5mcintyres: Wai-o-tapu

"Wai-O-Tapu"

Sacred Waters

Thousands of Years in the Making, A Wonderland of Stunning Geothermal Activity

Thermal Area

Sculptured out of volcanic activity and thousands of years in the making, Wai-O-Tapu is considered to be New Zealand’s most colourful and diverse geothermal sightseeing attraction. You are introduced to a uniquely different natural landscape – the key to what you see lies below the surface – one of the most extensive geothermal systems in New Zealand.

Clearly defined tracks provide the visitor with the opportunity to enjoy the diversity of this area through a series of different walks taking from 30 to 75 minutes or more, each with their own unique volcanic vistas to fascinate all ages.

On Thursday, we took a road trip north to Wai-O-Tapu, just south of Rotorua. It was amazing! The drive up was beautiful as it hugged Lake Taupo and then arrived at this awesome geothermal wonderland full of hot pools, craters and unique foliage. The kids had fun apart from the smelly, smelly gases that were emitted through the craters. Other than that, it was spectacular. We ate some lunch before heading in. There are several trails you can take and we chose an easy one (for the kids, of course ;) but not lacking in the views.

Self-timer...I was a little distracted with this pic so I'll blame the position on that. Just as I was lining everyone up for the group photo, I heard a child scream. I looked up, didn't see Calvin and took off down a trail we had just gone down. Luckily, I didn't get too far before I realized he was standing right behind me. It was quite hilarious on the gang's part b/c they saw him the whole time...it scared me half to death thinking I heard my child screaming for me as he was lost down a trail. I don't think I've run that fast since my ol' high school days. :)

The kids quickly used their hats as "stinky smell" barriers. Needless to say, they don't care to return to the stinky place anytime soon. All the gas you see in the photos is stinky gas! It's not smoke.

Champagne Pool is a prominent geothermal feature within the Wai-O-Tapu geothermal area in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. The terrestrial hot spring is located about 30 km (20 mi) southeast of Rotorua and about 50 km (30 mi) northeast of Taupo. The name Champagne Pool is derived from the abundant efflux of carbon dioxide (CO₂), similar to a glass of bubbling champagne. The hot spring was formed 900 years ago by a hydrothermal eruption, which makes it in geological terms a relatively young system. Its crater is around 65 m (213 ft) in diameter with a maximum depth of approximately 62 m (203 ft) and is filled with an estimated volume of 50,000 m³ (1.8E+6 cu ft) of geothermal fluid. The deep geothermal water below Champagne Pool is of the order of 260 °C (500 °F) but water temperature within the pool is maintained at 73 °C (163 °F) to 75 °C (167 °F) by losing heat to the atmosphere. (you guessed it, wikipedia!)