Hell's Gate Mud Bath & Spas (Tikitere)

What to expect

Hell’s Gate is a commercial geothermal park on the north-eastern edge of Rotorua, in an area known in Māori as Tikitere. It has two halves. One is a walking track through about the most active geothermal ground you can visit near the city: boiling pools, steaming cliffs, a mud volcano and Kakahi Falls, a hot waterfall. The other half is the spa, where you climb into a tub of warm, silky mud, coat yourself from head to toe, then rinse off and sink into sulphur pools.

The mud bath is the reason most people come. The operator says it is the only geothermal mud spa in New Zealand. Each container holds 40 to 60 kg of fine mud collected from the reserve, sitting in geothermal water. The texture is smooth rather than gritty, and the smell of sulphur is strong. After the mud, you move to the outdoor sulphur spas, then to a cool plunge pool if you want a shock to finish.

This is a staffed, booked attraction with changing rooms and showers, not a wild pool. The bathing areas are outdoors but have shade covers, so rain does not stop a session.

The mud bath and spas

The operator puts the spa water at 99-106°F37-41°C, varying with the season and the weather on the day. The session order is set: mud first, then the sulphur spa, then the cool plunge pool.

Two rules matter more than anything else:

• 20 minutes in the mud per person per day. Hell’s Gate set this after consulting health professionals and kaumātua. Staff enforce it.
• Drink water and keep children’s soaks short. Mud and hot mineral water together are tiring, especially for kids.

Changing rooms have showers and body wash. Your belongings go in a portable container that is stored in a secure hut while you bathe. Swimsuits, shorts and towels can be hired at reception for NZ$5 per item, and these are commercially laundered after each use. There is also a small range of swimsuits for sale.

Prices and booking

Hell’s Gate sells three main packages (2026 prices on the operator’s site):

• Hell’s Gate Mud Bath and Spas: mud bath, sulphur spas and cool plunge pool. Adult NZ$90, child NZ$45, family NZ$250.
• The Hell’s Gate Experience: the mud bath and spas plus the geothermal walk (1 to 1.5 hours) and a Māori carving session. Adult NZ$115, child NZ$57.50, family NZ$320.
• Hell’s Gate Geothermal Walk: the walk and carving only, no bathing. Adult NZ$45, child NZ$22.50, family NZ$125.

Children are counted as ages 5 to 15. The minimum age is 2.5 years for the mud bath and 6 months for the sulphur spa, and under-15s must be supervised by a caregiver. Guided tours of the reserve are complimentary, or you can go self-guided.

Booking ahead is recommended and can be done online, by phone (+64 7 345 3151) or by email. In winter the operator has also run a separate evening Twilight Spa session; check its website for dates.

Getting there

Hell’s Gate is at 351 State Highway 30, Tikitere, just outside Rotorua’s city centre. From the city, head east on SH30. About five minutes past Rotorua Airport, turn right towards Whakatāne; Hell’s Gate is 3 km (1.9 miles) down that road. Typing “Hell’s Gate” into a map app works better than the address. There is plenty of parking for cars and campervans.

If you do not have a car, the operator runs a free shuttle from central Rotorua. It must be booked by phone, and booking a pick-up automatically books you on the matching return:

• Pick-up 9:50am, return from Hell’s Gate 1:30pm
• Pick-up 1:50pm, return 5:30pm
• Pick-up 4:15pm, return 7:30pm

When to go

Hell’s Gate is open every day except Christmas Day. From 30 September 2026 the operator extended its hours to 10am to 9pm for the summer, with last entry at 5:30pm for the walk and the Experience package and 7:30pm for the mud bath. Hours can be shorter in the cooler months, so check the contact page before an evening visit.

Rain is no reason to cancel. Steam and activity in the reserve increase noticeably in wet weather, and the spa areas are covered. Ponchos are sold at the ticket office if you forgot a jacket. Midday on summer weekends and during school holidays is the busiest time; mornings are quieter.

The geothermal walk

The walk through the reserve takes 1 to 1.5 hours and follows tracks made from local stone. It passes steaming fumaroles, boiling pools (some above 212°F100°C), land coral, sulphur crystals and what newzealand.com describes as the largest mud volcano in New Zealand. Kakahi Falls, a waterfall of warm geothermal water in native bush, is sacred to local Māori. Stay on the marked tracks: the ground here is genuinely dangerous.

History and culture

The area’s Māori name, Tikitere, comes from a story more than 650 years old. A woman named Hurutini, mistreated by her husband, threw herself into a boiling pool, and her mother’s cry of grief, “Auē tāku tiki nei,” was shortened to Tikitere. The operator says local Māori have used the mud and waters for more than 800 years, including to heal warriors after battle. Tikitere has drawn spa visitors since 1871. The English name dates from 1934, when the playwright George Bernard Shaw reportedly called the place “the very gates of hell.”

Treat Kakahi Falls and the reserve as a place with cultural weight. Follow guide instructions about where you can go and what you can touch.

Where to stay nearby

There is no lodging at Hell’s Gate. Rotorua, a short drive west, has the full range of hotels, motels, holiday parks and backpacker hostels, and the shuttle times make it easy to visit from the city without a car.

Safety notes

• Time in the mud: keep to the 20-minute guideline, drink water, and get out if you feel faint.
• Pregnancy and health conditions: if you are pregnant or have a heart condition or other health concern, ask your doctor before booking. The operator’s FAQ also points people to a health professional when in doubt.
• Jewellery and swimwear: the mud and water tarnish metal, especially silver. Light-coloured swimsuits can discolour; the operator suggests rinsing at Hell’s Gate, then washing the suit separately in cold water with cloudy ammonia and drying it on a line.
• On the walk: boiling water and unstable ground sit right beside the track. Keep children close and stay behind the barriers.
• Accessibility: the spa facility is wheelchair accessible with suitable bathrooms. The stone tracks through the reserve suit only off-road wheelchairs with an experienced helper.