The Hell's Gate Experience
Recommended by 94% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Rotorua, New Zealand
- 2 to 3 hours (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Learn more about Rotorua’s culture and natural history when you visit the Hell’s Gate geothermal park. Simplify your visit by pre-purchasing your entry ticket. Take advantage of the included guided tours, which includes a self-guided option if you’d prefer to go at your own pace. Try Maori carving in the carving house and soak in the geothermal waters, if you like.
- Includes the carving activity, guided tours, and mud foot pools
- Bring your bathing suit to use the mud baths and sulfur spas
- A must-visit attraction in the central North Island
- Plan to spend between one and three hours here
What's Included
- Guided or Self-Guided Geothermal Walk
- Bathe in Mud Bath & Sulphur Spas
- Complimentary Māori carving
- Food & Drink
- Towels & Swimwear
Meeting and Pickup
Departure Point
- Hell's Gate Geothermal Reserve & Mud Spa, 351 State Highway 30, Tikitere 3010 New Zealand
What To Expect
1
Hell's Gate Geothermal Reserve & Mud Spa
Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- We recommend that women do not use our bathing facilities whilst pregnant. However, it is an individual’s choice and we recommend that you seek advice from your health professional if you are wanting to bathe.
- Not recommended for travellers with heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- The minimum age for the Mud Bath is 2.5 years, and for the Sulphur Spa is 6 months.
- Children are considered those aged 5 -15. Under 4s are free when accompanied by a paying adult.
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.7
based on 443 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Fantastic experience, friendly staff. Skin feels so soft after soaking in the mud bath and hot pools! Awesome that you can also hire towels and swimwear and lock up your valuables whilst there!
Great experience & very informative, definitely do the guided tour, it costs no extra & well worth hearing the history & info on the different types of pools at Hells Gate.
This is a genuine one off experience. You’ll see Mother Nature in her rawest form.
The spa is well run and clean. The mud, well it washes off it’s an interesting experience. The showers are great afterwards and really cleaned the mud off.
Spectacular scenery with a interesting self guided walk followed by mud spa and geothermal pools. Great experience a little different from other thermal pool visits.
Have always wanted to try the thermal pools at Rotorua, do not miss this one!!!!
Our guide Lilly was a wealth of information, complete with a few joke’s thrown in, for someone so young, she really knew her stuff. The geothermal pools were amazing, a little stinky but the mud made your skin feel so soft. The cold plunge pool was a little chilly, (it’s winter 🥶) but well worth it. The sulphuric water in the other baths have no time limit, and the benefits to your skin are instant. It’s a 10/10 for us, even our 18 year old daughter changed her mind and went in the mud, and she was adamant that she wouldn’t be going in.
This was one of the highlights of my Auckland trip. Place was unreal, beautiful. Mudbath and pool also were super relaxing and super brightening.
It is a must to do experience if you are in Rotorua!
Hell Gate has the best staff, nature thermo environment, mud pool and hot springs!
Great experience. The trail walk through the thermal pools was interesting. We enjoyed the wood carving. And of course the mud bath and supper pool.
Very fun, but the mud leaves you a bit stinky for a few days even after showers. Also half the walk was closed when we went, but I don’t think that was anyone’s fault
Enjoyable, but not amazing. Price is a bit steep. But we weren't sad to have done it. The geothermal walk isn't as informative as we would've hoped. The carving was enjoyable. The mud was cool, but be sure to heed their caution about the sulphur getting into your swimsuit (and any clothes you wash with your swimsuit).
The walk is easy and very interesting. The landscape looks so desolate in places you wonder how people ever worked out the uses for the mud and hot pools.
The mud spa and pools were relaxing but we could have benefited from a better explanation of the facility
We did the guided tour (slightly earlier than our scheduled time but it wasn’t a problem checking in early) and it was great. We saw and learned about the area and Māori culture while on the hour-long tour. The mud baths and warm sulphur pools were wonderful too!
Great experience. Recommend getting guided tour so learn and understand surrounds, history and different kinds of muds, pools, plants etc. Guide was very informative.
Wood carving was quick, get to keep a memento.
Mud baths, plunge pool, bit crowded, but glad we had a soak.
All up worth the $.
Lots of different things to experience, most enjoyable. A good outing. Recommend this to others. We were so close to the water & rocks
The geothermal hot springs were more striking in person (and better, in our opinion, than Waiotapu), and we enjoyed walking through the lush forest area with the scenic view of Kakahi Falls. The wood carving experience was also fun to try. We thought the experience included a tour, but we weren’t offered headsets or any information about a tour on arrival.
We self-guided through the walk, and enjoyed the experience. We were nervous about the mud bath, but it turned out nice and thoroughly relaxing. The showers and changing area were great, so we’re were very clean (but a bit sulphur-smelling) to go on with our day.
Unique experience, the tour guy was a local Maori who took the time and caring to explain all the details
Great experience, seeing the geothermal activity was very interesting. We followed with the mud bath and mineral pool which was super relaxing and enjoyable. Highly recommend.
Fascinating experience. The guided walk is included in the price and is brilliant. Don't just rush around by yourself. You will learn so much more about the geothermal pools, and the Maori culture on the tour.
Explored the thermal landscape, then enjoyed the mud baths and thermal pools. Absolutely worth it, really really enjoyable and well organised.
Guide was a bit immature with teenage level delivery and weak jokes. He was the only one laughing at them. Most Kiwis don't eat KFC regularly.
Great experience. The tour guide was very entertaining. The mud spa and spa were very nice to relax in. A great day.
We really enjoyed the tour our guide’s (sorry I don’t remember his name but it was long) genuine story telling enthusiasm and knowledge was the highlight of the day! Surprisingly we really enjoyed the wood carving a little souvenir to take home. The mud bath was fun met some friendly folks, took turns taking each other’s pictures! Overall and fun day!!! I would highly recommend.
Excellent guided tour from the guide with the very long name (!). Well organised throughout. We enjoyed the wood carving and the spa very much. Highly recommended.
The staff at Hell’s Gate were all so friendly and upbeat and very informative thank you for such a great day.
A great experience, our guide was really knowledgable and the mud bath and mineral baths were so relaxing. Overall it was a whole lot of fun.
A wonderful experience. Easy self walking tour. Friendly informative staff. Rejuvenating thermal spas and mud pools
Wow what a place. I never saw this kind of sightseeing. All these hot springs were amazing, and the walk in the site was very interesting with the self guided commentary. The hot pools and mud were very nice.
Loved the hike around the geysers and hot springs! Loved getting to use the mud and hot spring spa at the end. My skin felt radiant for a week!
We really enjoyed walking through the Hells Gate park. We did the self guided, but you do have the option of a free guide. The times for those were 1030 and 230. So it depends on what you prefer. We started at 1230 and there were very few people out on the walkways. Had the park pretty much to ourselves. It was a little rainy the day we went, so maybe that's why. It was worth the long drive to see this unique place.
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per personWas $67.32(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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