The Redwoods, Rotorua, NZ
A huge redwood forest on the North Island
IG: @bethsandland
Rotorua, on New Zealand’s North Island, is famous for it’s geothermic activity and natural hot springs, so visitors often overlook the Whakarewarewa forest. Never mind, that gives you an opportunity to get lost amongst the mighty redwood trees in peace and serenity!
Just a short drive from the town you’ll find a vast forest, thick with ginormous 230ft (70m) trees that are at least a hundred years old. This location is so epic that it was even used for filming the famous Lord of the Rings series!
You can happily spend hours wandering through the forest on a number of trails and hardly meet another soul. Enjoy the serenity and keep an eye out for wildlife or, if you’re feeling more active, hire a mountain bike and hit one of the tracks through the towering forest.
Both entrance to the redwoods forest and the carpark are free which is excellent for visitors! If you want a totally unique perspective you can even pay to climb up a canopy walk way.