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| Waimangu Warbrick Terrace |
New Zealand
is a volatile country—earthquakes shake us.
In the past volcanoes blasted the landscape and the earth simmers still,
spitting boiling mud from bubbling pools and heating the water for those hot
pools we love to soak in. Lake Taupō was
formed by a volcano 27,000 years ago. It
last erupted in AD 181, turning the skies red over China and Rome. The caldera is now New Zealand's largest lake,
with a surface area of 616 square kilometres.
Lake Rotorua was formed in another caldera, its volcano erupted 200,000
years ago. Mount Tarawera last erupted
in 1886, altering Lake Tarawera, the Blue and Green Lakes (and other smaller
ones) burying the Māori village of Te Wairoa, and destroying the famous pink
and white terraces.
These silica terraces were at the
time New Zealand's premier tourist attraction, a series of beautiful pools
where people could bathe, the silica looking like frozen waterfalls between one
pool and the next. They look so
stunningly beautiful in paintings and photographs from the time that I deeply
regret their loss. The eruption caused
the deaths of about 120 people and altered the surrounding landscape, dumping
tonnes of ash and debris over the area.
We found out a lot about the eruption at the Buried Village Museum which
is on the road from Rotorua to Lake Tarawera.
This is a combination of museum, archaeological site and reconstruction,
set in twelve acres of park-like grounds.
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| Waimangu Volcanic Valley |
Waimangu Volcanic Valley, a little
further south, was formed by the Tarawera eruption of 1886. We walked for two hours through this amazing
steaming and bubbling wonderland (taking a shuttle bus back to the visitors
centre) discovering many features that illustrate the geothermal activity of
the area. There were pools, both hot and
cold, coloured shades of blue, green and even red. Hot springs bubbled up to the surface of
Frying Pan Lake, causing strange sounds to echo around, while steam drifted up past
the Cathedral Rocks behind. These were
completely changed in shape after the Frying Pan Flat eruption of 1917 which
killed two people. There are silica
terraces that must be similar to the pink and white terraces, though on a
smaller scale. Ripple terraces are forming
beside the original ones. At the end of
the walk we rested beside the shores of Lake Rotomahana, where boat cruises are
available.
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| St Faith's Church, Rotorua |
Rotorua itself is a city built on
geothermal activity. Kuirau Park near
the city centre is an area of thermal springs which can be strolled around in
an hour. On the lakeside itself we
always love walking around to Ohinemutu, once the main centre for the Rotorua
region. The village was chosen because
of its setting and because of the hot springs which Māori used for cooking and
washing. We first walked there one still
evening and were soon shrouded by steam which gave the place an eerie
feel. No one was about but there were
two carved meeting houses and a church.
It was as if we had stepped out of time.
The church was St Faith's, built in 1914. The impressive interior is rich with carving
and woven panels while a window is etched with the figure of a Māori Jesus, who
appears to walk on the waters of the lake.
We headed to the Polynesian Spa hot
pool complex beside Lake Rotorua where we took the waters, as visitors have
been doing since 1878. From the pools we
had views over the lake. Our muscles
were relieved by the acidic water from the Priest Spring and we were promised
ageless beauty as we relaxed in mineral rich waters of the Rachel Spring. This complex is one of the more expensive and
luxurious we have visited a contrast to places like homely Ngawha Springs in
the north and tiny Morere Springs that we would visit later.
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| Hamurana Springs |
Springs of a different sort are
found on Lake Rotorua's northern shores.
We followed the Hamurana Springs track through a forest of towering
Redwoods (planted in 1919) before coming to New Zealand's deepest natural fresh
water spring. The crystal clear water
that rises up into the pools here has been underwater for 70 years. The main spring is called Te Puna-a-Hangarua
and we saw lots of coins sparkling from the bottom. Throwing coins into the spring is an old
tradition, and back in 1957 divers recovered more than 5,000 pennies which were
donated to charity.
State Highway 30 took us west to
Kawerau. Built in the 1950s as a mill
town, the town site was chosen because of its proximity to the Kaingaroa Forest
and the readily available geothermal energy.
Now the little town encourages freedom camping in self contained
vehicles like ours. Not only can people park
up for seven nights at various places in the town but Prideaux Park, where we
stayed, has free power available. Even
better, just over the fence were the free, thermally heated pools where we had
a few soaks. These pools were a million
miles from the sophisticated Polynesian Spa experience. Here local families splashed around and had
noisy fun. It was an honest-to-goodness
kiwi experience.
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| On the Tarawera falls Track |
We wanted to visit Tarawera Falls
near Lake Tarawera. Described as the
most spectacular falls in the Bay of Plenty, the waterfall is formed by a river
plunging 65 metres down a sheer cliff face before separating into many smaller
cascades. Accordingly we went to an office
in Kawerau for a forest access permit, and then drove Tangaroa along the 27 kilometres of forestry road to the DOC camp
on the shores of the lake.
The walk started here at the
Tarawera Outlet and followed the river through native bush for five kilometres,
about one and a half-hours walking.
There were several very pretty rapids and waterfalls, also a tempting
shady swimming hole, but the Tarawera Falls themselves were a
disappointment. It had been a dry summer
and the cascade we had seen in pictures was not in evidence. Water gushed from lower down and it was a
picturesque scene—just not the dramatic one we had hoped for. Back at the camp ground we decided the place
was too dark and gloomy, so we drove Tangaroa
all the way back to Kawerau and parked at the spot we'd left that morning. In retrospect, we should have gone in the
car—especially as the forestry road had been very muddy and Malcolm had to wash
the bus and car on our return. We were
glad of those hot pools after the day's exercise.
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| On the Tarawera Falls Track |
Back in the Rotorua area we walked a
circuit around the Blue Lake. This is so
named because it looks a turquoise colour, due to light reflecting off pumice
on its bottom. Two thirds of the walk is
through native bush and the track passes the Green Lake which has a shallow
sandy bottom making the water looks green.
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| Blue Lake from the walking track |
Then we took the road to Taupō. Although it was tempting to stop at the hot
pools in the Waikite Valley—we have been there before of course—we continued on
and freedom camped beside the lake near Taupō town centre. From here we went to DeBretts Hot Springs, another of New
Zealand's earliest hot pool facilities.
First discovered by Sir William Fox in 1874, the present pool complex
was created in 1958 and modernised in 1987.
Now it is part of a holiday resort with accommodation and camping,
though the pools themselves, accessed down a steep driveway, feel private and
secluded.
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| DeBretts Hot Springss |
There
is a cycle route that goes right around Lake Taupō—we know because we have
taken part in the Lake Taupō Cycle Challenge.
One year we did it as part of a four-person team, another year Malcolm
cycled it as an individual. We weren't
planning on cycling this time though because we had a walk in mind: the
Tongariro Crossing. We had set out to do
this walk before, but when we got as far as Mt Ngauruhoe—famous to Lord of the Rings fans as Mt
Doom—decided to climb to the summit. It
was a clear, sunny day and we knew we would have magnificent views, which we
did, right across to Mt Egmont Taranaki, 180 kilometres away.
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| On the Tongariro Crossing |
When,
on a previous occasion, Malcolm walked the Tongariro Crossing, he had pulled in
an ascent of Ngauruhoe as a side trip. I'm
sure he could have done so this time too.
However I am always slow on steep up-hills, and found the scree slopes
very difficult as I kept slithering backwards.
The outcrops of sharp volcanic rock were awkward to get across too so,
after enjoying the views and eating our picnic lunch, we descended and walked
back along the track to Whakapapa Village.
This had been a seven hour walk in itself, so on the way back to Taupō
we stopped for a relaxing soak at the Tokaanu thermal pools—a basic but
peaceful place near the southern tip of Lake Taupō.
I
successfully completed the next crossing attempt with Malcolm and small group of friends. We met up at Whakapapa and began the crossing,
which took around seven hours. The first
section went through the Mangatepopo Valley, scoured out in the ice age and partially in-filled by lava from Mt Ngauruhoe. After about one and a half hours the track
began to climb steadily and steeply, giving great views back down the
valley. A poled route lead us across
South Crater to a ridge, then up to Red Crater, the highest point on the
crossing. From here it was a short walk
down to the Emerald Lakes where we ate lunch.
The lakes' colour is derived from minerals seeping into the water from
nearby thermal areas. We looked across
at Ngauruhoe, recalling our previous climb, then turned to continue our tramp.
I
had pulled on warm gear and a windproof coat by now as—even though it had been
hot work climbing up to the Emerald Lakes—it was very cold here with a blustery
wind. I had been warned that it could
get icy at 1,700 metres above sea level and was glad of the warm clothes. We continued along the next section of the
track from Central Crater to the Blue Lake which is a freshwater lake in an old
lava vent. Like the Emerald Lakes,
dissolved minerals give the Blue Lake its distinctive colour. The lake's Māori name
is Te Wai-whakaata-o-te-Rangihiroa (Rangihiroa's Mirror) and it is tapu (sacred). Rangihiroa was said to have explored the
volcanic plateau around AD1750.
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| Me on the Tongariro Crossing |
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| Amazing views on the walk |
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| View of Ngauruhoe from the Tongariro Crossing Track |
The
next section of track skirted the edge of the North Crater, then we began the
descent. We stopped for a coffee break
and snack by the Ketetahi Hut, before continuing through podocarp forest to the
road end car park. The Tongariro
Crossing is one of New Zealand's greatest day walks and I can see why—it was an
unforgettable experience.
There
was only one thing left to do—check out the new hot pools at Taupō's Wairakei
Terraces. The pools here nestle beneath
silica terraces—reminiscent of the pink and white terraces. As we soaked amongst the steam and silica we
thought if we couldn't visit the terraces of bygone days, this was probably the
next best thing.
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| Tranquil Wairakei Terraces |
Information about places mentioned in this post - correct at time of writing
Walks
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Waimangu Volcanic Valley
www.waimangu.co.nz
Hours: 8.30 am-5.00 pm
Entry price: adult
$38.50, child $12
Various walks. We took the Waimangu Highlights Track, 2 hrs
(with shuttle bus return) easy walking track
Access: 587, Waimangu Rd,
Rotorua
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Hamurana Springs
www.freewalks.nz/rotorua/hamurana-springs-walk
Hours: 9.00 am-6.00 pm
2.5km, 1 hr, easy: short
walk
Access: 773, Hamurana Rd,
Hamurana
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Tarawera Outlet to Falls
Track
www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/bay-of-plenty/places/lake-tarawera-scenic-reserve/things-to-do/tarawera-outlet-to-falls-track/
5 km, 2hrs one way, easy:
walking track
Access: from Kawerau via
private forestry roads.
Permit required $5,
available from Kawerau Information Centre, Plunket St, Kawerau, open 9.00 am-4.00
pm
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Blue Lake walk
www.freewalks.nz/rotorua/blue-lake-walk/track
4.5 km, 1.5 hrs, easy:
walking track
Access: Tarawera Rd,
Rotorua
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Tongariro Alpine Crossing
www.doc.govt.nz/tongariroalpinecrossing
19.4 km, 7-8 hr,
intermediate grade: great walk
Access: Limited parking, access and pick up best by shuttle bus,
arranged at
Whakapapa i-SITE +64
7 892 3075, State Highway 48, Whakapapa Village
Turangi i-SITE
0800 288 726, Ngawaka Place, Turangi
Ohakune i-SITE 0800
647 483, 54, Clyde Street, Ohakune
Taumarunui i-Site 07
895 7494, Railway Station, Taumarunui
Taupō i-SITE 0800 525
382, 30, Tongariro Street, Taupō
Places to visit
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Buried Village of Te
Wairoa
1180, Tarawera Rd,
Rotorua
9.00am-5.00pm summer,
9.00am-4.30pm winter
adult $35, senior and
student $32, child $10
http://www.buriedvillage.co.nz
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Polynesian Spa
Hinemoa St, Rotorua
www.polynesianspa.co.nz
Hours: 8.00 am-11.00 pm daily
Entry Price: Various spas
and pools in the complex. We visited the
Adult Pools, $30
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Maurie Kjar Memorial
Swimming Pool
Corner Glasgow and
Plunket Sts, Kawerau
Hours: Monday-Friday 8.00
am-6.00 pm, Saturday-Sunday 8.00 am-8.00 pm
Free entry
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Tokaanu Thermal Pools
Mangaroa St, Tokaanu
www.nzhotpools.co.nz/hot-pools/tokaanu-thermal-pools
Hours: 10.00 am-9.00 pm
Entry price: adult $8,
senior $7, child $6
- ·
Wairakei Terraces Hot
Pools
SH 1, Wairakei
http://www.wairakeiterraces.co.nz/
Hours: 8.30 am-9.00 pm
(summer) 8.30 am-8.30 pm (winter) 8.30 am-7.00 pm Thursdays
Entry price: adults (over 14 years) only,
$25
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