Long, warm evenings and lazy lake days call for one thing — ice cream. We’re here to give you the scoop on Rotorua’s best spots to cool down this summer.
Lady Jane’s Ice Cream Parlour
Where: Eat Streat
Lady Jane’s is a Rotorua institution, the kind of old-school ice cream parlour where locals have been queuing since forever. It’s all about the nostalgic charm and generous scoops, with more than 40 flavours ranging from all the kiwi classics to Biscoff sundaes. Grab a scoop (or two) and wander toward the lake – it’s tradition.
Scoop’d Ice Cream & Bubble Tea
Where: Redwood Centre
Playful, adventurous and impossible to forget, Scoop’d dreams up flavours and combos you didn’t even know you needed. Think bubble tea floats, croffles piled with ice cream and bubble waffle cones that look almost too good to eat. The sweetest way to wrap up a Redwoods adventure.
Parc Coffee
Where: Pukuatua Street
A sunny hole-in-the-wall café with picnic benches out front, Parc is the kind of spot that feels instantly local. Sure, they do great coffee and sandwiches, but the real magic is in their real fruit ice cream and affogato soft serves - pure summer in a cup and the perfect stop after a run around the playground.
Redwoods i-SITE (Visitor Centre)
Where: Whakarewarewa Forest
Tucked away in the heart of the Whakarewarewa forest, the Redwoods i-SITE might not be the first place you think of for ice cream, but it should be! Serving delicious scoops of Kapiti ice cream, it’s the perfect spot to cool down beneath the towering canopies after a forest walk or Treewalk adventure.
Little 'Lato
Where: Polynesian Spa
The indulgence doesn’t have to end with your soak. Just outside the pools, 88Rā Café serves Little Lato ice cream, including an exclusive Mānuka and Mud flavour crafted to celebrate Polynesian Spa’s 50th anniversary. Smooth, earthy and distinctly Rotorua, it’s a scoop you won’t find anywhere else and it’s the perfect way to finish your visit on a deliciously local note.
