Auckland to Rotorua: Wai-O-Tapu, a Private Cedar Hot Tub, and Tirau's Corrugated Iron

A full day from Auckland that ends with you sitting in a wooden tub in a forest. The drive south crosses the Waikato, which the operator calls the most extensive farming country in the world, with a coffee stop on the way. At Tirau the road passes through the self-declared corrugated iron capital of the world, where the buildings and sculptures are made of the stuff, and the guide points out the best of them. Wai-O-Tapu is the geothermal half of the day: steaming vents, mud pools that bubble, and the Champagne Pool, which is the one everybody photographs. Then Secret Spot, where lunch is, and after it a private cedar hot tub in native forest, filled with mineral water. Each tub is screened off, so the soak is yours rather than shared with the group. Minimum age is five. One detail worth knowing: not everyone on the bus does the same activities, so the day is arranged around what each person booked. The last part of Rotorua is a guided drive past Lake Rotorua, the Rotorua Museum, the Government Gardens, Whangapipiro, which is Rachel Spring, and the Blue Baths. The return to Auckland is guided too, with stops the operator does not announce in advance. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.