Wai-o-tapu, The Sacred Waters

Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland is part of a reserve that has an enormous amount of thermal activity in this volcanic area.

In Maori Wai-o-tapu is translated as the Sacred Waters and its easy to see why they named it that.

All the pictures (as all my pictures have been) are SOOC (straight out of camera) mostly because I haven't learned to edit yet and partially because I'm lazy.

Also, this post reads like a science lesson so I excuse you from reading the comments and encourage you to just skim the pictures when you become to boards to keep your eyes open.



The area has had volcanic activity for nearly 160,000 years. Looking into this steaming fumarole what you don't get is the sound of the bubbling and gurgling. Is this a fumerole or just a steaming pool?

These shots are of the weather pool as it changes color with the weather. On the other side an underground stream with water of about 212 degrees exits the crater.



I was just commenting that in California these type of things are always really gated because people can't be trusted to keep out, or not fall in, or be responsible in high tourist areas.

Thank you B for the dramatization of falling into a collapsed crater.



The Devil's Ink Pots are actually mud pools. The colors are actually graphite and crude oil that bubbles up from under the Earth's surface.



I feel like I'm teaching a class. I should put these on slides and show it to my friends when they come over. Picture me with a pointer and glasses...and my hair in a bun.



My favorite part. Water overflows from the Champagne pool (coming up next) and cools down in this huge space. As the minerals deposit you get super cool colors and patterns.



I was really surprised to see these sea gulls here. They are at the spot where the water cools and are probably enjoying the thermal spa treatment.



They have a specially built boardwalk to cross the terrace on some of the firmer ground areas.

These ladies are waving at the gentleman next to me and have no idea I'm snapping away at them waving.



This is actually under water just behind where the ladies were standing. Its a fancy thermal hole. I believe thats the scientific terminology.

Did I mention the smell?



The steam smells of rotten eggs. Sulfur-y rotten eggs. Please take out your notebooks.

This pool was formed over 700 years ago by an eruption. The surface temperature is 165 degree and its bubbles as it releases carbon dioxide.



The different levels are results of movement during earthquakes and the water itself contains gold, silver, mercury, sulphur, arsenic and other stuffs.



It puts off this hot stinky steam that you have to stand in to get good pictures.

B are you out there?

B?



Oh there you are.

Are those fumes toxic?



This area that we are in only touches on the activity in the area. I could see this whitish lake through the tree across a mountain.



As we walked around to the cooler side you could see how the minerals in the water changed the surface of everything around it.



This is what the rock on top looks like now. And it was hard. I only know this because I may have very gently touched it with my shoe. Maybe.



It kept trickling down until it gathered here.

How does the water get so many minerals you asked?



Oh come on, humor me.

Underground a system of streams are heated by left over magma and at temps up to 575 degrees is actually sucks the minerals out of the rocks its passes through and carries those minerals along to the surface.

See ladies, New Zealand is a home-schoolers paradise.



Bubble, bubble. Sulphur is just stinkily bubbling up here. (stinkily?)



Everywhere are cool deposits left in unusual ways.



These big mounds were left when the water was drained from the area. The white is left over silica.



A lot of the plants were coated in this orange algae. It was kinda eerie.



Back past the champagne pool.



This pool changes from bright green to bright yellow and its striking. I can only imagine what the Maori thought when they came across this for the first time.

Actually if you take a look at their website you'll see that a lot of the pools look a different color than what we saw. How neat is that!



The bubbling mud pools. These blurp and gurgle and splat all over. Its actually loud.



I had to zoom in on just one because it was so distracting trying to watch all these eruptions everywhere.

Does anyone remember the Bog of Eternal Stench from Labyrinth?



Anyone? Well the combination of the blurping mud and the smell sent me right to that scene.

Thank you for taking that tour with me. Please be prepared for a pop quiz.

Information compliments of the lovely people of the Wai-o-tapu Reserve.