Hell's Gate Geothermal Reserve and Mud Spa — Attraction in North Island

10 tips to make the most of your stay in the pool and on the property. A very detailed review of the experience that includes soaking in the mud.

Having been to a couple of geothermal areas, I knew somewhat what to expect with the topography of the land. Of course, they are all different, and this one had a beauty that was very dark/stark. You don’t see the blues and reds and yellows here. This is mostly grays and browns. Very dramatic. It really earns its name of “Hells Gate” from Shaw, of all people! Read on, my friends!

10 tips! Don’t skimp on the sign reading. Some of the signs are fascinating, especially how Hell's Gate received its name. George Bernard Shaw? Soo odd. Please read the sighs. Beautiful history.

Don’t neglect the little walk in the woods. It is partway through the journey, and it provides a nice relief to be in the cool woods after being near all the hot steamy geothermal areas.

Choose the long walk. There’s a long walk, and a short walk. The long walk affords some really special features.

Do the walk first, and then soak in the tub last.

Bring a bathing suit that you don’t really care that much about. They rent suits there as well, but if you have a ratty suit, that will do. They say that it’s the mud that sticks to it that ruins it, but in my experience, that wasn’t the problem at all. The mud washed right out. But the sulfur smell really lingered. And they give instructions on how to wash your clothes, but it’s not really the mud that is the lingering problem.

There are 3 elements to the mud baths. The first is the actual mud bath; next, you can bathe in the sulfurous pools. And finally, they have a cold dip. Don’t skimp on the cold dip. It’s so good for your skin and circulatory system!

We did rent their towels, and that was a good choice.

They give you a bin to put all of your belongings in. It’s quite secure. So don’t worry about security.

The mud bath is timed, and I believe it’s only 20 minutes. That’s for the health of the patron. But you can hang out in the sulfur spring area and the cold dip as much as you would like. So allow a little extra time for those.

Hydrate hydrate hydrate hydrate. Drink lots of water!

The Sulphur Springs really will tarnish your jewelry. So best to leave that in...

Experience was lovely and something I would recommend to those deciding on what to do on the North Island (forgive me if I screw up which island it is) however my main issue with this is the lingering affects of the Sulfur. I understand it is part of the experience, and I do not have any sort of issue with it, but it has stayed with my clothes and taken around four washes to remove the smell.

Thankfully I am staying with family in NZ so I was able to wash it consistently, along with vinegar being available to help with soaking the clothes, but for those who travelled with us to the mud bath, they didn’t stay longer than the day before the next destination and the Sulfur affected the rest of their clothing to the point it became a burden to wash their clothes at each hotel.

To the people running the venue, please include this issue as part of your disclaimer so customers can bring along clothes they can easy discard or leave to the side for washing without it tainting the rest of their wardrobe.

Edit: Thank you for replying. I have just checked with my family members and friends who came on this trip to see what we were advised and told in regards to the Sulfur issue.

I can confirm after checking the emails, the booking was done through a third party website, which stating nothing of the sort about the Sulfur. After checking with the family member to have done the booking and initial contact with staff at the venue, we were told about the jewellery, but that was all. Heading further into the venue, the next person who offered the black boxes only spoke of the jewellery, something I can confirm.

Within the bathrooms, you have signs about the jewellery in large signs but nothing of the sort about the clothing being affected.

I do appreciate your reply, but you do not have the necessary signs or details advising of this issue noted in the venue or online. This is why I have edited my review and reduced it down. Thank you for your time and please consider how difficult this can be for those travelling...

A very interesting experience of mud baths and spas, and walks through this geothermal region. Hells gate is located conveniently at a 25 minutes drive from the center of Rotorua. The location offers two options, that can either be combined or just bought separately. The first part is the nature walk around the geothermal region that is priced at $45 per adult. The walk can be done on your own or can be done through a free guided tour that runs twice a day. There are quite a few geothermal sights to be explored on this tour. The second experience comprises of Mud baths and it’s priced at $90 per adult. This comprises of a 20 minute time slot in the mud pool. There are a total of 4 mud bath pools and visitors are allowed pool and their time in the pool is monitored by the staff. The mud bath is followed by an unlimited time in warm large pools of sulphur water. There is one large and two small sulphur pool with water flowing into it directly. The last pool is a cold water pool which is good to be taken a dip in after the hot sulphur pool. This pool is very small and congested. Since this is all water and mud from the geothermal region therefore, it has pungent sulphur smell therefore it’s recommended to either wear your worn out swimsuit or rent one for $5 at the check in counter. There are changing rooms and toilets for both women and men. If both experiences are combined then the price comes down to $115. The geothermal reserves here are not the most scenic though, but the mud baths and sulphur spa are recommended. There is a gift shop, and a cafe next to the...