Rotorua Bingo: Spot 30 Typically Rotorua Things
Walk the geothermal heart of Aotearoa, tick off the card, snap a photo of every typically Rotorua thing you can find. From a steaming vent in the park to a carved Maori pou, this is a 30-item Rotorua bingo that turns any walk into a treasure hunt. No fixed route. Just keep your eyes open.
Challenges (30)
Spot a Rotorua geothermal steam vent
Find a steaming geothermal vent in Kuirau Park or along the lakefront. Photograph the steam rising.
Spot a Rotorua NZ flag
Find a NZ flag flying on a Rotorua building. Photograph it.
Spot a Maori carved post (pou)
Find a carved Maori pou (post) at a marae, park entrance or shop. Photograph the carving.
Spot a kiwi-bird shop sign or souvenir
Find a kiwi-bird image on a sign, souvenir or T-shirt. The national bird. Photograph it.
Spot a Maori greeting (kia ora) on a sign
Find "Kia ora" lettering on a shop window, welcome sign or souvenir. Photograph the lettering.
Spot a flat white at a Rotorua café
Find a flat white at a Rotorua café cup. Photograph the foam art.
Spot a NZ silver fern in Rotorua
Find a silver fern on a souvenir, flag or facade. Photograph the fern.
Spot a Rotorua manuka honey jar
Find a jar of manuka honey in a shop window. Photograph the label.
Spot a Rotorua sulphur-smell warning sign
Find a sign warning about geothermal-area safety or sulphur (Kuirau Park has many). Photograph the sign.
Spot a koru fern spiral
Find a koru (unfurling fern frond) carved on a building, painted on a wall or as a souvenir spiral. Photograph the spiral.
Spot the Pohutu geyser steam
Walk to Te Puia and find the Pohutu geyser steam plume (it erupts up to 20 times a day). Photograph the steam against the trees.
Spot a Te Puia carving workshop
Inside Te Puia find the carving workshop (New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute) with apprentices at work. Photograph the wood being shaped.
Spot the Government Gardens Tudor bath house
Find the Rotorua Museum / Bath House in Government Gardens, the Tudor-style half-timbered building. Photograph the towers.
Spot a Government Gardens croquet lawn
In Government Gardens find the manicured croquet or bowling lawn. Photograph the lawn.
Spot Lake Rotorua and black swans
Walk to the lakefront and find black swans on the water. Photograph the birds with the lake.
Spot a Polynesian Spa sign
Find the Polynesian Spa entrance or pool deck (or any geothermal pool sign). Photograph the steam rising.
Spot a Hangi feast
Find a hangi (traditional earth-oven feast) on a menu, in a cultural village or a deli. Photograph the meal.
Spot Eat Streat heated boardwalk
Walk down Eat Streat on Tutanekai Street and find the heated boardwalk (heated by geothermal water). Photograph the boardwalk.
Spot a Rotorua marae welcome arch
Find a marae waharoa (entrance gateway) or a hotel lobby with Maori-themed carvings. Photograph the gateway.
Spot a thermal mud pool
Find a bubbling mud pool (Hells Gate, Kuirau Park, Whakarewarewa). Photograph the bubbling clay.
Spot a Rotorua redwood tree
Drive or walk to the Whakarewarewa Forest (Redwoods) and find a giant California redwood tree. Photograph the trunk.
Spot a Rotorua zorbing or luge sign
Find a zorbing (inflatable-ball rolling) or luge sign in Rotorua (it was invented here). Photograph the sign.
Spot a hot-spring footbath
Find a free public footbath fed by geothermal water (Kuirau Park has them). Photograph the bath.
Spot a Rotorua haka performance reference
Find a haka reference (cultural performance poster, mural or video screen at a Maori venue). Photograph the reference.
Spot a Lake Rotorua trout sign
Find a trout-fishing reference: fish-and-chip shop, trout statue, lake fishing tour sign. Photograph the reference.
Spot a Rotorua geothermal smelling stop
Find a viewpoint where the geothermal sulphur smell is strongest, like Whakarewarewa or Sulphur Bay. Photograph the steam.
Spot a Rotorua I-SITE visitor centre
Find the Rotorua I-SITE visitor centre sign. Photograph the entrance.
Spot a Wai-O-Tapu poster (Champagne Pool)
Find a Wai-O-Tapu Champagne Pool poster, postcard or tour-bus advert. Photograph the reference.
Spot a Rotorua wood-fire smoke or Mokoia Island view
Find a view of Mokoia Island in the middle of Lake Rotorua, or a Maori smoking fish set-up. Photograph the scene.
Spot a Tarawera volcano reference
Find a reference to Mount Tarawera (the volcano that erupted in 1886): museum exhibit, tour-bus sign or shop poster. Photograph the reference.
Frequently asked questions
The duration is up to the organizer when they set up the adventure. As a guideline, a focused day across Te Puia, the Government Gardens, Eat Streat and the lakefront ticks off most of the easy items, and stretching across a weekend lets a determined group complete all 30.
Each of the 30 items is a camera challenge. When you spot the thing, take a photo and submit it; the bingo card tracks progress. Play solo, with friends or split into teams and race to tick off the most items.
Some items (a Pohutu eruption, a Maori cultural performance) need timing. Sweep the Government Gardens and lakefront for the easy items, Te Puia for the geyser and Maori arts, Eat Streat for hangi.
The Government Gardens, the lakefront and Eat Streat hit the most items in a walking loop. Add a drive to Te Puia for the geyser, the Whakarewarewa thermal valley, or Wai-O-Tapu for the harder thermal items.
Yes. Kids love spotting the geyser steam, kiwi-bird signs and black swans; adults enjoy hunting Maori carvings, hangi and thermal-spa signs. No alcohol stops are required.