| Abel Tasman | Central Plateau to Taranaki | Milford Sound | Wellington Region | Whale Watching |
| |||||||||||||||
| Abel Tasman | Central Plateau to Taranaki | Milford Sound | Wellington Region | Whale Watching | | |||||||||||||||
| Home > > |
Wai O Tapu -"Scared Water"Wai o tapu is a fascinating place, it a geothermal reserve 25km outside rotorua.
'Champagne Pool' sits and steadily bubbles. The Champagne pool covers an area of about 3000 square meters and occupies a 700 year old explosion crater. The name comes from the fact that the water is Champagne coloured and bubbles as carbon dioxide is discharged into the pool. The surface temperature of the water reaches 74C, which gives off steam createing a really eerie atmosphere.
I think this is called the Devils Bath. I certainly wouldn't like to fall in it.
|
A view of the thermal reserve from the carpark.
One of the many craters around the reserve.
'View over the artists palette to the Champagne pool'
|
'Part of the Frying Pan flats' It sounds like a frying pan when you walk around.
'Artist Palette'
|
'Steaming Champagne Pool'
'Mineral Terraces'
|
There are some interesting features around the landscape |
'Bubbling mud' certainly worth a look is the boiling mud pools. |
'People waiting for the Geyser to erupt'
'People getting wet after the geyser errupts'
'Try to catch a mud bubble as it bursts.'
'The landscape in Wai o tapu looks almost luna' |
'Lady Knox Geyser is full spout' The Geyser erupts everyday at around 10am. To make it perform on time they throw a kilo of soap powder into the geyser spout which breaks the surface tension of the water below and starts the eruption. It was prisoners that discovered this, whilst washing their clothes. There was underpants spread all over the surrounding bushes after that.
'The boiling muds makes some quite interesting patterns.
'Mineral terraces' |
 |
 |
 |
 |
