Walking back from dinner last night, we were treated to a lovely sunset. It was a good omen for today’s visit to the thermal parks around Rotorua.

Last year we visited the Craters of the Moon, just north of Taupo. It is an active geothermal area, with hot spots, steam vents, and collapsed caldera. We were curious to see how Rotorua compared, so we booked two tours for today. The first was Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland, where the main attraction seems to be the Lady Knox Geyser. We were told to be there by 10:15 if we wanted to see the show. We were not alone.

There wasn’t much to see when we arrived.

Once the show began, it was explained that 200 years ago, the “geyser” had been a small hot pool, used by the nearby prison construction crew to bathe and wash clothes. By accident, it was discovered that if soap was dropped into a certain spot, it disrupted the thermal layering of the water, causing a geyser. Over time, after repeated eruptions, the mineral rich water created the mound we see today. After the explanation was finished, a worker walked out and dropped soap into the opening. It took a few minutes, but then…

Afterwords we posed for a picture in front of the passive geyser.

After watching the geyser, we toured the park. I’m glad we saw the geyser, but the park was actually far more interesting, with many information posters around the park. This map was rather sobering, as it showed that we have spent the last two days in the middle of an active volcano zone.

The displays around the park provided a history of the area, explained how the various hot pools were formed, and why there were so many colours. This first picture is a pool with petroleum bubbling up from below, and mixing with the water. At one time, the locals used to skim the surface oil and use it in lamps. Today you just see an oil and water mixture like this.

The water is superheated underground and dissolves various minerals. Depending on the mineral mixture, the colour of the water will vary widely, over time, and across the surface of a given pool. Here are a few examples, all from the same pool, to give you an idea.

Here are other examples of areas around the park where mineral rich water bubbles to the surface.

Sometimes carbon dioxide is released deep underground and causes bubbles to rise to the surface, looking like effervescence.

In other places, as the water cooled, the minerals created crystals on the surface. This looks like ripples on water, but it is really crystals on the surface.

Near the end of the tour, we came across this vibrant lake. We were surprised to see birds swooping low over the water, and even briefly touching the surface. No idea why.

After lunch we treated ourselves to ice cream. I had a mix of chocolate and Hokey Pokey, one of the absolute best chocolate bars here. Best of all, we ate it outside with the lush green behind us.

Our next stop was a guided tour of Te Puia, where we saw an even more impressive geyser, but also had an introduction to Māori culture and arts.

Today is Waitangi Day, a national holiday in New Zealand, celebrating the treaty signed between the English and the Māori in 1840 at Waitangi.

One thing we saw on the tour was a huge mud pit. This picture looks like rock, but it is actually steaming hot mud, bubbling away.

Next stop was the geyser. This is the largest geyser in the southern hemisphere. It doesn’t erupt on an exact schedule, but it does erupt regularly. The first sign of an impending eruption is steam venting sideways, like this.

And then, a full blown eruption, lasting nearly ten minutes.

I don’t have more pictures, but the tour included a number of other interesting things. There is a kiwi house and we were able to watch a kiwi feeding. That makes three that we have seen. There is also a school for Māori arts, showing artisans working with stone, wood, and “flax”, a native reed used in clothing and for baskets. It gave us a brief introduction to Māori culture and definitely piqued our interest. We hope to learn more later in our visit.

I started this post by mentioning Craters of the Moon, near Taupo. We visited two more thermal parks today, so we asked ourselves which one was the best. If you could only visit one, which one would it be? It’s probably not a great answer, but we concluded that we would pick all of them. Each one focused on different aspects, and they all complemented each other. We were very happy that we were fortunate enough to see all three.

After a brief rest, we headed into town for pizza – the best we have tasted since we were in Naples in October. And then, tea and chocolate before bed.

Tomorrow we head for Ohope, and a few days on the beach, enjoying the warm weather and walking barefoot through the surf.