We awoke today to clouds but NO rain. This is a first for us in New Zealand and we will make the most of the day. The clouds are still hanging around so we are not sure how long the reprieve will be so we need to not waste any time.
We have decided that regardless there is lots to be done in this area so we are going to stay in Rotorua for two more nights. We made the arrangements before we left. I am still concerned about places to stay around Christmas later this week but since we can not plan too far ahead with the rain we have decided to chance it. If we find no camper places to stay we will find a hotel and get a room.
So we are off to explore the Wai-O-Tapu (Thermal Wonderland) to start our day. This involves driving about 30 minutes up the road. This area is sculptured out by volcanic activity and thousands of years in the making of a variety of interesting sites with the volcanic dome of Rainbow Mountain at it northern boundary. There are geysers, cool and boiling mud pools, collapsed craters and hot water heated by thermo activity (water and steaming fumaroles). We arrived at Wai-O-Tapu in time to get down to see the 10:15 showing of the geyser “Lady Knox Geyser”. What we learned when we got there was that the timing of the Geyser is determined by the dropping of some bio friendly chemical into the geyser which causes it to erupt. This is different than “Old Faithful” in Yellowstone but it is very effective for proving a ‘show’ each day.
The geyser itself is not in the same area as the rest of the park, so we had to drive about 3 minutes back up the road to join the rest of the crowds to watch it. The water was very warm of course and it was difficult to get good pictures since the cloudy skies did not provide a good contrast with the water spewing upward. However it was fun with the new camera to take lots of pictures. I am learning that this camera will take some learning on my part to use it to its full advantage.
We returned to the Thermal Wonderland to follow the trail. I have created several collages of the sights we enjoyed and will add them after my total descriptions. However my pictures cannot do justice to the incredible beauty we experienced. The first thing we came across was the weather pool which changes colors with the weather. After heavy rainfall the water appears cloudy and with sunlight it will appear to be grey/blue. Needless to say this is a cloudy look right now.
As we walked around we encountered several craters. The craters are up to 50 meters in diameter and to 20 meters deep. Several contain hot water springs and most have extensive sulphur deposits formed by escaping vapors meeting with our atmosphere. Most of these craters have been formed over the last few hundred years by the action of acidic steam rising from super-heated underground water dissolving the ground above and ultimately causing it to collapse. The craters we photographed include: Devil’s Home, Rainbow Crater (named after the sulphur crystal and colored mineral veins exposed), Thunder Crater (collapsed crater in 1968), Inferno Crater (which has a bottom of violently boiling mud), and Bird’s Nest Crater (Starlings, Swallows, and Mynahs nest in holes on the walls using the rising heat to help incubate the eggs).
We also enjoyed bodies of water with their unique qualities. The Devil’s Ink Pots (mud pools that has colour patches due to small amounts of graphite and crude oil), Artist’s Palette (water with mineral deposits that display different colors), Opal Pool, The Champagne Pool (the largest spring with a temp of 74 degrees C and has bubbles due to carbon dixode), and Devil’s Bath (with a brilliant color ranging from green to yellow and changes with amount of reflected light and cloud color).
Other attractions we noted was the Primrose Terrace, Jean Batten Geyser, Bridal Veil Falls, Alum Cliffs, Wai-O-Tapu Geyser, Frying Pan Flat, Oster Flat, Sulphur Cave, and Sulphur Mounds. There is way to much to try to explain but if you want more information, you should find it on google.
We left the Thermal Wonderland to head back towards town but first we had to stop at the Mud Pools which were amazing. We found a large mud lake (for a better description) that was boiling much like you would find if you boiled a thick fluid on the stove. It was hard to get a good picture of it since it hard to guage when the next spash of mud will occur. I tried to make a movie of it but am still working on learning the camera so was not able to get it done.
We returned to town and decided we wanted to continue being tourists. But first we needed to stop in at a auto electric shop to have them look at the radio in the van (we were given the name of the shop by Spaceship). Apparently the radio is dead so we are not sure what that means. Fortunately we seldom listen to the radio so not really a big deal.
So as tourists we headed off to see the Rotorua Museum . This is located in the Government Gardens and housed in the historical and world famous Bath House building which was built and opened in 1908 as a facility for spa health treatments and mud baths (for health). The building was used as such until mid 1960’s when the spa shut down. Then it was used for a short time as a restaurant, then a nightclub. When the nightclub shut down it was decided to refurbish the building and use it as a museum. It is still having the south wing redone as we visited.
We were introduced to the history of the area by a short film. The presentation included the history of settlement by the Maori people (the Arawa tribe) and shared with us the legend of settlement and their great leaders. We also got to experience (and I mean experience with sound and shaking benches in the theatre) the eruption of Tarawera – Le Maunga Tapu in 1886 which remains one of the worst natural eruptions in New Zealand history. In this film they showed depictions of the famous Pink and White Terraces which had been described as the “Eight Wonder of the Natural World”. Unfortunately they were destroyed in 1886.
We were fortunate to be able to join a guided tour of the Bath House and museum. We explored the structure of the original building and then we walked through the exhibits. However I was not able to take many pictures because several areas of the museum do not permit photos out of respect for the nature of the displays. There is one exhibit of the Arawa tribe history and culture with many displays of carvings with historial and spiritual significance. We learned about the flax they grow here which was used for so much of the necessary needs of the tribe – baskets to clothes.
Another exhibit shows the contributions made during WW1 and WWII. By the time we had finished watching the film and taking the tour we were museumed out. However, there is still lots to see and our entrance fee today is good for tomorrow as well – so we may go back.
We finished the day feeling we had done lots and it was time to do some shopping and heading back to camp to relax. I have about 250 pictures I took today and I will be spending a few hours sorting, organizing and culling. Tomorrow we will decide on our plans once we see the weather, it has started to rain again this evening.
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