Hidden Valley's Geothermal: Your Self-Guided Odyssey

First time we have seen any geo thermal locations and we weren’t disappointed. Really well organised, loved the fact that out was self guided so we cold take our time. The route was clearly marked and the path was well looked after. The staff were really friendly and informative. 100% with the money.

Had a wonderful time taking photos and exploring spent double the smount of time there without any problem at all Well worth the cost

Nice experience . must watch. The tour uphill walk gives a very good view of the Geothermal and the cave. Worth it. Enjoyed the whole trip though it was raining that day.

Of the three geothermal parks we visited near Rotorua (Waimangu Volcanic Valley, Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland and Orakei Korako Cave and Thermal Park), this is by far my favourite. Compact but packed with so many different and fascinating features to admire: small boiling geysers, hot springs, bubbling mud pools, gorgeously colourful silica terraces and a geothermal cave (one of only two in the world!). An additional plus is the short on-demand boat ride to/from the thermal park, which gives a great view of the silica terrace “flowing” into the lake. The park is divided into 3 zones and the routes are well-marked. There are also signboards with maps at key points highlighting the current location, so no worries about getting lost. Really appreciated the interesting information signs for the key features. Just be warned there are lots of steps uphill and downhill which provide a decent workout. The visitor centre has a cafe and a small gift shop. There’s also a spacious shaded deck overlooking the lake. It’s a lovely place to have lunch or a snack after visiting the thermal park - recommend the pies. If you only visit one thermal park in NZ North Island, visit this one!

A really exotic experience. It wasn't as crowded as other tourist attractions, so it felt more wild. The boardwalk was so well-made that it was easy and a decent workout. It was so nice to go over to another island by boat. The boiling mud pool and cave were so mysterious.

We visited four thermal attractions while touring the North Island - Orakei Korako, Wai O Tapu, Te Puia and Craters of the Moon. All are interesting and have their own positives and negatives, but Orakei Korako was absolutely our favourite. I think what set it apart from the others was the peacefulness. We visited in July and, even in Winter, both Wai O Tapu and Te Puia were quite busy. Orakei Korako was much quieter. Aladdin's Cave and the terraces were the highlights of our visit but the whole park is beautiful. Having the boat shuttle you over to the island really adds to the experience and makes the whole thing a little more unique. The staff are also lovely and very helpful with information about the park. There are a number of steps, mostly on wooden boardwalk. Wear good walking shoes. There are no toilets in the park so use the facilities before you board the shuttle. We spent a little over three hours in the park and could have easily extended that to four if we didn't have teens with us. If we had to recommend a single thermal park of all that we visited, this would be the one. This attraction is very much under rated - possibly as it's a little out of the way and not on the standard tourist route. It is 100% worth the effort to make the journey if you are travelling from Rotorua to Taupo or even as a day trip option from either.

It was about 8 years ago,but an unforgettable experienced.So little talked about,which surprises me.Maybe because it is a little off the beaten track.A complete surprise and so few people around during peak season.A must if you are visiting Taupo and Rotorua.

Fantastic attraction, but even better staff. Nick and Hillary are common sense down to earth people and couldn’t do more for us when a family member had a medical event. If you can, please go and visit this beautiful place.

This was an amazing site to visit. Completely different from anything else we've ever seen. Can take the walk at your own pace, so no rush to get around. Winter was a great time to visit with very active steam. The team at the centre were super friendly and gave lots of recommendations for places to visit during our stay. Would absolutely recommend to anyone in the area

Wow what a great place to explore. We had a great experience from the start, the guide who took us to the island by boat was amazing and fun. We were dropped off at the dock with instructions to ring the bell when we wanted to return. The hike was beautiful with lots of stairs up and down, I have a knee replacement one year ago before this trip, I didn't have any issues with the walk the paths are very well maintained and wide step not to deep. Finding your way on the paths was easy they have plenty of signs to guide you and also to explain what you are looking at. We didn't see any caves to go in. I would defiantly recommend this place