Thermal Wonderland

Saturday 10th February 2024

We got up early to run across the road and have a swim in Lake Taupo. It was so clear and beautifu! Great start to the day. Back in the van to the next stop Rotarua. It is only an hours drive away but in between is a landscape of geothermal activity. First stop was Huka Falls. The river goes from 100m wide to a narrow gorge, so an impressive 220000 litres of water a second goes down the waterfall! 5 Olympic sized swimming pools apparently!

We drove further along, it’s a strange place with random steam coming out of the ground! We stopped at the thermal wonderland, which is much better than the name suggests! They have set out a series of walkways through a literal thermal wonderland! Boiling mud pits, steam from the hot water bubbling up and wonderful colours where evaporation has happened. And a terrible rotten egg smell! It was an amazing landscape. 15% of New Zealand’s power comes from geothermal energy with one third of that coming from this valley. We finished at a bright green lake, absolutely stunning. With a ph of 2 it’s even more acidic than the other pools here.

On to Rotarua and our beautiful Airbnb. But I do miss our van! It was very difficult to get accommodation here and in Taupo. Lots of tourists so the motels and camp sites were full. But we have done ok!!