Fodor's Expert Review Hell's Gate

Located 15 km (9 miles) east of Rotorua, Hell's Gate is arguably the most active thermal reserve in the area. Its 50 acres hiss and bubble with steaming fumaroles and boiling mud pools. Among the attractions here is the Kakahi Falls, reputedly the largest hot waterfall in the southern hemisphere, where, according to legend, Māori warriors bathed their wounds after battle. Warm mud pools are available for public bathing; at the Hellsgate Mud Spa, you can soak in a mud bath or try a mirimiri (a traditional Māori massage).