Kerosene Creek

Kerosene Creek is a stream that runs warm because geothermally heated water joins it upstream, and a few minutes from the car park it drops over a small waterfall into a pool deep enough to sit in - free, unsupervised and set in bush, which is why it has been a Rotorua institution for decades and why it now sees far more people than it was ever a secret for. Two cautions are real rather than boilerplate. First, the water is untreated surface water and can carry Naegleria fowleri, the amoeba that causes a rare but almost always fatal meningitis-like infection; the standing advice is to keep your head above water and not put water up your nose. Second, the car park has a long history of vehicle break-ins - leave nothing visible. Temperature varies with rain and season; after heavy rain it can be cool and muddy, and in winter it is at its best.

What you actually see

• The warm waterfall - dropping into a sitting-depth pool.
• The bush setting - stream and forest, no facilities at all.
• The free access - no gate, no ticket, no supervision.
• The varying temperature - warmer in winter, diluted after rain.

When to go

Winter and cold mornings are when a hot stream is worth it. Avoid it after heavy rain, when it runs cool and muddy.

Honest expectations

Keep your head out of the water - untreated geothermal water carries a rare but usually fatal amoeba, and this is the standard public health advice, not caution for its own sake. Car break-ins are common; take valuables with you. No toilets, no changing rooms, no supervision.

Nearby

Wai-O-Tapu is a few minutes north; Waimangu and Rotorua are beyond it.