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ChangeBlack swan spotting
Lake Rotorua is full of black swans (introduced from Australia long ago). Find the swans on the lakeshore and take a group photo with the team posed at a respectful distance, swans in the foreground.
Checkpoint: Eat Streat
Walk to Eat Streat on Tutanekai Street and check in by the heated boardwalk.
Checkpoint: Government Gardens
Drive five minutes north to the Government Gardens and check in by the Bath House (Rotorua Museum) facade.
Checkpoint: Lakefront
Walk north to the Rotorua Lakefront and check in by the jetty.
Checkpoint: Te Puia
Navigate to Te Puia in the Whakarewarewa thermal valley and check in at the entrance gate.
Croquet lawn portrait
The Government Gardens have manicured croquet and bowling lawns. Find a lawn, grab a mallet (or mime one) and take a group photo with the team in a croquet-club pose.
Cultural performance respect
At a Maori cultural performance you may see waiata (songs), poi dances and the haka. Watch attentively and, where photographs are allowed by the host, take a respectful group photo with the team in the audience and the stage in the background.
Hangi taste
A hangi is a traditional Maori earth-oven feast: meat and vegetables steamed underground. Book a hangi at Te Puia, Mitai or Tamaki Maori Village (or order at a Rotorua restaurant) and take a group photo with everyone taking the first bite at the same time.
Lake Rotorua wide shot
Lake Rotorua fills the caldera of an ancient volcano. Find a vantage point on the lakefront and take a group photo with the lake stretching out to Mokoia Island in the distance behind everyone.
Local Rotoruan tip
Convince a local Rotorua resident to share a tip about the city. Take a photo with your impromptu guide and remember the tip.
Pohutu geyser pose
The Pohutu geyser is the largest active geyser in the southern hemisphere, erupting up to twenty times a day. Find the viewing platform, time your visit for an eruption and take a group photo with the geyser steaming behind everyone.
Polynesian Spa nod
The Polynesian Spa on the lakefront is one of the best thermal-pool complexes in the country. Photograph the entrance, or if the team has time, slip in for a soak and take a group photo poolside.
Rotorua finale
Final challenge. Find a beautiful Rotorua spot (the lakefront at golden hour, steam rising in Government Gardens at dusk, a Te Puia pou in evening light) and take an amazing closing group photo. Kia ora from the geothermal heart of Aotearoa!
Rotorua kick-off
The hunt begins! Find a classic Rotorua backdrop (a steaming vent in the park, a carved pou, the lakefront in the distance) and take a group photo with the whole team in shot.
Sulphur shock moment
Rotorua is famous for its sulphur smell from geothermal vents. Find a steaming vent (Kuirau Park has free public ones), get the team to comically pinch their noses and take a photo with the steam rising behind everyone.
Trivia: Aotearoa
New Zealand has a Maori name that translates roughly to "land of the long white cloud". What is it?
Trivia: Maori greeting
What is the standard Maori greeting that has become part of everyday New Zealand English (two words)?
Trivia: Pohutu height
Pohutu geyser shoots up to roughly how many metres into the air (within 5)?
Tudor bathhouse pose
The Rotorua Museum / Bath House is a striking half-timbered Tudor building (currently under earthquake reinstatement). Find an angle on the facade and take a group photo with the team posed in front of the towers.
Wharenui respect
The Te Aronui-a-Rua wharenui (meeting house) at Te Puia is covered in detailed carvings telling tribal stories. Ask permission before entering and photograph the exterior or, if allowed, take a respectful group photo by the entrance.