Rotorua is one of the fifty best locations for tourists to visit, according to Forbes magazine, with no other Aotearoa location making the list.
Hooray for Roto-Vegas!
The finance-centred publication says all the cool stuff you can do, its Te Reo roots, and the diverse environment all make Rotorua a top-tier destination.
“Rotorua is the adventure capital of New Zealand’s North Island, with activities ranging from Class V whitewater rafting to bungee jumping to a one-of-a-kind pedal-powered ‘Shweeb Racer’,” Forbes writes of Sulphur City.
“But the city’s also more than that: learning about Māori culture is especially easy here thanks to a wide range of experiences. The city’s dramatic nature is also all-around, with geysers, mud pots and other geothermal features all within city limits.”
All true, but maybe they could have left a warning about the smell - it can take new visitors by surprise! It’s always good to see NZ cities get global attention, doubly so when it’s one of the lesser known locations, and triply so when Māori culture is a key reason for what makes it so good.
Roto-Vegas isn’t the only Aotearoa location getting international recognition for being a great place to visit. Just last week the New York Times put Auckland at #5 on their ‘52 Places to Go Visit in 2023’ list.
Getting something tasty to eat is the allure of Auckland, according to the New York publication, as they call the City of Sails the “culinary capital” of Aotearoa.
In August 2022, Karangahape Road in Auckland’s CBD was voted the sixth coolest street in the world. Over 20,000 people asked what the 'coolest' street in their town was by TimeOut magazine, and only five roads beat out K-Road.
“Its red light history, coupled with more recent additions of art galleries and hip cafés in its heritage buildings, give it plenty of character: every door leads to something different,” TimeOut said of the street.
