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Alert

Inner city parking changes are now live.

New street meters, virtual meters and the PayStay app. If you’re working in town – get a permit. Click here to find out what’s changed before you park. 🚗

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Paying for Parking

Parking in Rotorua’s inner city is pay-by-plate. This means you need to enter your number plate when you pay at a parking meter, use the PayStay app, or buy an electronic permit.

Always check the signs you are parked between, and a nearby parking meter or the app for information on how long you can park for and any fees.

Parking hours

Zones 1 and 2 parking hours

  • Monday - Friday: 9am – 5pm
  • Saturday: 9am – 12pm
  • Sunday and public holidays: Free

There is no maximum daily time limit. You can stay longer if you keep paying for your parking.

Permit area parking hours

  • Monday - Friday: 9am – 3pm
  • After 3pm weekdays: Free (do not require a permit)
  • Saturday & Sunday: Free (do not require a permit)
  • Corporate Permits in Level 1 of the Pukuatua Street Parking Building allow 24/7 parking of business vehicles.

There is no maximum daily time limit. You can stay longer if you keep paying for your parking.

Parking fees

Parking fees help pay for the cost of managing parking which supports a vibrant and successful inner city.

If parking makes a surplus, Council reinvests that money in the area it came from, such as the inner city or Government Gardens.

Zone 1 parking fees

Duration

Cost

First hour

Free upon registration of license plate - once per day only.

Hours 2-3

$2 per hour

After 3 hours

$5 per hour

Maximum fee

Maximum total daily fee $29

Zone 2 parking fees

Duration

Cost

Hours 0-3

$2 per hour

After 3 hours

$4 per hour

Maximum fee

Maximum total daily fee $26

Permit parking fees

Including Pukuatua Street Parking Building ( Levels 2 and 3)

Duration

Cost

1 day

$12 ($2 per hour)

2 weeks

$25 (average of 42 cents per hour)

1 month

$50 (average of 38 cents per hour)

3 months

$130 (average of 33 cents per hour)

Corporate Permits (Level 1 Pukuatua Street parking building)

Duration

Cost

Each additional vehicle

1 month

$109

$50

2 months

$190

$90

3 months

$250

$120

No extra fees or surcharges

Council has decided to absorb parking related fees and not pass them on to the user.

Free parking time

You have 10 minutes after parking to pay or move your vehicle.

You can use this time to pay at a meter, pay with the PayStay app, or make a quick pick-up or drop-off.

When parking in Zone 1 your first hour is free per day. You must enter your number plate into a meter, virtual meter or via the PayStay app to claim the free hour.

Payment options (Zones 1 and 2)

View the map key showing the different parking zones.

Use this button to open the map controls. You can also pinch and zoom on your phone.

View a larger version of the map on your desktop computer. On mobile devices, this will open the Google Maps app.

Parking meters

  • Use a parking meter to pay by coin, credit card or debit card.
  • You only pay the amount shown on the screen. Council pays the transaction surcharge.
  • Around 65% of the parking meters accept coins as well as credit/debit cards.
  • Enter your number plate into the machine and follow the prompts.
  • The system is paperless, you don’t need to display anything in your car.
  • E-receipts are available for free.

Download the parking meter guide - (PDF, 4MB)

Image of a virtual parking meter

Coin machines

  • The minimum payment when using coins is 10 cents.
  • Payment options (e.g. Card/Coin) are listed on the blue and white stickers on the side of each machine where it says, "PAY HERE" .
  • Follow the instructions on screen and when directed, insert coins in the slot halfway down the front side of the meter stand.
  • As you insert coins, the time increments will increase on the screen so you can see how long you have paid for.

Virtual meters (new)

  • Use them when you want to pay for parking quickly on your phone.
  • Scan the QR code on the meter or use NFC capability and hold your phone up to the meter to pay.
  • Parking transaction surcharges are absorbed by Council.
  • No app, no downloads, no registration or password required.
  • Ideal for tourists or visitors to Rotorua.

Watch how to use PayStay Guest here

PayStay app

Watch how to pay with PayStay

Watch a video on how to pay with PayStay
  • Use it when you want to pay for parking quickly with your phone.
  • Parking transaction surcharges are absorbed by Council. Pay only what you see on the screen!
  • ‘Guest’ option allows use of the app without having to register as a user.
  • ‘Wallet’ or top up function available for registered users.
  • If you register, you can stop your parking session when you leave. This means you only pay for the time you use.
More about the PayStay mobile app

Where to park

There are two main parking zones in the inner city as well as Permit Parking areas and free areas around the outskirts of the inner city.

Find where to park in Rotorua

Pay for a permit

Permit holders are required to park in permit areas between 9am – 3pm Monday to Friday.

Learn more about parking permits

Questions about paying for parking

There is no such thing as ‘free’ parking – someone always has to cover the cost of managing it. Right now, it’s a user-pays system, meaning those who use it, pay for it. If that wasn’t the case, council would need to use other funding sources like rates to cover the cost.

This lets the parking system know that you have arrived and are claiming your free first hour. It also enables you to extend your parking time easily if need be. It is important to ensure you enter your number plate within 10 minutes of parking (there is a 10-minute grace period across the city) – if you don’t you will receive an infringement for $70 for ‘failure to correctly activate parking meter for space occupied’.

No, you must use the free hour all at once. But you can shift your car to another spot in that zone within your free hour.

It’s also OK to begin your parking in Zone 2 and then move into Zone 1 later. You can still claim your free hour by entering your number plate into a machine or via the PayStay app when you move into Zone 1.

No, there is no maximum time limit in this area. But you will need to pay the applicable hourly fee either before or when your free hour is up.

Except for smaller towns, Rotorua is either the same or cheaper than most places around NZ.

Council considered this option, but it would have made longer-stay parking more expensive.

There will still be plenty of coin-capable parking machines available through the inner city. If there is a non-coin machine on one side of the street then there will be a coin-operated machine in close proximity. Coin capable machines have been purposefully located in areas most likely to see higher visitation numbers.

PayStay offers a guest option. This means you can do a one-off payment by scanning the QR code on virtual machine. This is great for visitors and people who simply want to try out the app functionality without having to register as a regular user. If you enjoy it, registered users can access further functionality such as stopping and starting parking sessions and using a ‘wallet’ functionality to manage parking payments.

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