Brandwave

How popular isWai-O-Tapu?

In September 2026, people searched for Wai-O-Tapu by name about 28,100 times in New Zealand, a 33.2% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 5.6% of all New Zealand visitor attraction searches, placing Wai-O-Tapu seventh out of 16 attractions. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about visitor attractions, Wai-O-Tapu appeared in three of the five answers and was the fourth most recommended of the 16.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Wai-O-Tapu is the seventh most searched of 16 competitors and the fourth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. Sky TowerShare of searches 15.8%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  2. Rainbow's EndShare of searches 12.9%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  3. Skyline QueenstownShare of searches 10.6%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  4. Kelly Tarlton'sShare of searches 10.1%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  5. Wai-O-TapuShare of searches 5.6%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th

+11 more

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Top visitor attractions in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Wai-O-Tapu was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Wai-O-Tapu is the fourth most recommended of the 16.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Hobbiton Movie Set1st
  2. Te Puia2nd
  3. Waitomo Glowworm Caves3rd
  4. Wai-O-Tapu4th
  5. Skyline Rotorua5th
  6. Weta Workshop5th
  7. Waitangi Treaty Grounds7th
  8. Sky Tower–
  9. Rainbow's End–
  10. Skyline Queenstown–
  11. +6 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Te Puia4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Hobbiton Movie Set3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Wai-O-Tapu3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Waitomo Glowworm Caves2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Skyline Rotorua2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Weta Workshop1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Shotover Jet1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Waitangi Treaty Grounds1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Sky Tower0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Rainbow's End0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+6 more

See every answer about visitor attractions

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Which visitor attractions compete with Wai-O-Tapu?

Wai-O-Tapu against visitor attractions in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Sky Tower, Rainbow's End, Skyline Queenstown, Kelly Tarlton's, Waitomo Glowworm Caves, Hobbiton Movie Set, Wai-O-Tapu, Skyline Rotorua, Weta Workshop, International Antarctic Centre, Shotover Jet, Larnach Castle. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthSky TowerRainbow's EndSkyline QueenstownKelly Tarlton'sWaitomo Glowworm CavesHobbiton Movie SetWai-O-TapuSkyline RotoruaWeta WorkshopInternational Antarctic CentreShotover JetLarnach CastleAgrodomeTe PuiaWaitangi Treaty GroundsAll Blacks Experience
Oct 202516.1%13.4%8.8%9.2%8.5%9%7%4.8%5.3%4.7%3.4%3.2%2.1%1.7%1.7%1.1%
Nov 202517%9.7%9.4%7.3%9.7%9.7%9%4.2%6%4%3.9%2.8%2.2%1.9%1.8%1.5%
Dec 202516.3%11%8.9%7.6%9.3%8.9%8.6%5.9%5.2%4.7%3.7%2.6%2.1%1.8%2.1%1.4%
Jan 202612.7%12.6%8.4%8.7%10.5%9.5%8.1%5.6%5.4%4.4%3.5%3%2%2%2%1.3%
Feb 202615.6%8.6%10.5%7.3%10.1%8.6%10.1%4.7%5.3%4.5%3.4%3.1%1.7%2.1%3%1.3%
Mar 202614.2%7.9%9.6%8.1%11.8%9.3%9.1%5.2%5.2%5%3.7%3.4%1.9%1.9%2.2%1.5%
Apr 202614.6%12.2%10%9.3%9.5%8.6%7.7%5.5%4.6%5.2%3.8%2.9%1.9%1.6%1.6%1%
May 202616.1%10.8%9.2%11.2%8.8%9.6%6.9%4.9%4.5%5.6%3.2%2.6%2.1%2.1%1.4%0.91%
Jun 202615.2%12.3%9.1%11.7%10.1%9.9%4.4%4.6%5.1%5.3%4%2.4%2%2%1.1%1%
Jul 202614.7%14.3%8.3%10.8%9.5%8.8%4.9%6.4%4.3%6%4.2%2%2.3%1.5%0.98%1.2%
Aug 202617.4%11.3%9.5%10.7%9.2%10.2%4.9%5.1%4.5%4.9%3.8%2.8%1.8%1.8%0.96%1.2%
Sep 202615.8%12.9%10.6%10.1%9.6%9.1%5.6%4.8%4.8%4.6%3.6%2.6%1.7%1.7%1.4%1.1%

  1. 1.Sky Tower

    15.8%

    Held 1st. 78.9K estimated branded searches, -3.7% vs prior month. Share -1.6 points.

  2. 2.Rainbow's End

    12.9%

    Held 2nd. 64.1K estimated branded searches, +21.3% vs prior month. Share +1.6 points.

  3. 3.Skyline Queenstown

    10.6%

    Moved from 5th to 3rd. 53K estimated branded searches, +19.1% vs prior month. Share +1.2 points.

  4. 4.Kelly Tarlton's

    10.1%

    Moved from 3rd to 4th. 50.3K estimated branded searches, -0.22% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.

  5. 5.Waitomo Glowworm Caves

    9.6%

    Moved from 6th to 5th. 48K estimated branded searches, +11.7% vs prior month. Share +0.5 points.

  6. 6.Hobbiton Movie Set

    9.1%

    Moved from 4th to 6th. 45.6K estimated branded searches, -4.9% vs prior month. Share -1.1 points.

  7. 7.Wai-O-Tapu

    5.6%

    Moved from 8th to 7th. 28K estimated branded searches, +21.9% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.

  8. 8.Skyline Rotorua

    4.8%

    Moved from 7th to 8th. 24K estimated branded searches, -0.08% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  9. 9.Weta Workshop

    4.8%

    Moved from 10th to 9th. 24K estimated branded searches, +14.7% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.

  10. 10.International Antarctic Centre

    4.6%

    Moved from 9th to 10th. 22.8K estimated branded searches, -0.48% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  11. 11.Shotover Jet

    3.6%

    Held 11th. 18K estimated branded searches, +0.34% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  12. 12.Larnach Castle

    2.6%

    Held 12th. 12.8K estimated branded searches, -4.3% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  13. 13.Agrodome

    1.7%

    Held 13th. 8.5K estimated branded searches, +0.59% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  14. 14.Te Puia

    1.7%

    Held 14th. 8.5K estimated branded searches, +0.24% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  15. 15.Waitangi Treaty Grounds

    1.4%

    Moved from 16th to 15th. 6.8K estimated branded searches, +49.6% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.

  16. 16.All Blacks Experience

    1.1%

    Moved from 15th to 16th. 5.5K estimated branded searches, -0.36% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Compare popularity between Wai-O-Tapu and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Wai-O-Tapu

18 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Wai-O-Tapu changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Wai-O-Tapu in New Zealand fell from 42.1K to 28.1K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Wai-O-Tapu’s share of searches among visitor attractions in New Zealand decreased from 7% to 5.6%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Wai-O-Tapu’s share of searches among visitor attractions in New Zealand peaked at 10.1% in February 2026 and was lowest at 4.4% in June 2026.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand visitor attractions in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Wai-O-Tapu overtook Skyline Rotorua to rank 7th among visitor attractions in New Zealand, with 5.6% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Skyline Queenstown overtook Kelly Tarlton's and Hobbiton Movie Set to rank 3rd among visitor attractions in New Zealand, with 10.6% of the searches.

  3. In September 2026, Rainbow's End gained share of searches among visitor attractions in New Zealand, from 11.3% to 12.9%.

  4. In September 2026, Sky Tower lost share of searches among visitor attractions in New Zealand, from 17.4% to 15.8%.

  5. In September 2026, Hobbiton Movie Set lost share of searches among visitor attractions in New Zealand, from 10.2% to 9.1%.

  6. In September 2026, Kelly Tarlton's lost share of searches among visitor attractions in New Zealand, from 10.7% to 10.1%.

How are Wai-O-Tapu’s branded searches counted?

14 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Wai-O-Tapu’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • wai o tapu
  • wai o tapu boardwalk
  • wai o tapu geothermal
  • wai o tapu geyser
  • wai o tapu rotorua
  • wai o tapu shuttle
  • wai o tapu thermal
  • wai o tapu tickets
  • wai o tapu tour
  • waiotapu
  • waiotapu geothermal
  • waiotapu loop road
  • waiotapu rotorua
  • waiotapu scenic reserve

Do you work for Wai-O-Tapu? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Where does Wai-O-Tapu compete?

Wai-O-Tapu is ranked in two competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Visitor attractions7th of 165.6%Shown above
Rotorua geothermal and cultural attractions1st of 842.9%Show ranking
Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

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