Rotorua 

The road to our next stop, Rotorua, was along the geothermal highway. We passed lots of steam and many caldera, the hills typical of the thermal region which were formed when a volcano erupted. 

We spotted some Pukeko by the side of the road. These are an endangered species and we are not surprised. They happily continued eating while we are in the car next to them and didn't flinch when a lorry beeped for us to move on!  

Our host in Lake Taupo had suggested several possibilities to see geothermal activities and we stopped at one, not quite knowing what to expect. Wai-O-Tapo (meaning Sacred Waters) soon showed us what it is all about. 

The area open to the public is a small part of the park and well covered with walkways. When you realise that the water all around you is boiling, and the steam shooting up is at an even higher temperature, it is obvious that  random wandering around is not an option. 

We decided on the complete tour of the sights, 24 all labelled. 

Devil's home, a collapsed crater

Rainbow crater

Thunder crater 

Devil's ink pots

Artist's palette and the large Champagne Pool, so called because it bubbles like Champagne. It's not a good idea to fall into this pool - hot water enters the pool 62 metres below the surface at 270 deg and cools to 70 deg on the surface. 

Opal pool

From the boardwalk, the coloured edge contains arsenic, antimony and sulphur. 

The primrose terrace

Bridal veil falls

Frying pan flat

Oyster pool

Inferno crater with boiling mud, so great sound effects

Birds nest crater where mynah birds, starlings and swallows lay their eggs. The crater is warm enough to incubate the eggs!

Devils bath

By now, we had seen enough and it was time to find our hotel. In the evening we met Joan and Stuart, friends from France who are also touring New Zealand. We had one day when our paths crossed and had decided to  compare notes over a meal. 

There was a free concert in the park near our hotel which was not helped by the rain - the first that we had seen in a while. When we returned to our room the fireworks were just starting. 

The following morning we had one more sight to see.

The Lady Knox geyser, which is in a separate part of the park peforms at 10.15.   We arrived in good time to get a seat. Obviously, nature doesn't work to a precise timetable, so needs a little encouragement. 

The story is that, many years ago, convicts from a nearby open prison, were clearing the land ready for pine planting. They found this warm pool and thought that this would be a good spot to wash their clothes. They came along with the clothes and soap and whosh their clothes went skywards!  

Today, the site is only open once a day and people flood in. The geyser is there with its little brown bag of soap to hand. On her own the geyser would erupt in 2 to 36 hours but has been induced once a day for the last 80 years.

We hear the story, the bag is added to the steaming water and the first signs of the foaming water are seen. 

Will or, won't it?  The geyser starts to appear .....

Gathers force ....

And there she goes!

Then it was time for breakfast. Joan and Stuart had been at the geyser as well and were then driving to Lake Taupo, so we said au revoir 

We spent a quiet day looking round a small display of Maori culture and sorting out photos.

In the evening we ate at an Italian restaurant. Next to us we had a french couple, one of whom was a vigneron in Bordeaux making vin nature. When we mentioned our Alsace vigneron, Jean-Pierre Rietsch, who has also moved to vin nature, she said that she was on her way to meet him in New Zealand!  A small world.