Mud, geysers, colorful pools, hot rivers (and some very bad smells) - NZ's thermal area

After leaving the cave area of the Waikato, we ventured into the thermal area in the central part of the North Island and stayed three nights in Taupo.  Our rental home was just a short walk from the crystal clear Lake Taupo, which lies in the caldera of what geologists believe was a supervolcanic eruption about 27,000 years ago.  It was a great location from which to explore the numerous thermal areas around both Taupo and Rotorua, and also the aqualicious rivers (I just made that word up) around Taupo.

Our first day out of town we drove towards Rotorua and went to the Wai-O-Tapu thermal park just south of Rotorua.  The drive through a countryside dotted with steaming and hissing craters was both entertaining and pungent. 

Prior to entering the park, we went to the "mud pool" which was just off the highway. Comprising an area roughly the size of a baseball infield was a large grey mud pit that was obviously boiling hot.  Walking on boardwalks that kept you safely from harm (but still pretty close to the action), we strolled around and enjoyed the sounds and sights, though perhaps not the smells.  It is hard not to be amused by the intermittent plops, hisses, gurgles and belches that this mud pool makes.

Next up was a trip to the Lady Knox geyser, a geyser that the park artificially sets off every day at 10:15 AM by putting a special bar of soap into the top of the geyser area.  Apparently the area used to be a logging area and this particular geyser location is at the source of a natural spring that the loggers would use to bathe. And after one inquisitive or bored logger put some soap into the geyser, a reaction occurred that caused the geyser to erupt. One thing led to another and…now that the area is a thermal viewing park complete with admission price, there is a whole amphitheater built around the geyser and a park guide comes out on stage precisely at 10:15 every day and explains about the way that the geyser works and then he drops soap into the top, and the crowd ooohs and ahhhs as the geyser begins to foam and then bubble, and finally begins to shoot water up 50 or more feet in the air for a number of minutes.  We happened to be there on a pretty busy weekend day on the holiday break, so we only had about 500 or so of our closest friends jostling for positions to watch the geyser, but we managed a few pictures.  The first is of the guide in-soap-inating the geyser, and the next is after the eruption.

Finally it was onto the main Wai-O-Tapu park, where we walked a 3k loop, seeing and smelling the various thermal springs, fumaroles, geysers, mud pots and oddly colored pools.  It was an odd walk, as one moment you are walking past a hissing and belching fumarole like this one… 

and the next moment you are walking past Flying Pan Flats, which is water that sounds like a giant bowl of rice krispies, popping as if the water is boiling off a hot fry pan. 

This is a terrific shot of Champagne Pool, one of the most famous of the colorful pools in the parks. 

This is Devils Bath, which was probably our collective favorite.  It looks like the stuff that Jack Nicholson (the Joker) fell into at ACME chemical in the first Batman movie.  Yes, it really is that color.

Our olfactory was glad to put this one behind us, but not so much our eyes.  What a beautiful, odd and stinky place! Here is a shot of everyone with Champagne Pools behind us.

Our next day we explored the Taupo area and had our first experiences with ridiculously blue rivers - something that became almost mundane on the South Island.  (We say almost, because we never got sick of all of the abnormally aqua blue rivers on the South Island - seemingly each one.)  Our first stop was Huka Falls, which is a series of waterfalls on the Waikato River as it exits Lake Taupo.  The canyon is narrow and scenic, and the volume of water rushing through the rapids is enough for a cool picture, but it is the color of the water that makes this such an amazing place.  Here are our favorites, including one of the famed Huka Falls Jet boat which raced around in the foam under the waterfall.

Lindsay!

After Huka, we went to see the Aratiatia hydro-dam water release, which was very Kiwi.  Downstream of Huka Falls the Waikato River is dammed and used to generate electricity. Every two hours or so, a massive amount of water is released down a tiny canyon.  From our viewing point a half mile or so down the river from the dam, we could see the water begin to fill the upper basins of the canyon with this delightfully blue water, continue to build up and then watched as it raced down the canyon in a torrent.  The first picture below is of the canyon prior to the water being released, and the second is of the canyon filled and starting to cascade.

Finally, we went to the towns natural hot water river, where a natural hot spring river flows into the freezing cold water of the very same Waikato River.  It was amusing to take our parents, since they had not experienced a hot river like this before.  We knew what to expect a bit from having been here before and having gone to Hot Water Beach for instance, and also having experienced one in Costa Rica.  The hottest spot was the waterfall where the hot river entered into the river, but all three girls, plus Pete, got a hot shower before leaving.  Here is Lauryn in the hot waterfall.

Some of the pools that the waterfall drained into were just as hot, but then as the water mixed with the river water, there were some not as hot (but still pleasantly hot) spots and then some pools that were just nice and warm.  But, step over a few feet and you were in a very cold river, like Kendra and Lindsay here.

Here are Jon, Susan and Joe having a relaxing soak in the hot river. 

What a fun couple of days in Taupo and Rotorua!