Because you didn't ask for it - Waimangu

[threemonkeys]

Going to Rotorua means that you go look at things that steam and bubble and smell bad. The brochures for these places all claim to be the best and most impressive. We decided on Waimangu because it is the site of the 1886 Tarawera eruption which opened up a 17k long series of craters. The attraction is a 4k stretch of those craters plus a boat ride on lake Rotomahana. The idea was to walk the 4K down to the lake and take the bus back up. We missed the bus. Fine for the fit types in out little party. I, on the other hand, was completely totally knackered. I did manage to take some photos however.


Looking down the rift as it is these days. The plume of steam is about a third of the way along its length.


There are hundreds of little bubbly things along the way. That foggyness is a good reflection of how thick the steam is in places. The colours are caused by a mixture of minerals coming up in the super hot water and algae that live in the hot conditions.


Speaking of colours.



On the shores of Rotomahana there were little geysers which played away - pity the steam obstructed the view.


The Rotomahana area was the site of the famous pink and white terraces which were destroyed by the 1886 eruption. New terraces are starting. Try to imagine layers of these 100 metres high and 50 wide.


Waimangu does not have boiling mud. After a stopoff at the Waikite hot pools, we dropped in to Wai-o-tapu to have a look at them.

Comments

[gillpolack.livejournal.com]

Wow.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

To get the full effect, you have to add the hissing and bubbling sounds of superheated water and the aroma of hydrogen sulfide in the air.

[gillpolack.livejournal.com]

If I had been there, I would probably say 'wow' in an entirely different tone of voice :).

[russellk.livejournal.com]

Isn't Waimangu fabulous? I go there every couple of years. Once I asked them to ring me when one of the little boiling pools overflowed - it rips down the rift as a little stream. It was great theatre, as long as one kept one's feet well clear.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Apparently water levels are low this year so some of the features were not as active as usual. Still really worth the visit - I haven't been there since I was on a high school trip. Last time I was there (at ConTour) we did the full Wai-o-Tapu tour instead. The two complement each other well.