Great Volcano Vacations

Rotorua & Tongariro National Park, New Zealand

Last Eruption: Mt. Ruapehu (the most active of the park’s three volcanoes), 2007; Rotorua, not since the Ice Age.

Why It’s Cool: Steam rises everywhere in Rotorua, a geothermal spa city. Walk among the boiling waters in Kuirau Park or hit the national park for hiking, downhill skiing, or riding a chair lift up Ruapehu. Hard-core hikers can tackle the Tongariro Crossing, an eight-hour trek across a desolate moonscape.

Hot Hotel: The veddy English Bayview Chateau Tongariro, at the foot of Mt. Ruapehu, celebrates its 80th anniversary this year. Hint: Book the McLaren Suite for views of Mt. Ngauruhoe, another of the park’s volcanoes.