Rotarua

Approximately 140 miles southeast of Auckland is the town of Rotarua, which is known for its geothermal activities. During the early 14th century, the Maori explorer/chief, Ihenga, discovered the lake which bears the same name as the town. Since this was the second lake that the chief had discovered, he gave it the name “Rotarua” (which means “second lake”). Ihenga’s tribe found the area pleasant and settled here. In 1828, Philip Topsell, the first European to explore the area, married into this tribe. Three years later, missionaries began visiting the area , eventually establishing a mission in 1835. During the 1860’s, the “New Zealand Wars” broke out between the New Zealand government and local tribes because of escalating tensions over disputed land purchases. In the end, following out-of-court settlements, the British Crown made formal apologies to the tribes, returning most of the land confiscated during the wars or making restitution’s. In 1894, with the establishment of the Rotarua Branch railway, connecting the district to Auckland, the town grew rapidly. Its geothermal activities (geysers, mud pools, and hot thermal springs) became the heart of the district’s tourism trade. To many, the top attraction is the thirty foot tall Pohutu geyser that spouts several times daily.

The town of Rotarua shares the same name as the lake that is next to it. Meaning “Second Lake”, Rotarua was discovered by a Maori Chief in the 14th century.

While it still maintains much of its Maori history and culture...

...it also has a small European Town feel to it.

However, the main reason we came here, and why most visitors do the same, is to see the bubbling mud flats and sprouting geysers in this geothermal valley.

Right from the start, we were struck with three realities; (1) there was a lot of heat being generated here; (2) the bubbling up effects were quite active; (3) the smell of hydrogen sulfide (i.e. “rotten eggs” smell) is strong.

It was fascinating (almost hypnotizing) to watch the mud flats perculating and to realize that we were standing on top of what could only be described as an active volcanic system...

...but the main attractions were the geysers...

... and they certainly didn’t disappoint.

We were able to get fairly close to them, as they were spouting off everywhere.

Of course, there is always a “star of the show”. In this case it was Pohutu (meaning “big splash”)...

Erupting around twenty times per day, Pohutu’s geyser reaches up to 90 feet in the air.

To be so close to something so spectacular was a thrill.