Wednesday, February 22nd to Sunday, February 26th, 2023 - Lake Taupo and Rotorua

 Our next destination was Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand and a resort town about four and a half hours north of Wellington. Although we were not boaters or looking for a leisurely holiday on a lake, we were drawn to some of the hot springs and water features in the area.

Taharepa Hot Water Beach on Lake Taupo

A late afternoon walk took me to one of the spots we had hoped to see, a band of hot springs along the lakeshore that provided warm sand and pools that one could dunk feet and legs into. It was called Taharepa and was a popular spot for a 'taste' of earth's free warmth.

Toni and I Dunk Our Feet in the Warm Bath

It immediately struck me that the North Island has entirely different topographic and geothermal features from the South Island, Gone were the very high snow-covered craggy mountains and glaciers and in their place were very green undulating hills dotted with bumps that looks as if they could have been volcanoes at one time.

Tectonic Movement Differs Between North and South Island 

I'm not sure if this tectonic illustration really helps you to see it more clearly, but my simple explanation is that newly formed high mountains exist in the South Island because the Australian plate is pushing south-east against the land as the two plates scrape past each other and forces the crust of the Pacific Plate up into the air. South of Fiordland, the Australian Plate dives under the Pacific Plate but does not produce volcanoes in the same way as on the North Island. The Alpine Fault, which delineates the two tectonic plates, moves away from the west coast as it travels north, and by the time it gets to the North Island it's more offshore to the east. Instead of pushing up mountains there, the heat from the friction of the Pacific Plate plunging underneath the land has caused an abundance of volcanic activity through the years. The mountains have worn down, leaving eroded volcanic structures, fumaroles, hot springs, geysers, boiling mud and the occasional active volcano. (You can see Lake Taupo on the map at the south of the Volcanic Plateau, so no surprise that geothermal elements start showing up there.)

There are also differences between the rotation of the plates on each island, but don't ask me to explain that! Here's a link just in case you want to understand better.

https://www.gns.cri.nz/our-science/land-and-marine-geoscience/te-riu-a-maui-our-continent/geology-of-new-zealand/

Wakeiri Thermal Health Spa

As a result of all that geological activity, Toni and I were able to enjoy an absolutely wonderful time in the fabulous outdoor setting of the Wakeiri Thermal Health Spa. There were pools with three different levels of heat and although the smell of sulfur was evident, it was not at all unpleasant. I loved having the steam waft around me in the light rain - a treat that was as visually appealing as it was a sensory feast of luscious warmth.

Did the Water Come From Here?

Alongside the spa was a yellowish hot stream which didn't look inviting at all, quite different from the clear water we had bathed in. I can't tell you if the water we been in is filtered or treated, but I was pleased I wasn't immersed in this! (Mind you, if you refer back to our experiences in the Azores, on August 27th, 2021, Robyn and I did bathe in muddy water at Terra Nostra that had looked somewhat like this!)

Waikato River Going Through Haka Falls, Taupo

Taupo also offered several other non-geothermal treats. One on the list was Huka Falls. After the enormous waterfalls of Milford Sound, I found it was hard to be impressed, but it was worth noting that the Waikato River, which flows through it, is the longest river in New Zealand, traveling 264 miles from a mountain south of Lake Taupo all the way to Auckland.

Huka Falls Jet Boat

Many of the rivers in New Zealand offer jet boat rides to tourists and Huka Falls is no exception. These boats offer thrills, with no spills! For the mere cost of NZD $129 (USD$80), the operators boast you'll get a 30 minute boat ride with speed and 360 degree turns in the turbulent waters. We arrived in time to witness them getting close to the base of the falls.

Looks Like Fun

They looked like they were having fun and we We felt we'd got their money's worth from watching them as they took a number of passes close to the falls. 

Aratiatia Rapids - Empty

The other place we wanted to see in Taupo was Aratiatia Rapids, also on the Waikato River, but as you see in the photo above, there is no running water here! Where are the rapids?

The Dam at Aratiatia Rapids

The rapids are gone because a dam was built on the river to create hydroelectricity. Bummer!

However, all is not lost, as the power company releases water four times a day, so tourists come to the site to see the gushing water that fills the river bed in no time, so they really do become rapids!

Aratiatia Rapids - Full

Here is the same basin as in the first picture that had filled in about 5 to 10 minutes. It wasn't quite as dramatic as I had expected - it was fun seeing the water rise to see fill the space, but from the high lookouts it wasn't the thrill I had hoped for. 

This is one of the locations that was used to film the scene in The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug where the dwarves escaped from the elves in barrels. The movie-makers tossed the empty barrels into the surging waters to get the footage and the characters were digitally inserted later. No one got wet!

Get Your Trundler in the Right Place

Before we leave Taupo, there are a few other little tidbits I want to sahre. Firstly, the supermarket, like most of them, is keen to have people return their shopping carts, but Toni and I loved the name for them - 'trundler'! Toni checks that she's putting her trundler in the right place.

Black Shag

It was on the shore of Lake Taupo that I spent time clicking away at this lovely shag, sitting on a rock near sunset. He/she did a little preening and continued to perch, then all of a sudden, the little dude on the right popped out of the water to join him/her. I thought they made a handsome couple together, the little one seeming to imitate the posture of the adult. 

Kuirau Park, Rotorua

Next stop for us after Taupo, was Rotorua. 'Roto' is the Maori word for 'lake' and 'rua' means 'second', so this was the second major lake found by the Maoris who first explored this region. The town took on the same name as the lake and is slap bang in the middle of a huge volcanic caldera. To say that it is a hotbed of volcanic activity is not a metaphor - it is indeed a hotbed as you see in the photo above. The cloudy haze is not cloud, or fog, it is sulfur smelling fumes arising from the muddy lake.

Toni and Stephen Julian of Real Rotorua, at Kuirau Park

The fumaroles, hot springs, boiling pools and mud were very accessible and abundant. After orienting ourselves, we took a tour with Stephen Julian who runs a company called Real Rotorua. Even though the smelly fumes look as if they should be toxic, we were able to stand around in it quite comfortably. I wondered if we might develop headaches or some physiological reaction, but at the end of the day felt fine.

Statue of a Taniwha, Kuirau Park

There were fences and signs around these places, even though the fumes and heat announce them quite adequately. Stephen told us that the Maoris would tell their children that there was a serpent-like monster, the Taniwha, in these places to keep the children away, much like our tales of trolls or bunyips (Australians).

Persistent Vegetation

I thought it remarkable that  some vegetation was able to grow so close to the heat. Organisms that can tolerate high temperatures are called thermophiles and scientists speculate that thermophiles may have given rise to life in deep vents under the earth's surface.

Exposed Tree Roots

Plants that are not thermophiles give signs that new thermal spots are developing. In places where the trees are looking uprooted, it is not due to the wind; it is the trees themselves trying to pull their roots away from the developing hot spot. Poor things can't get up and walk away from it!
 

Boiling Mud, Waiotapu Mud Pools

Of all the geothermal features we saw, the boiling mud was my favorite. Seeing and hearing this viscous stuff pop and burst was so entertaining!

The sounds were so much part of the fun, that it demands video to give you more of a sense of the excitement involved. Be sure your volume is up so you can hear the lovely 'plops'!) It was like watching a huge pot of thick oatmeal or grits cooking and getting a thrill out of looking at the right place to catch some extra good pops. To some extent, perhaps it models the way volcanoes form and suddenly erupt in the much more solid earth.

Some Stayed Tightly Wrapped

I had so much fun photographing these things and was astounded at the details captured by the camera when I viewed them later. Every detail of this mucky substance and the way it adhered to the rest of the mass must be a hydrologist's dream.

Some Blew Apart

In other cases, the eruptions just led to shattered 'shards' of mud flying everywhere. Oh, it was just marvelous!

Te Manaroa Spring at Waikite Valley Hot Pools

There are some places in Rotorua where one can get a mud bath, but we were advised that everything that is touched by the mud stinks to high heaven for at least a week, so we opted instead to go to the Waikite Valley Hot Pools for a dip. The Waikite Valley is a rift valley that has dropped about 1,000 feet in elevation over the last 20,000 years, so the earth's crust is thinner here than normal. On the property was a large tangle of blackberry bushes. In 2002 a chance discovery revealed that these bushes were covering over the largest hot pool of boiling water in New Zealand, the Te Manaroa Spring. It's diameter is 29 feet, but it's depth is un-measured due to the difficulty of accessing it. It was quite remarkable!

I have a halo!

Stephen said one could see one's halo through the 'mist' and indeed, it seems to me that he was right! Not sure it really makes me look angelic, but there you have it!

Sinter Rim on Otomamakokore Stream 

The thermal Otomamakokore Stream below the lake was magical - the mineral deposits at the edge of the water are made of silica and I can imagine some young mineralogist in the future discovering these veins with delight. It almost felt as if I was sitting in my seat on an airplane looking down at a coastline through the clouds. In reality I was only about 20 feet above the river.

Free Parking Lot View - Pohutu Geyser

The last geothermal treat I sought was to see the Pohutu Geyser, the largest in the southern hemisphere, erupting up to 100 feet. It appears to be on private property, owned by Whakarewarewa - The Living Maori Village and to get within a good viewing distance required a fee. As I was only interested in the geyser, I had hoped to see it from the parking lot I had been told about without paying. When I arrived, I could see that was going to be a challenge!

Pohutu Geyser

Not to be deterred, I stood on tippy toe, angled my camera through the narrow spaces and succeeded in seeing the geyser. I had a lovely conversation with a German tourist while there, a young man who was travelling in a camper with his wife and young baby. He told me all the paternal benefits he received through his employer due to government policies, but he agreed that the USA does a marvellous job of providing access to natural features like this geyser through the National Park system. If you go to Rotorua, I recommend you pay the money to walk to the geyser - the parking lot really didn't 'do' it adequately!

Government Gardens

Rotorua had many more treats for us beyond geothermals. We had a nice picnic in the Government Gardens.

Tamaora Walker - Jade Carver

We went to a jade store and were told all about pounamu, the New Zealand jade which is only found on the South Island in river beds. It cannot be taken out of New Zealand until it has been carved. To the Maori, it is not just a stone, or piece of jewelry, it has spiritual significance and can convey power and status on the owners which increases in cultural value from generation to generation due to the history that is passed on with it.

Mountain Jade Store

In the past it might have taken a year to carve an adornment, using very slow abrasion and polishing techniques with sandstone. Such a product would most likely be gifted to the important people in the group - leaders, elders etc. Today, as you see from the photo the tools look and sound very much like the tools we see in a dentists office. Traditional designs are adapted by the artists and lovely items are created. I really desired a toki, which is a simple pendant shape that is a symbol of courage, strength, determination and authority, but could not see myself wearing it where as I live, as it has such ethnic attachments that don't fit who I am. So instead, I bought one that can be displayed in my china cabinet as my souvenir. 

St. Faith's Anglican Church, Rotorua

We visited St. Faith's Anglican Church in the Maori village on the shore of Lake Rotorua, which was built in 1885. (Note - the Anglican Church in NZ is more like the Episcopal Church in the USA.) One of the volunteers was there doing chores, so we were able to look around.

Beautiful Carvings on the Pews, St. Faith's Anglican Church, Rotorua

There was much beautiful woodwork. The eyes are made from mother-of-pearl punched out of abalone shells........

Pulpit, St. Faith's Anglican Church, Rotorua

......and traditional weavings integrated into the furnishings.

Galilee Chapel, St. Faith's Anglican Church, Rotorua

The Galilee Chapel was built in 1967 and has an image of a Maori Christ wearing a traditional korowai - a cloak given only to those of the highest status in Maori communities. Had I managed to get down lower in my angle, it would have appeared that Christ was walking on the water of Lake Rotorua.

Marae, Ohinemutu Village

Facing the church, about 300 yards away from the lake shore is the village marae. This is a communal and sacred place which is a vital part of every day life. As this is an open Maori village, online guidance for tourists says it's OK to walk around, but suggests that photography is not welcomed. As the sign only said no entry, I took the liberty of photographing it from a distance. I mean no disrespect.

Large Tiki Carving, Ohinemutu Village

Betweem the marae and the church, but off to the side, is this large tiki statue/totem with remarkable mouth and eyes. Tiki is the Maori equivalent of the Christian Adam - the first human created by God. Tiki carvings are often used to mark the boundary of sacred or significant sites. Hard to know if the sacred site is the church or the nearby marae.

Queen Victoria, Ohinemutu Village

Only a few steps away from this tiki totem was this bust of Queen Victoria. The volunteer at the church told us that the bust was made of wood that had been carved in France. He also said that some of the younger Maori's had objected to the European figure being on top of the totem, so she had been thrown in the lake but was recently retrieved and repaired for the visit of then Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018. He also said that the older Maori's had appreciated her role in protecting some of their rights through the Treaty of Waitangi, although many of the agreements she had co-signed were broken in subsequent years. Rather than telling you more about the treaty, here is a link if you're interested in it.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Waitangi

Stephen Julian of Real Rotorua at Cascade Falls 

Our final treat in Rotorua was a night time hike to see glowworms. I was pleased that photography was possible on this outing, so I packed up my tripod and had hopes of capturing some decent images for you with long exposure photography on my DSLR camera.

Glowworm Mucus 'Fishing Lines

Sadly, the efforts with my DSLR revealed my lack of skill to override the automatic settings that kept telling me there wasn't enough light. So instead, this is the best I could do with a flashlight and my Samsung phone camera. However, it clearly shows the horizontal 'hammock', which the glowworm lives in, and the vertical, sticky 'fishing lines' it creates with mucus. The organism is not actually a worm, it is the larval form of the fungus gnat, which looks a bit like a mosquito in its short-lived adult form. 

The Glowing Tail of the Glowworm

This even worse photo shows that the blue glow comes from just the tip of the glowworms tail. The way it works is that bugs are drawn to the light of the tail and then get stuck in the fishing lines. The glowworm larva then crawls along the hammock and eats its prey! Nice guys, eh!

Looking Like Stars

And finally, this is the worst of the photos, but the only one I captured that gives an inkling of how these creatures look in the dark. They were distributed all over a large, slightly overhanging rock face and it looked as if we were gazing at the stars sparkling through the trees. It really was very magical, but I've got to learn a lot more about night time photography before I can share it with you! And also another trip to NZ!

And so, that's it now folks! Next on to Tauranga, via Hobbiton.