Geothermal Rotorua
Our day started with a walk to the Ciabatta Bakery in an industrial area 1km from our hotel. Great coffee and food if careful what you order. We then walked along the lake front and explored the geothermal areas beside the lake and in Kuirau Park. There are about 60 different bird species around the lake. While there is an old tyre in the photo near the swan, generally NZ has much less litter than Oz.
In Kuirau Park the hot pools are fenced, but at Sulphur Bay at the southern end of the lake many are unfenced.
After lunch at the Fat Dog Cafe we drove 30 minutes to the Waimangu Volcanic Valley. This is the only hydrothermal system in the world that can be exactly dated. On 10 June 1886 a violent volcanic eruption of Mount Tarawera caused the formation of a series of craters and allowed the geothermal waters to surface. About 150 people were killed and volcanic ash and debris completely tranformed the landscape. Our favourite site in the valley was the blue inferno crater.
In Kuirau Park the hot pools are fenced, but at Sulphur Bay at the southern end of the lake many are unfenced.
After lunch at the Fat Dog Cafe we drove 30 minutes to the Waimangu Volcanic Valley. This is the only hydrothermal system in the world that can be exactly dated. On 10 June 1886 a violent volcanic eruption of Mount Tarawera caused the formation of a series of craters and allowed the geothermal waters to surface. About 150 people were killed and volcanic ash and debris completely tranformed the landscape. Our favourite site in the valley was the blue inferno crater.
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