11th November 2009
Time to explore Rotorua, famous for its sulphur smell, thermal springs and Maori culture. We headed to Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Wonderland which is part of a Scenic Reserve and has the largest area of surface thermal activity in the Taupo Volcanic Zone. This is a highly active volcanic area in the North Island of New Zealand.
The Wai-o-Tapu Reserve is literally covered with collapsed craters, cold and boiling pools of mud, water and steaming fumaroles (vent in Earth’s crust). The area is associated with volcanic activity dating back about 160,000 years.
We started at the Lady Knox Geyser which is named after the daughter of one of New Zealand’s Governors. The geyser is induced to erupt daily at 10:15am by a man dropping soap into the opening of the vent. The geyser would erupt naturally but this means they can schedule it so everyone sees it. The eruptions produce a jet of water reaching up to 20m and can last for over an hour. The visible spout is made of rocks placed around the base of the spring to enhance the eruption; over the years silica from the eruptions has built up to give a white cone-shaped appearance.
After the Geyser erruption we set off around the rest of the reserve which has various marked pathways taking you past the areas main thermal features such as the Devil’s Ink Pots, Artist’s Palette , Frying Pan Flat, Champagne Pool and Devil’s Bath. You are given a map which has the features marked on it with a short description of each and how they have been formed.
We spent a good two hours exploring this colourful and other-worldly landscape. Particularly memorable were the Champagne Pool with its bubbles of carbon dioxide giving the water its ‘sparkling’ appearance and the Devil’s Bath which looked like a big pool of Mountain Dew, luminous green.
Then we headed to Rainbow Mountain where a short walk led us to the edge of the crater lake set against a backdrop of steaming brown, orange and red cliffs.
Back into Rotorua centre, we visited St Faith’s Anglican Church which combines Christian and Maori traditions. The inside of the church is intricately decorated with Maori carvings, woven panels and stained-glass windows featuring Maori designs. One window features an image of Christ wearing a Maori cloak engraved into a clear window as he appears to walk on the waters of Lake Rotorua behind the window. Outside the church there was a war cemetary with Maori carvings.
The weather has been changeable (again!) today, and seemed to be closing in so we decided to go to the Polynesian Spa in Government Gardens on the banks of Lake Rotorua. We took full advantage of the various hot water pools some with acidic water, others with alkaline. The pools enjoy a picturesque, tranquil setting overlooking Lake Rotorua, wonderfully relaxing and reportedly therapeutic.
