With some awesome day trip options available in the surrounding area, having your own car makes sense. Without one, it wouldn’t be half as easy to explore all that Rotorua, 25 miles away, has to offer. Lake Rotorua, Skyline Rotorua and Lake Okareka alone make the drive out worthwhile. The locals will also likely point you in the direction of Pongakawa, 45 miles away. If you can only find time for one thing here, make sure it’s Lake Rotorua. (But we’re also huge fans of Te Whakarewarewa and Ohinemutu.)