Today I visited a different geothermal park – the Waimangu Volcanic Valley, an area formed when Mount Tarawera erupted in 1886. The eruption levelled several Maori villages, killing many people, and destroyed the Pink and White Terraces which had been a major tourist attraction and were claimed to be the “8th wonder of the world”. It left a caldera, which over the years filled with water to become a much-expanded Lake Rotomahana (a smaller lake of that name had existed earlier).
Today, the Waimangu valley is the world’s youngest geothermal ecosystem, and the only one created as a direct result of a volcanic eruption. It is also once again a tourist attraction, although a less popular one than others in the Rotorua area and I was pleasantly surprised that I often had the place to myself.
The park is visited by walking an 8km path downhill, starting at a huge pool of boiling water (Frying Pan Lake, one of the world’s biggest hot springs)………

…. and following a boiling stream of water that runs through a pleasant valley, past lots of smaller springs…..

…. and a boiling caldron of water called Inferno Crater.

The stream eventually arrives at peaceful Lake Rotomahana, home to much birdlife, including black swans, from where most people use the park’s shuttle bus to return to its entrance.

From Waimungu I went to visit something completely different – the waterfalls on the Kaituna River. These are found in a scenic valley, to the northeast of Rotorua.

The area is beautiful, but the real attraction here is the possibility to go white water rafting, a trip that includes descending a 7-metre waterfall (the highest in the world that is open to commercial rafting operators). Unfortunately, the rafting company had a minimum height requirement for passengers, so teddy bears are unable to participate, but I did let my human assistant editor have a go. I watched as his raft approached the famous waterfall….

and then plunged down….

….completely disappearing under the water.

I briefly wondered if I should start advertising for a new assistant, but then the raft reappeared from under the foam with all its crew members still on board.

It was now late afternoon, and I headed back home. After a difficult introduction I was beginning to like Rotorua. The geothermal sites are really exceptional, and it was nice to let my assistant have some fun with the rafting, even if it would have been even better to try this for myself. It is a demanding job working for Trouspinet and my subordinates need to let their hair down occasionally…….

Previous Post: Rotorua Day 1

Next Post: Rotorua -Wai-o-tapu and Te Puia