Rotorua: “A Geothermal Wonderland”

Bridget:

There are three places in the world known for their geothermal activity. They are Yellowstone National Park, Iceland, and Rotorua area in New Zealand. If you ask, any Kiwi will tell you Rotorua is a “must-go.” After driving around the city centre and checking out the info centre, we realized that most of the activities located right in the city were either cultural Maori shows or thermal hot pools, all of which will put a sizable dent in your pocketbook. There was, however, a place called Wai-o-Tapu Valley which came highly recommended by my most recent boss and his wife. Wai-o-Tapu is a self-proclaimed “geothermal wonderland” which simply put, is a two-hour self-guided nature walk in and around one of the most active thermal areas in the region. Lucky for us, it was also pretty affordable. So off we went early in the morning ready to be impressed. Of course we tried to compare every sight to its Yellowstone competition back home, but then we realized that despite the obvious similarities, this area was unique in its own right. With each step we grew more and more fond of the place. Here are just a few of our favorite points along the walk:

Devil's Ink Pots

Artist's Palette

Champagne Pool

Bubbling Mud Pools

Devil's Bath

As the end of the walk approached, we quickened our pace in order to get back to the car and make the short drive to the “Lady Knox Geyser.” This geyser is somewhat of a mystery to unknowing visitors like us. They only give directions to the geyser (which erupts at exactly 10:15 a.m. each morning) upon purchasing tickets. Again, my boss’s wife had told me about this geyser, but we still thought it a bit odd to be on a 24-hour erupting cycle. That’s even more precise than Old Faithful. Well, we made the quick drive, parked the car, and rushed into this separate site trying to beat the crowd. We arrived at the seating area and…Jackpot! …two seats right in the front row. We couldn’t believe how close they let the people sit to the geyser. Well, we waited about ten minutes until the highly anticipated 10:15 a.m., when the parking attendant/geothermal expert stepped right up to the geyser, tapped into his microphone headset, and explained to the crowd about the history of the area. He then proceeded to drop large chunks of biodegradable soap into the geyser:

Apparently there is a compartment of cold water that sits just under the geyser and below that is another compartment of hot water. The soap breaks the seal between the two and this is the result:

Lady Knox Geyser erupting

 A perfectly spectacular show for all paying customers. Well done, Rotorua, well done.


Next Stop: Mount Maunganui