Rotorua is a quite pleasant city.  I must admit to a bit of apprehension about Rotorua, as it was billed as the 'Queenstown of the North Island', which would normally lead me to go elsewhere.   I was happy to discover my concerns were ill-founded, as the city is quite well-managed, and not overrun with petty businesses trying to shake down the tourists.  Certainly, there are businesses there catering to the tourist market, but the town is not overwhelmed, as is the case with Queenstown.

The absolute number-one attraction of Roturua is the rafting.  There are several excellent rafting trips near Rotorua:

Kaituna River

The Wairoa River

Other fun stuff:

Mountain Biking in the Whakarewarewa Forest

I drove south to Taupo, for the Tongariro Crossing track.  But, weather was not cooperative, as it rained and there were heavy winds up on the peaks.   The transportation companies that shuttled trampers into the park suspended their trips.  I figured that if the locals considered it too dangerous to cross, then I certainly did not want to try.  I sat about in Taupo for three days, in the rain, and then headed back north to Rotorua.  Just as well, as I had done a lot of running around in Rotorua, and the forced slowdown was worthwhile.

There is a fascinating valley just south of Rotorua, that was literally created overnight, in the eruption of Mount Tarawera.  The volcano erupted, and adjacent land collapsed, creating a valley.