Thursday, January 20, 2005
Bubbling mud pits and sulphurous smells
I spend yesterday on a tour of the "Thermal Wonderland" - I went to Wai-o-tapu Thermal Park and Waimangu Volcanic Park. In Wai-o-tapu there are craters emitting sulphurous burps and mud pools, but the most beautiful thing I saw was the Champagne Lake - it's huge, and bright bright blue (the water is clear, but there are mineral deposits which cause the colour), with bright bright orange deposits along the edge, and it's always bubbling (thus the whole champagne comparison). There's always thermal steam coming off it...so stunning. The colours!! The contrasts!! The shapes!! The...everything!! I could have happily stayed there all day and not seen enough of it.
Waimangu is a park at the base of Mt Tarewara, which is where the Pink and White Terraces used to be, until 1886, when the mountain erupted, killing 150 people. The walk I did started from opposite the mountain, and worked its' way down to the base of the mountain, by Lake Rotomanu. It was wild and beautiful, and you could imagine it being the beginning of life - lush vegetation, steaming hillsides, bubbling pools, bright colours, craters and cracks in the mountain side all around you. That was by far my favourite park, with the added bonus that it seems to be less frequented by tourists - there weren't 20 million people all crowded around one fissure trying to take a photo of a wisp of steam.
Having said that, I went through about 3 rolls of film yesterday. I don't think many of the photos will do the experience justice, but I had to take them. If only one of them turns out well I'll be happy (hopefully of the Champagne Lake at Wai-o-tapu, or the Cathedral Rock at Waimangu).
This morning I went to Te Whakarewarewa, which is a Maori Arts and Culture Institute, leading into a thermal area, with geysers and mud pools. There's also a marae (meeting house) where I saw a Maori concert. It was ridiculously full of tourists, which made me very very quiet. You know, dangerously quiet...But I got over it. Went on a tour with a Maori guide, which was great. The concert, whilst really touristy, was great. They did a haka, and several poi dances, and some songs, and...lots of stuff.
I'm getting on a bus in a bit to go to Hamilton. I'm hoping that the article Neb found about there being a statue erected to Richard O'Brien (Riff Raff) in Hamilton wasn't a joke, because I really want to see that!
Waimangu is a park at the base of Mt Tarewara, which is where the Pink and White Terraces used to be, until 1886, when the mountain erupted, killing 150 people. The walk I did started from opposite the mountain, and worked its' way down to the base of the mountain, by Lake Rotomanu. It was wild and beautiful, and you could imagine it being the beginning of life - lush vegetation, steaming hillsides, bubbling pools, bright colours, craters and cracks in the mountain side all around you. That was by far my favourite park, with the added bonus that it seems to be less frequented by tourists - there weren't 20 million people all crowded around one fissure trying to take a photo of a wisp of steam.
Having said that, I went through about 3 rolls of film yesterday. I don't think many of the photos will do the experience justice, but I had to take them. If only one of them turns out well I'll be happy (hopefully of the Champagne Lake at Wai-o-tapu, or the Cathedral Rock at Waimangu).
This morning I went to Te Whakarewarewa, which is a Maori Arts and Culture Institute, leading into a thermal area, with geysers and mud pools. There's also a marae (meeting house) where I saw a Maori concert. It was ridiculously full of tourists, which made me very very quiet. You know, dangerously quiet...But I got over it. Went on a tour with a Maori guide, which was great. The concert, whilst really touristy, was great. They did a haka, and several poi dances, and some songs, and...lots of stuff.
I'm getting on a bus in a bit to go to Hamilton. I'm hoping that the article Neb found about there being a statue erected to Richard O'Brien (Riff Raff) in Hamilton wasn't a joke, because I really want to see that!
