Rotorua - About 105 kilometres from Hamilton, Rotorua has a population of around 53,000, about half of whom are Maori. The city of Rotorua sits on the shore of Lake Rotorua, one of sixteen lakes in the area formed by hundreds of thousands of years of eruptions from the Taupo Volcanic Zone.   Just minutes from city centre, you will see geysers of hissing, steaming, scalding water roar from deep within the earth’s crust and hurl spray 100ft into the air. Pools of bubbling mud pop and belch like pots of porridge.   From the moment you enter Rotorua, you know you are somewhere like nowhere else. Lazy drifts of steam are emitted from cracks, crevices and culverts in parks, gardens, pathways and even residential streets. These constant steam drifts, together with the distinctive scent of sulphur, let you know you are in Rotorua, New Zealand - the centre of an active thermal area.

Taupo - With a population of over 20,000, Taupo is located at the north east of Lake Taupo, the largest freshwater lake in Australasia. The Lake Taupo region is part of the area which stretches from White Island to Tongariro National Park known as the Taupo Volcanic Zone.

Hawkes Bay - Hawkes Bay, on the East Coast of the North Island, takes its name from the large semi-circular bay (Hawke Bay) extending from Cape Kidnappers to the Mahia peninsula. Hawkes Bay has a population of around 150,000, with the majority of people living in the two main cities in the region, Napier and Hastings, both of which were virtually wiped out by the devastating earthquake of 1931.