Things to Do in Rotorua at Night

Rotorua at night at a glance

Māori cultural evenings

The most popular night out in Rotorua is a cultural evening combining a kapa haka performance with a hāngī, food cooked in an earth oven.

• Mitai Māori Village: a haka performance, hāngī dinner and a glow worm stream walk on site, so it covers two of Rotorua's night highlights in one booking. The full evening runs about three hours. Book ahead, since places fill quickly from December to February, and arrive early enough to do the glow worm walk before the main show.
• Te Pā Tū (formerly Tamaki Māori Village): storytelling, haka and a hāngī in a forest village setting, with return transport from central Rotorua. Evenings run about 3.5 hours, with start times at 5pm and 6:15pm year round, plus a 7:30pm session from October to April. The programme changes with the seasons of the maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar.

Glow worms after dark

Rotorua has several free glow worm spots, plus a guided option on the water.

• Te Auheke Track: a 1.7km forest loop near the Redwoods leading to the Cascade Falls glow worm dell. Bring a torch for the walk in, then switch it off at the falls and give your eyes a few minutes to adjust.
• Blue Lake Circuit: part of the walk around Lake Tikitapu passes a glow worm dell, and the lake is a good spot for stargazing on clear nights.
• Okere Falls Track: glow worms can be seen along the track after dark, including around Tutea Caves.
• Taiao Adventures glow worm kayak tour: a guided evening paddle to glow worm caves on a lake about 15 minutes' drive from town. The tour meets at the Rotorua Information Centre at 1167 Fenton Street, with transport and gear included. Allow about three hours in total, with around 90 minutes on the water. Adults are $225 and children aged 5 and over are $145. Departures are at 5pm and 6pm from April to September, and later in summer, from 8pm to 10:30pm between November and February.

At any glow worm site, keep torches pointed at the ground and avoid flash photography, since light makes the glow worms dim.

Redwoods Nightlights

After dark, the Redwoods Treewalk becomes Redwoods Nightlights. The same 700m walkway of 28 suspension bridges is lit by 34 lanterns from designer David Trubridge, hung through the redwood canopy. The forest feels completely different at night, so it is worth doing even if you have already walked it by day.

Evening soaks

• Hells Gate: open daily until 10pm, which makes it one of the few geothermal parks you can visit in the evening. The on-site Wai Ora Spa runs mud baths and sulphur pools.
• Polynesian Spa: lakefront mineral pools in the city centre, open until 11pm with last entry at 10pm.
• Secret Spot Hot Tubs: private outdoor hot tubs booked for your own group, in 45-minute sessions. Open until 10pm, with the last session at 9pm.
• Kuirau Park foot baths: free public foot pools in a thermal park that is always open. The steam is especially visible on cool evenings, but stay on the paths, since the surrounding pools are boiling.

Natural hot pools like Kerosene Creek and Hot 'n' Cold are best left for daylight. Neither has lighting, toilets or formal parking, and both have uneven footing.

Dinner on Eat Streat

Eat Streat is a covered, pedestrian-only strip at the lake end of Tutanekai Street, with around 20 restaurants and bars under a retractable roof and geothermally heated footpaths, so it works for an evening out even in cold or wet weather. Options include Indian, Thai and Mexican restaurants alongside pubs and craft beer.

• El Mexicano Zapata Cantina: Mexican food and cocktails, with free salsa lessons on Tuesdays and live music on weekends.
• Lady Janes Ice Cream Parlour: a Rotorua institution since the early 1980s at the lake end of Eat Streat, for dessert after dinner.

For dinner with a view, Stratosfare Restaurant & Bar serves a buffet at the top of the Skyline Rotorua gondola, looking out over the city and Lake Rotorua.

Bars and live music

• The Pig & Whistle: a pub on Tutanekai Street in a former police station, with live bands Thursday to Saturday.
• Hennessy's Irish Bar: an Irish pub on Tutanekai Street with Guinness on tap, live music on Thursdays and a quiz night on Sundays.
• Brew: a craft beer pub on Tutanekai Street.
• Mr Wolf: a café by day on Fenton Street, switching to a craft beer library, cocktails and wine in the evening.
• Poco Tapas & Wine: a small tapas and wine bar with an easy-to-miss entrance, quieter than the main Eat Streat venues.

Thursday Night Market

On Thursdays from 5pm to 9pm, roughly October through February and weather permitting, the Rotorua Night Market closes Tutanekai Street between Hinemoa and Haupapa Streets to traffic. Food trucks cover a wide range of cuisines, local makers sell crafts, and local musicians play while people eat at shared tables. Entry is free.

Cinema and shows

• Basement Cinema: an independent cinema in the Rock Solid building on Hinemoa Street. Check its website for session times.
• Sir Howard Morrison Centre: Rotorua's main performing arts venue, hosting touring concerts, theatre and dance. Check its programme for what is on during your visit.

Which night to do what

Staying safe after dark

Take a torch for any forest track, stick to marked paths, and let someone know where you are going if you are walking somewhere unlit. In geothermal areas, water and ground can be boiling just off the path, which is harder to judge in the dark.