Sacred Waters of Rotorua
By Richard Moore
As experienced travelers will know almost every place you
visit has something special. It may be the architecture, an
event that raises it above others, or just great scenery.
Sometimes, however, you come across something really different.
And in the case of the Wai-O-Tapu (Sacred Waters) Thermal
Wonderland in Rotorua - you get several amazing things for
your dollar.
Wai-O-Tapu is some 27 kilometres south of Rotorua in the
North Island of New Zealand. The area is famous for its geothermal
activity - geysers, hot pools, and boiling mud - and you get
to see all three at Wai-O-Tapu.
Firstly you need to get there at about 10am. There is a geyser
show at 10.15am and so you need the extra time to get your
ticket and then head to the Lady Knox Geyser.
With the help of a little soap-like ingredient the geyser
will froth and bubble in front of your eyes before whooshing
out up to 15 metres high. The display lasts for between 45
minutes and an hour, but the start-up is the really fun part
so get there if you can.
The Lady Knox Geyser is amazing thing No.1.
No.2 is a feast for the eyes and is within the Wai-O-Tapu
park proper. It is about half-way around the paths that lead
you through some interesting, though pretty colourless, thermal
craters and you come upon it quite suddenly.
It is the Artists Palette and is a large flat area that has
brightly coloured highlights of orange, greens and yellows.
The basin was formed by waters spilling out from the adjacent
(and magnificent) Champagne Pool.
Over thousands of years the mineral-rich overflow has covered
the basin and on a day when the Champagne Pool is particularly
steamy it makes the area look like nothing else on Earth.
You can walk across the Artists Palette via a wooden walkway
and then see The Champagne Pool. This is amazing thing No.3
as it is the largest spring in the district - some 65 metres
across and 62 metres deep.
It gets its name because the 74 degree Celcius waters within
it bubble like my favourite drop of methode champenoise. These
bubbles are carbon dioxide. Within the bright orange rim of
the pool are things like silver, gold, mercury and arsenic.
Take your time here as it really is a visual delight. Next
stop The Primrose Terrace, which is New Zealand's largest
sinter shelf. Sinter is the build-up of minerals from the
springs that solidify to form the terraces.
When you do decide to move on you have a choice - going onwards
for another couple of kilometres and catching sulphur mounds
and impressive waterfalls, or heading back towards the café
and seeing amazing thing No.4.
That is the Devil's Bath, a crater pool filled with the most
vividly-coloured bright green water.
On your way to Wai-O-Tapu you will have seen signs pointing
to mud pools and after you've been through the park's thermal
area you should stop and have a look at these remarkable sights.
The mud is boiling and looks something like dirty brown porridge
boiling on the stove. The heat sends splatters of mud up into
the air - sometimes it seems like a table-sized area just
explodes out of the steaming water - and it is the perfect
opportunity to get some interesting photos. Timing your shutter
opening to capture the spouting mud is not easy!
Anyway, Wai-O-Tapu is an excellent half-day trip and a must
see for anyone in New Zealand visiting Rotorua.
Book Online:
Rotorua Full Day Tour
Rotorua Eco Thermal Morning Tour
Links:
Geyserland
Rotorua
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