Government Gardens Rotorua

The land here was gifted by Ngati Whakaue in 1880 for the benefit of the people of New Zealand, on the understanding that a spa town would be developed - and it was. The Bath House, opened in 1908, is an extraordinary building: mock-Tudor half-timbering, entirely out of place in a geothermal field, built by the government as a grand European-style sanatorium where visitors took mineral baths and electrical treatments for arthritis and other complaints. The treatments were of doubtful value and the building never made money; it later became the Rotorua Museum. Since the 2016 earthquake assessments it has been closed for strengthening, a long and expensive project, so the interior is not currently open - check its status before planning around it. The gardens around it are formal lawns, rose beds, croquet and bowling greens, with steaming vents and the sulphurous smell of Rotorua running through the whole thing.

What you actually see

• The Bath House - the 1908 mock-Tudor sanatorium, closed for strengthening.
• The formal gardens - lawns, roses, croquet and bowling greens.
• The steaming ground - vents and the sulphur smell through the lawns.
• The gift history - the land given by Ngati Whakaue in 1880.

When to go

Any season; the gardens are open at all hours and free. Check whether the museum has reopened before counting on the interior.

Honest expectations

The Bath House has been closed for earthquake strengthening for years - you can photograph it but not go in. The smell of hydrogen sulphide is constant. Steaming ground means staying on paths.

Nearby

Te Puia and Whakarewarewa are south; the Rotorua lakefront is beside the gardens.