Hell's Gate Geothermal Walk

Fantastic geothermal experience. Guided walk was informative and interesting. Mud spa was also very enjoyable

Good walking paths. Lots of info to explain what you're looking at. No geyser tho. Good gift store.

Best day ever - our guide - a descendent, was great fun and very knowledgeable- learnt so much and sooo glad we did this

We had a thoroughly enjoyable day at Hell’s Gate. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and taught us loads about his heritage. We also enjoyed the mud bath and spa. All of the staff were friendly and helpful. We highly recommend a visit.

We really enjoyed walking around and seeing all the thermal pools (even if it was a bit stinky 😜). The Maori wood carvings was a great a way to finish.

We did all 3 experiences there including the carving and mud baths. All were excellent and everyone there was very friendly and helpful. Mud baths were great and felt amazing afterwards.

Our group was small and the person taking the tour was great at telling stories, keeping us engaged, and explaining about the Maori beliefs & lifestyles and the links to the geothermal springs, and Bernard Shaw's visit.

We had an amazing experience on the geothermal walk! AJ was a fantastic tour guide—very informative, friendly, and genuinely funny. He explained everything in an engaging and easy-to-understand way, making the tour both educational and entertaining. His enthusiasm and sense of humour made the experience even more enjoyable. Highly recommend this tour, especially if you get AJ as your guide

Short walk but lots of thermal features to see unfortunately we did not have enough time to enjoy the hot mud pools

We chose this activity as a family outing while in Rotorua for the weekend, we were a group of 20 (12 adults and 8 kids). The staff were friendly and the carving experience was the best part of the whole thing, especially for the kids. For our group we paid over $600 ($45 pp) for literally a 15min walk around one geothermal pool looking at it from different angles. The short bush walk was nice, but the last part of the walk up to view the bath, was closed due to track maintenance. As a kiwi this was outrageously expensive for what you got. We would not recommend this activity, there are some lovely free walks around town that would give you a similar experience.

Awesome experience in the mud pools as well as the very informative walk and hilarious wood carving. Makes for a great day out.....

An interesting, fun and unique time! Liam was amazing and hilarious and was so knowledgeable of the area and culture. Thank you for such a wonderful experience!

Amazing with Liam as a good storyteller.Carving your own souvenir was very nice. Next time I would prefer to start 1hr earlier, so we could enjoy the mudbath longer.

Amazing geothermal walk with bubbling mud pools and steaming vents. Well maintained paths and very informative. Strong sulphur smell, but worth it for the experience!

Fabulous geothermal walking track and steam is impressive. The staff are fantastic too, just a pity only half the geothermal walk is open at the moment - however you still pay full price to enter.

We came directly from the airport to Hell's Gate to get a taste of the natural wonders and cultural heritage that NZ has to offer and to cleanse ourselves of the stress international travel can leave you with. The reserve was stunning and the guided tour is a must have if you want a great introduction to Aotearoa and Māori history in Rotorua. Our guide was a brilliant speaker and extremely engaging, we would have happily listened to his stories of Tikitere and Te Wehenga much longer but unfortunately a tour only lasts up to 2 hours. Highly recommend you visit the mud baths and spas to get in a bit of relaxation after the tour.

It was raining and we weren't sure about doing the one hour guided tour of the geothermal pools and waterfall, but we bought ponchos and borrowed umbrellas from the front desk, and were very glad that we did. The experience was fascinating, and our young guide, Sadie, was very knowledgeable, witty and entertaining. The ticket even included a lesson in Maori wood carving at the end. A memorable afternoon.

I can't remember the last tour I went on that was this good. The bloke with the long name (it contained 2 or 3 sets of alphabets) was the reason this was so good. He was full of beans, knew his stuff, told his own antidotes, spoke in language, and made sure he spoke to everyone and made them feel seen. This tour was the unexpected highlight of my trip, and I did a few cool things in Rotorua. At the end of the walk you can then choose to do a flat wood carving which was icing on the cake. You can walk the park yourself and that would be okay if you want to quickly see some thermal stuff, but it will not give you the buzz the tour gives you. Also, take off your jewellery before you go..some of my silver jewellery turned brown the next day and it was put inside a bag the whole tour. They do warn you about this. All up we were there for about two and a half hours. You need to put this tour on your to-do list.

Amazing experience, definitely recommend a visit. Spectacular place, the Mud spas are a must. Fantastic staff, everything is well explained in detail. Super friendly!!

Amazing natural geothermal wonders of this beautiful part of New Zealand. We did a self-guided tour to take in all the surrounding beauty. The staff were really friendly and helpful as well!

Nearly didn’t go to this due to the travel plans being disrupted due to weather. But really found the geothermal site well worth the visit.

Great experience for the whole family, big and small alike! Kids loved the bubbling and smelly pools!

Nasi (I hope that is right) was brilliant. Passionate, genuinely well informed about his environment, his culture and his desire to pass on this knowledge in an entertaining manner. Made a fantastic place fabulous.

What sn amazing experience. We felt like we were on the moon. Staff was great. It was educational and relaxing, at the same time. Loved it all!

Great information given by the guide, interactive, with the mud and the crystallised rocks. Very interesting as to how the different pools were used in the past.

The fact sheet given is very interesting and informative enough for a self guided walk. There's a guided walk but we didn't want to wait for it, which was another hour. It wasn't a hot day so it was not as bad as we thought walking out there. Took about an hour to walk at a slow pace.

We really enjoyed the walk & the leaflet had plenty of information to explain what we were looking at. It was pretty quiet when we went AM which was nice

Fabulous day out! After getting off a cruise ship and missing a spot with all the tour operators, we were still hell bent on making our way to Hell's Gate. Taxi it was and so worth it! The words that kept coming to mind was 'other-worldly'. Eerily quiet, it was a serene setting only disrupted by bubbling of water and hissing of steam. Had only seen photos before which didn't capture the landscape quite like being there. A little bit scary when you think of what could be going on under your feet but we were just awestruck by a powerful force of nature we had not experienced anywhere else before. The Maori carving afterwards was a wonderful way to finish the self tour. I would love to do it again being led by a guide for more information but the information sheet and map we were provided with still had lots of detail on it. Loved the medicinal pool and the steaming cliffs the most, absolutely jaw dropping to be looking at such active bubbling scenery in front of you and having to back away from the heat at times. A very highly rated experience not to be missed!

We arrived early and despite the crowd we continued into the park. Very much as we’d expected, but the fumes were even more choking and we were really grateful for the pockets of clean air throughout the park. However, with exception of the fumes it really is quite a spectacle. Very much what you’d think of a far away planet would be like. The bird song was lovely and the forest part of the walk truly beautiful. Yeh, nice place.

Did a guided geothermal walk and mud bath. So worth it! Try to reach for guided walks, it’s the best. Our guide T was so knowledgeable and helped us experience natural mud during the walk and shared very interesting facts about NZ fern and maori culture. You also get a free souvenir at the end of walk! Mud bath and sulphur spa was also awesome! Very relaxing mud bath experience.

Best experience in my last day in NZ! The Reserve is absolutely stunning, and the staff is very knowledgeable and helpful . A big shout out to Michael who was our shuttle driver to Hell’s Gate. He was super kind and helpful and went out of his way to help me when I ask if there was ok to bring my carry on along. Thank you for this amazing experience!

You really have to come if you visit ROTORUA. Isn’t this what it’s famous for? We did the self guided walk and there was plenty of information. The forest walk is also really beautiful. I bought my tickets through TripAdvisor and it was much cheaper than at the gate. I have no idea why. I think the full admission price would be a bit off putting for anyone on a tight budget.

T was absolutely fantastic as a tour guide! The tour itself was incredible, especially ending with a calming mud spa soak. T shared so much knowledge and culture along the way. Make sure to bring water, wear comfortable shoes, and get ready to really dive into the experience.

A fascinating and unique geothermal experience! The bubbling mud pools, steaming vents, and dramatic landscapes make Hell’s Gate a must-see in Rotorua. The walk through the geothermal valley was both educational and awe-inspiring, with clear signage and friendly staff sharing interesting cultural insights. Perfect for nature lovers and anyone curious about Rotorua’s volcanic wonders.

Our giude Tio, was amazing. The guided tour was well worth doing with the guide sharing lots of Maori knowledge of the area and culture.

Take water and prepare to be amazed. Take swimming gear if you want to have a mud bath towels are provided. Staff really friendly. Good food.

The tour with the guide was great. His enthusiasm was positively infectious. He is the one whose name is “so long that it is not possible to remember”

Hells Gate was absolutely fantastic! They do offer a shuttle from Rotorua which makes it super convenient if you don’t have a car. The guided walk with T was a real highlight — he had such a great way about him, making the geothermal features and stories of the area really come alive. The only small downside was that the spa experience felt a bit rushed, and I didn’t get a chance to do the wood carving since the tour itself can take up to two hours. Overall though, it’s an amazing and unique experience — definitely worth doing while in Rotorua!

We did the self guided walk around the geothermal pools. It was good to experience the sights & the smells (sulphur) of the thermal pools.

OMG unbelievable bwhat a great tour and experience. I loved 😍 it so much. Wether it is one orc10 people you can do it, take time off after to relax though as it is so relaxing.

We had a great time at Hell’s Gate. The walk was beautiful and fascinating. We would definitely return if we came back to Rotorua.

Brilliant! Learnt so much about the area and what the history of this was. Very knowledgable guide that had heaps of 'back stories'. Very much recommend doing the whole package - well worthwhile. A great team at the site at all the experiences.

Mother Nature really shows off at Hells Gate and a visit here is a must do when in Rotorua. The walk through the area is on well maintained paths and boardwalks that allow a safe and up close view of the geothermal activity in the area. Plenty of information signs describing the activity. Drop into the native wood carving area, its fun and gets you an interesting souvenir. The cafe is also a great way to finish the walk.

This was a great walk with stunning views. Didn’t get to do the craving at the end because is started to storm but that would have been a nice treat.

Had a great time. Had been before a few years ago. It was my husband's first time and he also really enjoyed himself. Love the carved wooden tile as a way to remember our trip and time in Rotorua.

Amazing experience. Our guide Zee was very knowledgeable and explained us the history of Hell’s Gate. 100% recommend to anyone visiting NZ

Great experience! Our guide was one of the best we've had in New Zealand and a proper local with local knowledge. With a name too long to put in this review. We had a great time and learned so much about the geothermal pools and Māori culture.

Great day for a casual walk, carving session and relaxing in the mud baths / hot pools. Would definitely recommend for anyone passing through and have a few hours to spare.

My husband and I went to Hells Gate, and did the Guided Tour . It was very scenic, the tour guide, shared lots of information with us, and he was friendly . We finished off doing some Carving which was good to do, and our carvings also made a nice little Souvenir to take home with us ! It was a great afternoon . Thankyou .