Get Dirty at Mudtopia in Rotorua, New Zealand

By Travel New Zealand —— Bio and Archives April 13, 2017

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Festival fans are set for an epic new mud and music experience later this year, with the announcement of the southern hemisphere’s first Mudtopia Festival, to be held in Rotorua, from December 1-3. The three-day, high-energy festival in Arawa Park is designed to create a playful sensory experience that will awaken the world to Rotorua and the wonders of mud, by enabling people to get muddy and unleash their inner child. Rotorua mud is extremely high in minerals, particularly silica, due to its contact with natural geothermal and mineral waters that come from deep within the earth. This high mineral content ensures that the mud stores heat easily when warmed, making it ideal for wellness treatments, as well as for the activities planned for Mudtopia.

Muddy Events

- Mud Stage – Watch two and a half days of music and entertainment on the stage. For those inclined, there is a “mud mosh pit.” - Mud Arena – Inflatable obstacle courses – think kids’ bouncy castles on steroids, covered with slippery mud and giant pools of liquid mud, with coordinated games to get you out of your comfort zone. - Wikimedia – Learn about Rotorua’s 150-year history with mud, featuring interactive displays telling the story of mud in Rotorua, and an expo highlighting Rotorua’s tourism, spa and wellness, and adventure tourism businesses. - Mud Wellness – Realign your Zen and awaken to the world of natural mud skincare products, along with best practices in health and wellness living. - Mud Indulge – Pamper yourself with a mud massage, mud facial and other beauty treatments at Mud Indulge. - Mud Games – An open-format playground of games in the mud – from a casual mud wrestle to gumboot throwing to horizontal mud bungy and much, much more. - Mud Run – An epic course with mud obstacles to run, walk or crawl around, with varying degrees of difficulty (and mud factor) to choose from. - Piglet Pen (kids) – Take the young ones to the Piglet Pen, a designated kids’ area, for children up to 10 years. Mud entertainment includes: mud games, bouncy castle, mud slides, mud face painting and mud craft areas, as well as farm animals, including pigs.