Waimangu Volcanic Valley

Waimangu Volcanic Valley*****

Created by the eruption of Mt Tarawera on 10 june 1886, which is the world's youngest geothermal area.

Actually in Rotorua, we got quite headached, trying to figure out which geothermal park we should go, because there are simply too many to choose and each with a ticket to pay!! One of them with famous Lady Knox geyser @ Wai O Tapu and another with beautiful terraces. Of course if we have the time we would love to visit all these amazing parks.. But we are indeed short of time to travel the rest of NZ. So we chose Waimangu Volcanic Valley...

Frying Pan Lake, world's largest hot water springs.

Love is in the spring!

Look at that hot springs water bubbling up!

Bird nest terrace

Inferno crater, pale blue colour, we are just lucky to see that beautiful colour as the lake will turn to brown colour when it overflow for few days.

Lake Rotomahana

Marble terrace, orange, white and brown, just nice combination to become marble on the ground.

Warbrick terrace

We spent about 4 hours here wondering at the amazing volcanic valley, captivated by the forces of nature! Rotorua is really a one of a kind town, so many geothermal areas! And the whole city smells like rotten egg, caused of the sulphur from the pools, thus nicknamed Sulphur City.

Mount Tarawera Eruption:

These days Rotorua is known for its geothermal activity. But what many people don’t know is that not so long ago, the region experienced a large volcanic eruption. On 10 June 1886, Mount Tarawera’s three peaks erupted, sending smoke and ash thousands of metres into the sky. Shortly after, a pyroclastic surge destroyed several villages within a six-kilometre radius. Sadly, between 108 and 153 people are estimated to have been killed. The eruption buried a number of Maori villages including Te Wairoa, which can now be viewed as a tourist attraction. http://rotoruasuperpasses.co.nz/blog/little-known-facts-about-rotorua/