Full Waimangu Experience - Walk & Cruise
Overview
Available languages
4 hours
Mobile ticket
Explore the geothermal valley in its entirety with the full Waimangu Experience. Discover New Zealand’s geothermal landscapes at your own pace on this independent Waimangu walking & hiking tour. Follow gentle graded track or rugged hiking trails through the geothermal valley, and take in top natural attractions like Frying Pan Lake, the World's largest hot spring, and the stunning blue Inferno Crater Lake.
The trails head down to Lake Rotomahana, where you'll board your geothermal boat cruise. Learn about the history of the lake and the famous Pink and White Terraces, and see geothermal lakeside features like spouting geysers and steaming cliffs and fumeroles.
The valley is serviced by a free shuttle bus service, so you can walk as much or as little as you want, and return up to the visitor centre by bus after your cruise.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Wheelchair access is limited. We only recommend it for confident and experienced wheelchair users.
What To Expect
Waimangu Volcanic Valley
Explore the geothermal valley in its entirety with the full Waimangu Experience. Discover New Zealand’s geothermal landscapes at your own pace on this independent Waimangu walking & hiking tour. Follow gentle graded track or rugged hiking trails through the geothermal valley, and take in top natural attractions like Frying Pan Lake, the World's largest hot spring, and the stunning blue Inferno Crater Lake. The trails head down to Lake Rotomahana, where you'll board your geothermal boat cruise. Learn about the history of the lake and the famous Pink and White Terraces, and see geothermal lakeside features like spouting geysers and steaming cliffs and fumeroles. The valley is serviced by a free shuttle bus service, so you can walk as much or as little as you want, and return up to the visitor centre by bus after your cruise.
Lake Rotomahana
The trails head down to Lake Rotomahana, where you'll board your geothermal boat cruise. Learn about the history of the lake and the famous Pink and White Terraces, and see geothermal lakeside features like spouting geysers and steaming cliffs and fumeroles.
Options
Full Waimangu Experience - Walk & Cruise
What‘s Included
45 Minute Lake Rotomahana Boat Cruise
Air-conditioned vehicle
Internal Shuttle Bus
Admission Fee for Self-Guided Walk
Guide Sheet
Alcoholic Beverages
(Available to purchase)
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
29 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Best thermal valley. seriously a must do.
fussymum,May 29, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We did track 1, two years ago, but due to a person in our party having an undiagnosed broken toe we had to finish early. Thankfully the bus was a great relief to getting back up the hill. This time my family wanted to complete the 3 tracks plus the boat trip. Yes it’s pricey but I still feel it was value for money. After doing hobbiton and rail cruising, we rated this our favourite. With mostly downhill tracks it’s great for every level of fitness. We are not hikers at all. Only a small section on track 2 was closed to flooding so we had to hope in a bus to go to next safe drop off so we could complete our journey. Bird life especially around the waterways was fantastic for photographing. We stopped along the way with a premade lunch and enjoyed nature. Most improved from our last visit was decent toilets at each bus stop. Very handy and well maintained. Driving out from Rotorua we were concerned as there was a bit of fog. It didn’t ruin our walk, and we could see in front of us, it soon lifted and we had a wonderful day on the lake. The excursion on the lake was truly spectacular, inside a crate, a geyser, hot springs and the history lesson completed the wonderful cruise. The boats are very classy and our tour guide was wonderful. As May is a quiet time we had the boat to ourselves, a true VIP tour. So glad we went back.
Fantastic hike & boat cruise!
giselecdn,May 5, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Fantastic experience! A really good hike followed by an awesome boat cruise. The boat guide Martin was full of valuable information.
Wonderful Waimangu
mlevankan,Apr 15, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00An amazing experience . Very well organized from start to finish .we did ' The Full Waimangu Experience ' .. highly recommend . Easy walk .. and the views of the volcanic activity was wonderful .
Great walk and boat ride...
Angela M,Apr 1, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Great walk and boat ride afterwards. You get a nice up close view of the active geothermal environment. Love seeing nature at its finest. The cruise was informative and peaceful.
Must-do nature walk & cruise
Fran H,Mar 24, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Full Maimangu walk & cruise. Doesn't seem a long way, but wear good footwear & prepare for a beautiful natural journey. The walk involves a lot of up/down steps - hence the time it takes (around 3hrs total). This walk is well worth the effort and highly recommended. The end cruise caps off the great journey with a knowledgeable cruise captain highlighting significant natural highlights and geological landmarks and facts around before & aftermath of the 1886 eruption. Fascinating and educational.
An awe-inspiring, beautiful and compelling tour.
danmX5210RS,Mar 8, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.005 out of 5. Great experience. This was the first thing in country that really wowed us. Unexpectedly beautiful and serene, despite being in an active volcano field. It’s a self-guided, 2 hour walk, with some stairs and inclines, but absolutely worth it. You travel through 3 distinct levels, up close and personal with geysers, bubbling mud and Australasian swamp hens. At each section you can grab a bus to the boat or back up. The boat ride around the lake is with a guide. Wade, our guide, was very knowledgeable and had a good sense of humor. The story of the 1886 Tarawera eruption and the formation of Lake Rotomahana is fascinating and hard to believe. You see more geysers, including a baby geyser, and get nicely cooled off from your walk. Highly, highly recommend this tour.
Nature at its best!
658george,Mar 3, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Best place to go to.... good information to explain the many sights to see. Boat trip was great with s very good warning about the wind conditions that day
Great walk and cruise
Joce G,Feb 23, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Great walk down to the boat. All 3 were not too strenuous. Lovely seeing all the geothermal activity and the information supplied. The boat trip was very informative
Staff is AMAZING
wego810,Feb 13, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This is significantly less crowded than the neighboring Wai-O-Tapu, If you are willing to do a hike, you will be rewarded with incredible thermal features. Definitely recommend doing the full experience - hike and boat. But what really set them out was the incredible ticket agent who helped us with our car troubles - many thanks!! He originally checked us in and provided great information for our day - and saved the day when we were hot and tired!!
Wonderful Park with Amazing Views
Tom42532,Feb 9, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We booked the "full experience", which includes a self-guided walk through the three sections of the park, and a cruise on the nearby Lake Rotomahana. Re the walk: The first section is by far the most interesting, with some incredible views of the lakes, streams and thermal features. The other two sections are nice but not nearly as stunning. However, you need to do all three to get to the boat dock (or take the free shuttle bus to the end of section three). Most of the trail is flat or downhill. Re the boat cruise: We had a cool, rainy, windy afternoon and the weather detracted from the experience. We were provided with rain ponchos (for free), a nice touch. The cruise included some interesting stories and history about the volcanic past and the birds that frequent the lake. There is some beautiful scenery and a section with active geysers. In spite of the weather, this was my favorite activity in the Rotorua area.
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