The birds at lake Rotorua didn't seem to mind the hot water and stinky air and were quite happy for us to feed them.

An interesting park (with an interesting name as well) is Whakarewarewa, (Fahkah Ree Wah Ree Wah - now say it 3 times fast!) where redwood trees were planted about 100 years ago to see if they would be a good choice for the timber industry. They were not - too slow growing. However the trees are doing quite well, and it is very pleasant to walk through the redwood forest with an understory of New Zealand tree ferns.

For heaven on earth I'd vote for kerosene creek! A naturally hot creek - not too hot, not too cold - complete with swimming holes and waterfalls. The only drawback is that it does actually smell like kerosene.

As you can see the various pools at kerosene creek can soak up quite a bit of your spare time whien you visit Rotorua.