49 Best Sights in East Coast and the Volcanic Zone, New Zealand

The Waikato River thunders through a narrow chasm and over a 35-foot rock ledge at Huka Falls. The fast-flowing river produces almost 50% of the North Island's required power, and its force is extraordinary, with the falls dropping into a seething, milky-white pool 200 feet across. The view from the footbridge is superb; for an even more impressive look, both the Maid of the Falls and vessels operated by Hukafalls Jet get close to the maelstrom. The falls are 3 km (2 miles) north of town; to reach them, turn right off Highway 1 onto Huka Falls Road.

This prawn farm is a curious mix of cheesy and fascinating. Check out the holding tanks where prawns are bred in specially heated river water (in some, baby prawns eat out of your hand). You can also catch your own prawns using a small rod and fishing line, or just buy some on-site; either way you can have them cooked and served as you like in the adjoining café.

This public park is a local hot spot—literally. Mud pools and hot springs sit alongside the flower beds, which at times are almost hidden by floating clouds of steam. You can wander around or join the locals soaking their weary feet in shallow warm pools. Because this thermally active place can change overnight, keep to the paths.

On Tennyson and Hastings, this was the first building to rise after the earthquake. Its steel metal frame was riveted, not welded, so that the construction noise would give residents the message that the city was being rebuilt. The bronze storefronts with their "crown of thorns" patterned leaded glass are original.

At this boutique producer, specific wine styles are selected and handcrafted from each vintage, based on its Gimblett Gravels and Dartmoor Valley vineyards. All grapes are grown on either organic or sustainable sites and are vegan approved. Platters of local produce are available; you're also welcome to bring along a picnic as there are plenty of tables on the lovely grounds.

Even if you've seen enough bubbling pools and fuming craters to last a lifetime, the thermal valley of Orakei Korako is still likely to captivate you. Geyser-fed streams hiss and steam as they flow into the waters of the lake, and a cream-and-pink silica terrace is believed to be the largest in the world since the volcanic destruction of the terraces of Rotomahana. At the bottom of Aladdin's Cave, the vent of an ancient volcano, a jade-green pool was once used by Māori women as a beauty parlor, which is how the name Orakei Korako (A Place of Adorning) originated. The valley is 37 km (23 miles) north of Taupō, via Highway 1, and takes about 25 minutes to reach by car; you could always see it en route to or from Rotorua, which lies another 68 km (43 miles) northeast of the valley.

A little over a kilometer (½ mile) north of the central core stands one of the area's finest deco edifices. The 1932 structure has been totally renovated and its original name reinstated: the National Tobacco Company Building. It has a rose theme on the stained-glass windows and on a magnificent glass dome over the entrance hall.

A 2,900-foot cable-car system carries you up Mt. Ngongotaha for spectacular views over Lake Rotorua. At the summit, 1,600-feet above sea level, there's a café, a restaurant, and a souvenir shop. As an alternative, try the luge track, where you can take hair-raisingly fast rides on wheeled bobsled-like contraptions (you can also go slowly; a braking system gives you full control of your speed). The track runs partway down the mountain, winding through the redwood trees; from the bottom, you can return to the summit on a separate chairlift. For further thrills, consider zip-lining or mountain biking.

If you fancy a soak in a hot pool then follow the marked path from the car park beside t to the thermally heated Otumuheke Stream where its mineral water meets the Waikato River. You will see locals soaking under the waterfalls and natural rock pools so feel free to join them. If you are not in a soaking mood continue on the trail to see views of the river as it heads down to the thundering Huka Falls. 

A short walk north from the Rotorua lakefront brings you to the Māori pā (fortress) of Ohinemutu, the region's original Māori settlement. It's a still-thriving community, centered on its marae (meetinghouse) and St. Faith's, the lakefront Anglican church. The interior of the church is richly decorated with carvings inset with mother-of-pearl. Sunday services feature the sonorous, melodic voices of the Māori choir. The service at 9 am is in Māori and English. Visitors looking rather than attending a service pay a modest admission fee.

Set among superb countryside, this former racing stable has become a medium-size boutique winery. Producing premium wines in the Alwyn Proprietors Reserve, Glazebrook, and Stables ranges and drawing grapes from around the region, the wines are often referred to as being in the classic style.

With its Māori and Pākehā (non-native) artifacts and an extensive photographic collection, this small but interesting museum provides a good introduction to the region's history. A maritime gallery covers seafaring matters, and there are changing exhibits of local and national artists' work. The pottery displays are particularly outstanding. An on-site shop sells locally made items. Check out Wyllie Cottage before leaving the grounds (although it stands outside, it’s part of the museum). Built in 1872, this colonial-style house is the oldest in town.

You'll find Māori treasures and revolving exhibitions of contemporary art on display at this museum and gallery. The volcanic eruptions that have shaped the area are also chronicled. The star attraction, however, is the glorious Ora Garden, which was granted Garden of National Significance status in 2011.

It's possible to gaze across the plains to Napier and the rumpled hills beyond from this famed local viewpoint. The summit is a 15-minute (signposted) drive along Te Mata Peak Road from the village of Havelock North.

One of the largest Māori marae (meetinghouses) in New Zealand has an intriguing interior with complex traditional carvings. One example is the tekoteko, a kneeling human figure with the right hand raised to challenge those who enter. There are also unusual alcoves and a stage framed by carvings; it's essentially a meetinghouse within a meetinghouse. Photography is not allowed inside. On the side of the hill stands the 1930s Toko Toro Tapu Church. You'll need permission to explore either site; contact the Gisborne isite Visitor Information Centre or the marae.

This was the site of an extensive pā (fortified village), which can be traced back at least 24 Māori generations. It has excellent views of Gisborne, Poverty Bay, and the surrounding rural areas. Titirangi Recreational Reserve is a part of the Domain, and it makes a great place for a picnic or a walk. The Domain is south of Turanganui River. Pass the harbor and turn right onto Esplanade, left onto Crawford Road, then right onto Queens Drive, and follow it to several lookout points in the Domain where the views are extraordinary.

Tongariro National Park is the oldest national park in New Zealand and the largest on the North Island. Gifted to the nation by the Ngāti Tuwharetoa people in 1887, this stunning mountainous region provided much of the dramatic scenery for the Lord of the Rings films, where its jagged volcanic landscape most famously stood in for Mordor. The park has a spectacular combination of dense forest, wild open countryside, crater lakes, barren lava fields, and rock-strewn mountain slopes. Its rugged beauty and convenient location, almost in the center of the North Island, make it the most popular and accessible of New Zealand's parks. Three volcanoes, Tongariro, Ngauruhoe, and Ruapehu, tower above its Central Plateau overlooking miles of untamed country that stretch to the West Coast on one side and the aptly named Desert Road on the other. The volcanoes are no sleeping giants: Tongariro is the least active, but Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu have both erupted in recent years. In 1995, 1996, and again in 2007, Ruapehu spewed ash, created showers of rock, and released lahars (landslides of volcanic debris) that burst through the walls of the crater lake. The park is famed for its hiking trails, but the weather can change very quickly here so be sure to be prepare for the day with good outdoor gear and plenty of food.

This is a freakish landscape of deep, sulfur-crusted pits, jade-color ponds, silica terraces, and a steaming lake edged with red algae and bubbling with tiny beads of carbon dioxide. The Lady Knox Geyser erupts precisely at 10:15 daily; other points of interest include the Devil's Ink Pots, a series of evil-looking, bubbling, plopping mud pools, and the spectacular, gold-edged Champagne Pool, which is 195 feet wide and equally deep. Birds nest in holes around the aptly named Birds' Nest Crater—the heat presumably allows the adult birds more time away from the eggs. Waiotapu is 30 km (19 miles) southeast of Rotorua; follow Highway 5 south (Taupō direction) and look for the signs.

For an introduction to Māori life, visit this authentic village. On a guided tour you'll see thermal pools where villagers bathe, boiling mineral pools, and natural steam vents where residents cook. You can add on a cultural performance and hāngi meal to complete the experience. Arts and crafts are available at local shops in case you want to take home a memento.