Rotorua

Car Rental in Rotorua, New Zealand

If you’re traveling to the North Island of New Zealand and would like to explore one of the most interesting and talked about regions, pickup a discount on car hire in Rotorua so you can fully experience this true wonder of nature.

New Zealand is at the centre of the grinding activity of Australian and Pacific plates, undercurrents you can witness on the surface at Rotorua, billed as the thermal wonderland of New Zealand.

Rotorua’s sizzling appeal has attracted hordes of tourists for more than a hundred years.

To see all it has to offer and get to out-of-the-way places, compare prices on our site for rental cars from all the big brands such as Avis, Thrifty, Europcar, Hertz and Budget.

Lock in a low rate on reliable rentals like Toyota, Hyundai, Mazda, Ford, Nissan and more in all sizes from hatches to sedans to 4WDs and mini vans.

Experience Geothermal Rotorua by car

Rotorua’s geography has been shaped by the explosive forces that work beneath the New Zealand plates.

The city itself lies squarely on an active volcanic zone, and in all directions the geothermal activity is evident in steaming mud pools, hot springs, thermal geysers, buried towns left behind by previous eruptions, and dozens of crater lakes that have been formed by shifting magma.

With so much heat around, the original Maori inhabitants cooked their meals on earthen ovens, a tradition you can take part today in a “hangi” feast which conveniently makes up for lack of restaurants in the area.

In contrast to Rotorua’s steamy atmosphere (which smells like rotten eggs due to high sulphur content), its nightlife is rather tepid apart from some action along the main street.

Sleep well instead, so you can endure the physical demands of white-water rafting, going uphill and down on scenic mountain bike tracks, or driving from one park to the next along the same winding roads.

Soothe sore muscles after a day’s tour at the Government Gardens spread out near the central business district.

The Gardens are famous not just for its tranquil setting, but for the many hot pools you can soak in.

The Shire and the Bay of Plenty

Drive around the countryside and immerse yourself in Te Arawa villages preserved in their indigenous form.

If you are pushed for time, the Agrodome along State Highway 5 will introduce you to the farming life of village people past and present.

You may want to visit this place anyway for their bungee jumping Freefall Experience and Zorbing, an adrenaline ride in an inflatable ball rolled downhill.

For a tropical-esque kind of hot, head north to the sunny beaches of The Coromandel; the equally inviting but crowd-free beaches of Whakatane, or the surfer’s favourite Tauranga on the Bay of Plenty.

The “Hobbit” subterranean dwellings and “The Shire” can be found two hours northeast in the small village of Matamata.

For a smooth ending to your rugged Rotorua holiday, continue along Route 27 from Matamata two hours further north, and reward yourself with a hearty meal and a glass of fine wine in one of the many world-renowned restaurants in beautiful Auckland, New Zealand’s largest and most cosmopolitan city.