Pax Assadi's Top Spot

I discovered Kerosene Creek with my wife two years ago.

My parents looked after our kids and it was the first weekend away we’d had in ages where it was just the two of us.

Rotorua is famous for mud pools and steaming geysers but we wanted to find the places that most don’t know about. We’re both huge lovers of being in hot water – almost to the point where it feels like our insides are cooking – and there’s something magical about Kerosene Creek.

Nestled in the bush, there’s a stream with mini waterfalls running down into little thermal hot pools; it’s all completely natural. It’s become our favourite spot, not just in Rotorua but in New Zealand.

We revisited the town with the kids not long ago and they just wanted a pool with a slide. So we booked the family pool at Polynesian Spa where we could watch them play from nearby. It was just close enough to hear them yell ‘Daddy’ but too far away for them to pull at my leg hairs.