Blue Cottage, on the lake

Twelve minutes from central Rotorua by car, Blue Cottage occupies a lakeside position on Waikuta Road in Ngongotaha, where the western shore of Lake Rotorua stretches open and geothermal steam rises off the water on cool mornings. The address puts guests well away from the sulphur-heavy air of the downtown hotel strip.

Rated 9.7 from its earliest reviews, the property ranks among the top-performing lake accommodations in the region. Mokoia Island — the sacred Arawa site at the centre of the lake — sits visible from shore, and the Ngongotaha Stream reaches the lake within easy walking distance.

Ngongotaha places guests close to Rainbow Springs, the Agrodome, and the Whakarewarewa redwood trail network, all within a five-kilometre radius of the cottage.