The words “Thermal Wonderland” probably conjure different mental images depending on your upbringing. For me, my mind turns first to a fluffy quilt, knitted bed socks, and a glowing fireplace. Other more intrepid individuals might imagine a mountaineering supply store well-stocked with thermal underwear. Few among us, our geologist friends naturally excluded, would be likely to think of the almost literally infernal landscape I witnessed this morning.
After leaving Rotorua, we travelled south about half an hour to the Waiotapu THERMAL WONDERLAND. Being huge nerds, we were both well up for some scientific information and accompanying sights, and we got ’em in spades. The main attraction of the day in terms of scheduling is the Lady Knox Geyser, which erupts at 10.30am (its actual eruptions are too unpredictable, ranging from 24 to 72 hours, so they help it along with some sort of chemical additive). Sim elbowed his way up to the front row to get some impressive photos; I sensibly hung back in the shade in order to thwart the hole in the ozone layer and not be sprayed with whatever geysers erupt. We each, in our own way, won that round.
Waiotapu is not just a geyser, though. If sulfur can be combined with something, you’re pretty much guaranteed to find it there. The first time we started out on the walking trail, the fumes were so bad that, being a character from a Victorian melodrama, I was overcome with the vapours and forced to turn back to the Visitors’ Centre. (Non-Victorian version: retching and dry-heaving, I stumbled my way into the public toilets.) As the determined and intrepid scientist that I am, I made a second attempt, and this time made it most of the way around two of three trails. Sights available to the determined are named things like “The Devil’s Bath”, “The Champagne Pool”, and “The Artist’s Palette”. The first of those is a deep pool of water that is literally the colour of a lemon lime splice, and totally opaque. The Champagne Pool is a gently simmering and steaming expanse of what I suppose could loosely be described as water, but with ruby red edges. The Artist’s Palette is so named because the various minerals create swirls of colour across a broad flat surface.
The sights we saw were kind of equal parts beautiful and revolting. The stench was unbelievable: the main gas being released is sulfur dioxide, known to the uninitiated as rotten egg gas. After we left and drove to Napier, I kept wanting to apologise to people for the reek that I’m sure was still hanging around me. It was a relief to check in to our hotel and wash all the hellscape out of my hair; laundry’s going down first thing in the morning.
Glad you made it out of the visitors centre to see the sights! After several attempts to wash the stench out of the swimwear I used in a Roturua mud bath, I was eventually convinced that disposal was my only option. Especially after (rookie error) washing them with other clothes, which just spread the stench around.