A panorama taken from the lookout at the carpark of Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland park. The picture shows the entrance to Wai-O-Tapu park, with steam rising from the various pools within it.

Wai O Tapu Thermal Wonderland - Rotorua visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Wai O Tapu Thermal Wonderland' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Bay of Plenty.

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland is one of the most popular tourist attractions around Rotorua in New Zealand. The volcanic park contains all sorts of different volcanic formations with geysers, steaming pools, boiling mud ponds and sulphur ponds, all formed by volcanic activity over 160,000 years. This guide contains numerous 360° panoramas taken from the various walks through Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. Each is accompanied by some information forming a virtual tour of the park.

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland Walks

The walks through Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland are made of 3 loops. The first loop passes the most popular attractions with in the park, and ensures that those with less time do not miss out on some stunning volcanic and thermal features. The walks and features are listed below.

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland Walk 1: Walk 1 is about 1.5km long and takes about 30 minutes to complete. Attractions that line this route include Devil's Home Crater | Rainbow Crater | Artist's Palette | Primrose Sinter Terrace, Champagne Pool | Sulphur Cave Crater | Devil's Bath.

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland Walk 2: Walk 2 combined with Walk 1 covers 2km and takes about 40 minutes to complete. The second part starts and ends at the northern end of Champagne Pool. It passes through some woods to Panoramic Viewpoint giving a look over the southern end of Wai-O-Tapu. It then loops back past Primrose Cascade and back up to Champagne Pool.

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland Walk 3: Walk 3 combines walk 1 and 2 with another loop. The entire route covers 3km and takes about 75minutes to complete. Walk 3 also takes in the following additional thermal features: Geyser Pool | Alum Cliffs | Frying Pan Flat | Oyster Pool | Boiling Mud Flats | Lake Ngakoro | Sulphur Mounds | Bridal Veil Falls.

History of Wai-O-Tapu

Wai O Tapu came to the fore as a tourist attraction in Rotarua after the nearby Pink and White Terraces were destroyed by the eruption of Mt Tarawera in 1886. This left Wai-O-Tapu with the largest silica terrace in the southern hemisphere, known as 'Primrose Terrace'. In the early 1900's a hotel was built nearby, increasing accessibility to the thermal park, and by 1931 the Wai-O-Tapu thermal area became a Scenic Reserve, now administered by the Department of Conservation.

The park has been developed by private enterprise with the aims of preserving the features and ecosystem, ongoing research and monitoring, and providing the general public with a unique opportunity to explore the thermal features in safety. To this end a series of broadwalk loops guide visitors around the park's features and attractions, with displays at various points. It is easy to spend the entire day here as the colours and feeling of the park continuously changes. It is advisable to take water with you, especially in the summer months.

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland
PO BOX 1992,
Rotorua,
New Zealand

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland is on Waiotapu Loop Road. This comes off Highway 5 at Waiotapu about 27km south of Rotarura and 55km north of Taupo.