The Otorohanga District is ideally located to experience a huge range of visitor attractions.

Otorohanga is the gateway town to the fabulous Waitomo Caves, Blackwater Rafting and cave abseiling adventures and less than an hour from stunning Kawhia Harbour.

You can experience everything from adrenaline highs, relaxing “time out”, family fun, beautiful landscapes from caves to coast, adventure above and below ground.

To do the area justice you’ll need to spend at least a long weekend – it’s an easy relaxed drive from Auckland (just over 2 hours) and Hamilton (45 minutes).

To experience the Otorohanga and Waitomo areas, click here to read "A Most Unusual Meander" – a great drive through heartland New Zealand (courtesy of Honda NZ's "Eclipse" magazine).

> Kiwiana Town > Otorohanga attractions > Kawhia > Otorohanga Kiwi House & Native Bird Park > Waitomo Caves

Click on any of the map markers to learn more and to view a larger version of this mapCommunityWalk Map - Visitor Attractions in the Otorohanga District New Zealand

Kiwiana Town

Kiwiana is a celebration of New Zealand’s popular culture – its icons, heroes and traditions – everything from the Kiwi, Buzzy Bee, Paua and Pavlova, to Sir Edmund Hillary, Colin Meads and the All Blacks, from shearing and sheep dog trials to the haka and Hokey Pokey icecream.

Already well known as the home of New Zealand’s original Kiwi House, Otorohanga extended its “Kiwi Connection” theme to include all things “Kiwiana”.

Today the town is full of quirky and informative tributes to Kiwiana - murals, corrugated iron Kiwi sculptures and a whole gallery and arcade of Kiwiana displays in the Ed Hillary Walkway in the centre of town. The architecturally designed walkway connects the main street (Maniapoto Street) with Wahanui Crescent and the historic Otorohanga Railway Station, renovated and reinvented as an espresso coffee bar and boutique coffee roaster.

There are 24 Kiwiana display modules in the Otorohanga shopping precinct – 14 of the exhibits are located in the Ed Hillary Walkway – the remaining 10 are displayed in shop windows nearby. The Kiwiana story boxes offer a great snapshot of New Zealand’s popular culture, icons, heritage and heroes.

Look out for these exhibits:

Even the town’s Public Toilets opposite the Railway Station are a tribute to the Kiwiana theme – the exterior is sign written with traditional and Kiwi slang names for toilets - W.C., Loo, Bog, Wharepaku, Powder Room, Can, The Throne, Lavatory, Long Drop, Privy...

> Find more information about Otorohanga “Kiwiana Town” at www.kiwianatown.co.nz

See what Laurel Watson (Chef & Editor of "In my Kitchen") found on her visit to Otorohanga. Click here to read her story and Kiwiana recipes.

Other visitor attractions in Otorohanga:

• The Otorohanga Kiwi House & Native Bird Park (on Alex Telfer Drive, just 1km from the Otorohanga i-Site Visitor Centre) is a major kiwi and tuatara breeding centre with an extensive selection of native birds, trees and shrubs.
• Harvest Rock Indoor Climbing An amazing 10 metre high climbing wall at 5 Tuhoro Street in the Otorohanga township.
  Open:
  – Monday 3pm
  – Tuesday 11am
  – Wednesday 3pm
  – Thursday 2pm
  – Friday 11am.
  Phone 07 873 8893 for more information and bookings.
• Maori carved Pou Pou (totem poles) in the centre of town – a tribute to the ancestors of the local Maniapoto people.
• Otorohanga Courthouse, Museum & Waka House on Kakamutu Road (en route to the Otorohanga Kiwi House) has a collection of the town’s pioneering buildings (an 1896 police lockup, 1912 courthouse, police office and 1908 church building) plus a wonderful collection of local historic artifacts and photos. A historic wheelbarrow is of special interest; it was used at a ceremony on the Puniu River in 1885 to mark the beginning of railway construction through the King Country. The purpose-built Waka House protects "Te Waonui o Tane", a partially constructed totara dugout canoe, approximately 200 years old. It was discovered buried deep in an ancient gravel pit near Otorohanga. It is an important archaeological discovery with several significant and unique features. Open free of charge every Sunday afternoon or other times by arrangement – phone 07 873 8849 or email: serveo@paradise.net.nz
• “Te Rohe Potae” sculpture in the Memorial Park (corner of State Highway 3 and Kakamutu Road) – a bronze bowler hat on a Pounamu (greenstone) and stone plinth commemorating the intriguing history of the King Country.

Kawhia

Kawhia’s beautiful harbour on the rugged West Coast is a rich source of Maori history. Over 750 years ago the Tainui waka (canoes) arrived in the beautiful harbour with its miles of stunning black sand beaches.

Just 50 minutes drive from Otorohanga, Kawhia is off the beaten tourism track. It has a small resident population of less than 400 that increases greatly during the holiday season.

Kawhia is famous for its laid-back lifestyle, magnificent natural harbour and great fishing and sailing opportunities. Enjoy scenic bush walks, a meal of Fish ‘n’ Chips on the wharf and safe inner harbour beaches for swimming & kayaking. There’s also a 9-hole golf course, several charming cafes and a good range of accommodation options.

For extensive information on local Maori and European history visit the Kawhia Regional Museum & Information Centre, a charming small building on the waterfront (Kaora Street, Kawhia – Phone: 07 871 0161).

The friendly staff will also advise you about the location of the Te Puia Springs natural hot pools on Ocean Beach, where heated water bubbles up through the sand from a geothermal spring. They’ll even rent you a small shovel to dig your own spa pool!

> And be sure to put Kawhia’s biggest annual event in your diary! It’s the Kawhia Traditional Maori Kai (food) Festival held each Waitangi Weekend (on the first Saturday in February).

Otorohanga Kiwi House & Native Bird Park

Quick facts about the Otorohanga Kiwi House & Native Bird Park:

• Beautiful park-like surroundings contain New Zealand’s largest public collection of kiwi and other indigenous species... a chance for you to get up close and personal to a wonderful range of our native birds
• A leader in kiwi research, especially incubation and raising kiwi chicks for release
• Features NZ's original walk-through aviary, where visitors can see native birds in a natural rainforest habitat
• Has a conservation focus – all monies received are reinvested in the park or support significant conservation projects. There are also opportunities to support conservation through Society membership and “Adopt a Bird”, donations and sponsorship
• Guarantees that visitors will see kiwi or receive a refund
• Special night-viewing kiwi tours by arrangement.

The Otorohanga Kiwi House & Native Bird Park is owned and operated by the Otorohanga Zoological Society Inc., a non-profit organisation dedicated to the conservation of New Zealand's native wildlife through education, display and breeding programs.

As well as 3 types of kiwi (Northern Brown Kiwi, Great Spotted Kiwi and Little Spotted Kiwi) there are morepork (native owls), falcons, wekas, tui, keruru (native pigeon) kaka and kea.

In the pond and marshland areas you’ll find pukeko, pied stilt, spur-winged plover, white faced heron and a wonderful range of ducks of every size, shape, and form – paradise ducks, shoveler, grey duck, scaup, brown teal, blue duck and grey teal.

There are also unique reptiles like tuatara and geckoes... it really is a fascinating place. The nocturnal house is open daily for guided talks and has two separate feeding times to allow visitors to view kiwi all day long.

A well stocked shop at the complex has a selection of wildlife themed gifts, plus books, souvenirs and refreshments.

> Find more information about the Otorohanga Kiwi House at www.kiwihouse.org.nz

Waitomo Caves

Waitomo Village, just 15 minutes from central Otorohanga, offers a wonderful choice of visitor attractions.

There’s the silent beauty of glowworm caves and limestone caverns includingthe Waitomo Glowworm Cave, Spellbound Glowworm & Cave Tours, Ruakuri and Aranui Caves.

If you’re into adrenalin culture try Black Water Rafting and cave abseiling (rappelling).

> For more information about Waitomo and King Country visitor attractions visit www.waitomo.org.nz

> Click here to read about great family holidays in the Waitomo & Otorohanga Districts

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