIDED WALK
WOW WOW WOW.
This would have to be the best walk in Rotorua I think. But as the mountain is on private land you need to take a guided tour, with options starting from $99 (if you find a promo on BookMe.co.nz etc.).
The terrain you walk along is stunning, and while it’s not an easy walk for all, the guides will ensure you’re safe throughout (if it’s too windy they postpone the tour) if you’re not confident in your ability on a couple of the slightly tricker bits.
You walk less than 4km in total, but the views, terrain, and learnings make for a super fun walk.
GET THE FULL DETAILS: THE MOUNT TARAWERA GUIDED WALK
4. ROTORUA WALKWAY
The Rotorua Walkway can be completed in sections, which if you did them all, could end up with you doing 30km of walking Rotorua.
What I recommend is you start at section 8 (Kuirau Park) in the brochure and then completed sections 1 (via Ohinemutu), 2, and 3 at a minimum.
This will give you a good taste of Rotorua’s geothermal activity, lakefront, and culture without taking up the whole day.
5. JUBILEE TRACK
This isn’t a walk you’ll want to do if you’re only in Rotorua for a few days. There are just too many other great walks.
But this walk has some amazing native forest on a steady ascent making it popular for locals who want some exercise. Once you get to the top, there are no views, hence why I say it’s not a must-do.
GET THE FULL DETAILS: THE JUBILEE TRACK UP MOUNT NGONGOTAHA
6. WHAKAREWAREWA (BLACK) TRACK
If you’re after a long day walk near Rotorua this is for you. The walk doesn’t follow the circumference of Whakarewarewa Forest but you are essentially going in a circle around the forest.
You follow the purple track (below), before veering off towards Blue Lake. This hike isn’t all high moments, and as it’s long isn’t going to be for everyone but it’s a great walk for those who like a big day out and a little challenge with a touch of elevation (my Strava recorded 830 metres of elevation).
7. POHATUROA (YELLOW) TRACK
This is one of those walks that has great value across a relatively short distance (less than 10km).
You get to walk through the grove of Californian Redwoods, a few viewpoints, and plenty of native bush all the while you return back to where you started (which is always handy).
This walk, along with the Purple Track below are both great ways to fill in a day at the Redwoods.
GET THE FULL DETAILS: THE POHATUROA TRACK
8. TOKORANGI PA (PURPLE) TRACK
The Tokorangi Pa Track is a little longer than the walk above but has many of the same offerings of the Redwoods, viewpoints, and native bush. If you had to pick one, I would choose the Yellow Track but in a perfect world you’d do both 🙂
GET THE FULL DETAILS: THE TOKORANGI PA TRACK WALK
9. OKERE FALLS TRACK
The Okere Falls walk is action-packed as it takes your past three awesome waterfalls in a walk that can take less than an hour.
One of those waterfalls includes the famous Tutea Falls which you might want to go over while white water rafting.
The walk can be completed as an out and back or loop walk which is nice and besides the waterfalls, you’ll walk through some native bush and the information boards provide great commentary about the area’s history.
It’s a little out of town, but if you’re driving between Tauranga and Rotorua it’s a must-do. And it can be a good way to figure out if you’re brave enough to book the white water rafting…I wasn’t. Yet.
GET THE FULL DETAILS: WALKING AROUND OKERE FALLS SCENIC RESERVE
10. WESTERN OKATAINA (TO SUMMIT)
I’ve heard amazing things about the Western Okataina walk, but I must say I was overall let down. But I believe that’s because I walked from the Millar Road end to the Trig and back. I was thinking I’d have amazing views of the lakes on the walk but it wasn’t too be on the 12km walk.
You can get some views from the summit, but they’re certainly not 360-degrees. I’ll be sure to update this post when I complete the Western Okataina from the other entrance on Lake Okataina Road.
11. ROTORUA TREEWALK
The Rotorua Treewalk is one of the most famous walks in Rotorua and as a general activity.
You walk 700 metres above the forest floor on a boardwalk suspended in the Redwoods. They go to great lengths to ensure minimal if any, damage is done to the trees and there’s plenty of information along the way.
I really liked getting a different perspective of these beautiful trees (even if they’re not natives).
You can also do the walk at night where lighting is used in creative ways to make the walk fun. Personally I prefer the day time walk, but I’m in the minority with that. Ideally, you’ll get a promo where you can do both walks for the price of one.
GET THE FULL DETAILS: THE TREEWALK. IS IT WORTH IT?
12. RAINBOW MOUNTAIN TRACK
People tend to say that Rainbow Mountain is a hidden gem, but I struggle to comprehend that as the trailhead is next to one the highways between Rotorua and Taupo.
It’s not a massive walk, but along the way, you get to see a gorgeous crater lake, native bush, and views which all lead to the summit. And the summit views are epic.
Make sure to visit on a nice day for maximum visibility in all directions. This is an amazing walk. Do it.
GET THE FULL DETAILS: THE RAINBOW MOUNTAIN SUMMIT WALK
13. MOKOPUNA TRACK
The Mokopuna Track is one of those forest walks in Rotorua that isn’t advertised anywhere. It’s a 3.6km loop walk in the Redwoods but doesn’t even get a mention on the website.
Note: The track is shared with bikes, something to be wary of.
You can enter the track at various points, so the easiest point is the one just north of the I-Site. Once again though, this is a walk that’s more suited for locals than tourists. If you are wanted to see the Redwoods as your main objective, you’re better off selecting one of the walks in the link above.
That said, if you love ferns this walk is for you. It’s only got gentle undulations so it’s easy to complete in under an hour. Maybe it’s a good way to spend time if you’re waiting for sunset so you can do the night time tree walk.
14. LAKE OKEREKA WALKWAY
If you love a good sunset spot, this walk is for you.
It’s a 2.5km out and backtrack that follows the lake across a boardwalk through wetlands, next to farmland (if it’s spring, watch the lambs play), and eventually finishes close to Silver Beach.
It’s a flat walk so is suitable for all, and yes there are toilets near the turn around point.
Well, there you go. 14 options for Rotorua walks both close to the city and a little bit out of town.
Any suggestions or questions about these walks? Let me know in the comments or email jub@churnewzealand.com
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Hey, it’s Jub here. I’m the guy behind Chur New Zealand, helping you have the best time hiking, trekking, walking…whatever you want to call it…in NZ. I’m based in Queenstown and am always out and about exploring trails, old & new. If you have any questions, reach out.