"Whakararewa Living Village" a Rotorua Travel Page by batgirl1001

Whakararewa is a living, teeming village. Even in winter, you can see hot steam and vapours rising from the many geysers and sulphur pools in the village.

The village is a living, working environment and I think there are about 40 families or so living in the village. It is regarded as a more 'traditional living environment' for Maoris who value community living as the foundation of their culture.

The village is just a 15 min walk from the centre of Rotorua or a 5 min drive away. Visitors pay a fee on entering. There are free tours conducted for visitors (3 times a day starting from 9am) and it is well worth it since the tour provides some useful insights about the village and the people there.

Also there is a demonstration of how they cook their food (not like the hangi where it is more elaborate) but simply chucking in the meat and veggies into the sulphur pools to boil.

All in all, well worth the money and in winter it is rather pleasant to walk around Rotorua. I am told that in summer, it can get very hot and humid and many do find it unbearable.