Set high in the hills this workshop is a great place to spend the morning. Very welcoming and friendly atmosphere. With no past experience we crafted a piece of artwork under Rob's skilled guidance. Enjoyed a scrumptious morning tea and left with a great sense of achievement. Even got to keep our prized creation! Amazing to see the skill and passion Rob has for blacksmithing Thanks Rob and family

This was such an awesome experience. Blacksmithing is SO HARD! But Rob makes it look so easy, bringing life into steel! So good.

I'd give it 6 stars if I could. For anyone wanting to learn the ancient art of the Blacksmith or just have a fun day and go home with something you've made and a great story to tell, this experience is well worth it. Rob is always willing to pass on his wealth of knowledge and experience. His enthusiasm for the craft is contagious and the full day experience is honestly not enough for any avid fan of crafting glowing hot metal. I could have spent a week there. Arja's authentic, home cooking was phenomenal and really added to the whole experience. You can't learn on an empty stomach. I will definitely be going back to Kowhai Forge.

Rob & Arja were very welcoming and the course was awesome. I did full day course so i was available to forge my own kitchenette knife i'm so grateful to have a knife i'll carry for all my carrer. I'll not forget to tanins Arja for the beautiful lunch. (And thank's again for the receipe!!!!) well if you want to spend a good day and learning some blacksmith that's definitly the place to be Cheers Seb

There are not many most do in Nz but this is definitely one. Just go for it. You wont doubt it. I did it with my father and we both enjoyed it really much. Together with the waitomo caves the two best things on the north island. It is just awesome, Rob is funny, friendly and knows and loves what he does. The food is good and so are the drinks. It came out that the knife in the end was just ,,Das Sahnehäubchen" as we would say in Germany. Hands down that's a 5/5 without any hesitation.

We had a great experience in Orakei Korako. Not only was it breathtakingly beautiful and an unforgettable experience but the staff/owners were all friendly and accommodating. Thank you heaps!

Orakei Korako was exactly as described in the brochure. It was set in beautiful, peaceful surroundings and was a wonderful experience. The pathways were clearly signposted and the information interesting. We spent more than 2 hours wandering around the site enjoying nature at its best. Highly recommended.

Friendly staff, gorgeous nature, and interesting smells, what more can you ask for? The boardwalk is well maintained and there is lots to look at.

Wonderful

It was so nice out there. We camped in the carpark and were the first one on the island, so it was quiet and nice. Due to a little bit of rain the experience got even better :-) A must do! If you have a camper van just stay there the night before!

Loved being able to explore at our own pace. Boardwalk and stairs are well maintained and we were able to get really close to all the amazing features of this park. Easily accessible from Taupo. Highly recommend.

Fantastic geothermal experience! The reception briefed us the health & safety and important instuctions and the ferrymen operated the ferry with great expertise. The geothermal park & cave are beyond my expectation. I am so pleased to see the gushing geysers, hot springs, and bubbling mud pools in my short trip.

Amazing views! Highly recommend

Great experience, even better on a wet day like ours. Seemed to make the experience more mysterious. My kids loved it. Great service and the tracks were easy to navigate and family friendly. Definitely recommend.

Wonderful walk, very pleasant and doable for most! Beautiful views!

Self guided tour around this very neat area. Not like some of the more touristy experiences around so it felt authentic and largely untouched by humans.

We ad an unforeseen event, we managed the visit and we loved it, quiet walk, very well signposted place and very kind and safe ferry service!

Wow! A fantastic outing for the whole family. Very friendly staff. Welcoming. A lot of work has been done since our last visit and it made the experience all the more enjoyable. Captured the kids interest and wonder. We'll worth the visit. Would highly recommend.

New Zealand has lots of beautiful places but this one is really special. Raw thermal energy. Self guided meant we could spend as much time as we wanted to see the geysers. Hosts were very welcoming.

Easy walk, so many cool things to see! Book it, you won’t regret it!

We had some really great times in the geothermal park Orakei Korako. All the geothermal The staff was friendly and the ferry was running there and back on request.

Amazing experience

We liked the variety and looptrack combined with short boatride. Also you can sleep at their carpark when you go to see the thermals next day :) quiet lovely place

I didn't know fully what to expect when booking this activity but I am soooooo glad I did!!! I love that a small ferry takes you across the lake to the geothermal park where you are free to take your time to wander around and take it all in! The rise in temperature is noticeable even on a overcast day so recommend taking at least a water bottle over with you. Free to roam until you have had enough then simple return to the dock and push a buzzer to notify the boat driver you're ready to come back and they will collect you. Staff were great in explaining what happens and what to do in the event of an emergency!

A great place to visit as an alternative to Wai-O-Tapu, which was temporarily closed. Not many people were there at the time so I could enjoy the attractions and take plenty of photos at my leisure. Unfortunately the Champagne Pool had emptied just a week before my visit, but apparently the landscape is very changeable ithere so that can happen sometimes. Still lots to see including geysers and boiling mud pools and a short bush walk. I got a lot of great photos to share. The guide who ferried us over was very friendly and helpful. By going early in the morning I got a great deal through Bookme. Not as large an area to explore as Wai-O-Tapu. but was still very enjoyable excellent value at the price paid

Really great experience! Strongly recommend and is a must-do if you pass around Taupo/Rotorua. We're moved to another planet or age! The staff was very friendly and kind! Please reserve at least 1.3hour to have a good experience.