Highly recommended to stay at Win’s place. Lake Okareka is only 10 minutes drive from town and makes for a lovely, quiet, non-touristy spot to stay. The apartment is very comfortable and stylish and we enjoyed a quick hot tub after breakfast enjoying the beautiful wild garden view. Give yourself time to explore the nearby lakes, lots of hiking trails and the house is 5 minutes from the redwood forest which we didn’t know existed but was a pleasant surprise. Did the fantastic treetops walk. Win provides tips on where to explore in Rotorua depending on your budget and we found that very useful. Looking forward to returning to this area to enjoy the outdoors as well as the geothermal attractions.