Hells Gate Rotorua: Mud Bath, Geothermal Walk and Honest Tips

Hells Gate is Rotorua’s geothermal park with a mud spa attached: you walk past boiling pools and steaming ground, then sit in a bath of warm grey mud. We went on our fifth day, after giving the boys the slow morning they’d been asking for, and while it was interesting, and the mud bath was the best part, we didn’t feel it was totally worth it. We’d give it 6/10.

Before you go: check current prices, opening hours and packages on the official Hell’s Gate website.

The Hells Gate geothermal walk

We started with the walk, a loop of about 2 km (1.2 miles) on paths around the park. You get a map at the start that tells you the temperature and the story of each pool and vent, which made it far more interesting than just looking at steam. There are mud pools that bubble and spit, hot lakes the colour of dishwater, and patches of bare, sulphur-stained ground that look like another planet.

However, be ready for the smell. The sulphur is strong here, so if you’re sensitive to it, the walk is the part to cut short.

Along the way there’s a Māori carving station where you can have a go yourself. Our carvings weren’t going in any museum, but it was fun, and it gave us real respect for the skill it takes.

The mud bath and sulphur spa

The mud bath was the highlight. You sit in a pool of warm, silky geothermal mud for about 20 minutes, and the staff keep everyone on schedule, so nobody stays in too long. After that you rinse off in the showers and move into the sulphur spa pools, which get gradually hotter, and finish with a cold plunge if you’re brave enough. We didn’t take photos in the spa, for obvious reasons.

Two things we’d warn you about. First, the hire swimsuits: we rented them to save ruining our own, but the sizes were limited and they fitted badly. Second, the changing rooms are functional but not very private. Our skin felt noticeably softer afterwards, and the car smelled faintly of sulphur for the rest of the day.

Tips for Hells Gate

• Bring your own old swimsuit rather than hiring one. The staff explain how to get the smell out; if it won’t come out, retire the suit.
• Do the walk first, then the spa, so you finish clean and relaxed instead of sweaty.
• Keep the map they hand you at the start. The temperatures and stories make the walk.
• Plan a lazy morning before it. It worked well on the day after rafting and zorbing.

The bite: steak at Ambrosia

After days of driving past paddocks full of cattle, we wanted steak, and the search for the best steak in Rotorua led us to Ambrosia on Tutanekai Street, right next door to Atticus Finch. The steak special came with a cheese sauce we looked at suspiciously and then couldn’t stop talking about, and the boys’ strip steaks were cooked perfectly. It’s a place that cooks great beef without fuss, and it won’t break the bank. For dessert, skip their menu and walk round the corner to the ice cream shop.

Hells Gate FAQ

Is the Hells Gate mud bath worth it?

Only just, for us. It was interesting and the mud bath was the best part, but we didn’t feel the whole experience was totally worth it, so we rate it 6/10. Go if a mud bath is on your list; skip it if you’re short on time in Rotorua.

How long do you stay in the mud?

Our session was about 20 minutes in the mud, then showers and the sulphur pools. Staff keep time for you.

Will the mud ruin my swimsuit?

It can. The smell sometimes stays, so wear an old suit. Hire suits are available, but ours fitted badly.

Does Hells Gate smell?

Yes, strongly of sulphur (rotten eggs). You get used to it, but it lingers on clothes and in the car.

Hells Gate was day 5 of our 10-day North Island itinerary. From Rotorua we drove south to Taupō, home of the bungee over the Waikato River.