Blog - Local News
Rotorua's Eat Streat to stay
Rotorua District Council (RDC) wants the city’s popular Eat Streat precinct to become a permanent CBD feature and is working with local designers to develop it into a landmark attraction.
Eat Streat, the area of Tutanekai St bounded by Pukaki and Whakaue streets, was developed in 2008 as a trial concept for alfresco dining in the CBD. The pedestrian-only zone introduced
new coordinated dining furniture, sun umbrellas, trees, and planter boxes.
The Big Splash now open
Rainbow Springs, Rotorua last week opened The Big Splash, its $10m thrill ride. Described as a family-friendly eco-experience designed to entertain and educate visitors about conservation and sustainability, The Big Splash ride features a 12-metre waterslide. Guests ride in of a fleet of eight-seat boats departing at one-minute intervals, passing through a native forest canopy, past a Maori
pa settlement and a European timber mill town. Life-sized moa, Haast eagle and dinosaur models inhabit the dense 1ha forest planted with 7000 native trees and plants to represent ancient Aotearoa New Zealand.
Rotarua Museum Visitors
The total number of visitors to Rotorua Museum during DEC11 was 10,179 compared to 8,555 for DEC10, an increase of 19% or 1,624 visitors for the month.
Read the full postFree-flight bird show auditorium complete
Rainbow Springs has completed construction of its new 384-seat free flight bird show auditorium and the birds are progressing well in their training.
Read the full postBoats lowered into Big Splash flume
The first boats have been lowered into the Big Splash’s 431-metre flume at Rainbow Springs in Rotorua ready for the water to flow. The six boats, each carrying up to eight passengers, will weave their way through the ecological evolution of New Zealand in the new ride, educating and entertaining riders along the way.
Read the full postThe Phantom at The Prince’s Gate
The Princes Gate at Rotorua, one of New Zealand’s finest and oldest hotels, has a 25-year track record of commitment to the arts, cabaret, dinner shows and operas through the efforts of its talented owners, Brett and Vlasta Marvelly. Fittingly, their latest attraction involves the Phantom of the Opera. At 6.30pm daily (except Sundays), The Phantom makes his way down the magnificent kauri staircase of the 115-year-old hotel. He calls Christine up the stairs to a rendition of The Music of the Night and continues his serenade while guests indulge in canapés and liquid refreshment.
Read the full postOscar Nathan wins DRM role
Destination Rotorua Marketing’s new general manager is to be Oscar Nathan, and he will take up the role in early January.
According to Rotorua’s Daily Post, Nathan, 39, has been a business adviser with the Poutama Trust and is currently deputy chairman of the New Zealand Tourism Industry Association, a board member of Te Puia and New Zealand Hospitality Standards Institute, a council member of Waiariki Institute of Technology and chairman of Maori in Tourism Rotorua. He was on the council’s tourism committee before resigning earlier this year, along with Rotorua hotel manager Marcus Keenan.
