Hells Gate Thermal Area Rotorua

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More fascinating steam vents, large craters, colourful rocks, boiling mud, hot waterfalls and more. Welcome to Hells Gate.

I won't add to much to this post as I have, by now, covered so many thermal areas I think you get the picture as to what to expect.

Once again if , like me, you find geology and thermal activity interesting you'll love this place. If however you've seen the other thermal areas I've mentioned you may consider you have inhaled enough sulphur fumes for now and decide to do something else instead.

Personally I like the fact that the Earth is more powerful than any human and New Zealand is one country where we can get up close and personal with the raw power of our planet.

Whakarewarewa. Rotorua and more thermal activity

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I have to admit that if you are really not into thermal areas by this stage you may think this is one thermal area too many?

However every thermal area in New Zealand seems to have it's own unique "headline feature" which you really should not miss.

Whakarewarewa is no exception. Yes it has the colourful pools, the boiling mud, ponds so hot you could cook your boil-in-the-bag fish in them and smelly steam eminating from every crevice in the ground. But it also has in lead role - The Prince Of Wales Feathers - twin geysers. Wow! It doesn't matter where you stand in this thermal park you can get great photos from almost every angle.

Go on go and see them you know you want to.

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, Rotorua

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Of all the geothermal areas in New Zealand the most famous and well known is probably the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland in Rotorua.

It really has got just about every type of thermal activity you could imagine. Volcanic Craters, steaming ground, bubbling mud pools, the famous champagne pool, other naturally coloured pools and the world famous Lady Knox geyser. This geyser with a helping hand from a human with a piece of soap erupts every day at 10.15 am

New Zealand claims to be the youngest country on the planet. Wai-O-Tapu is living proof that in the "baking" of this fledgling country this place is a long way from coming out of the oven.

Craters Of The Moon, Thermal Park Area, Taupo

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Any vacation in New Zealand will not be complete without experiencing the smell of rotten eggs, holes in the ground, steam creeping out of the earth, yellow lakes, boling mud, hot streams, pools and waterfalls, geysers, volcano craters and perhaps even the odd earthquake (There was a minor but feelable tremor during our arrival in Wellington, however we slept for so long due to jet-lag we snoozed right through it!)

Anyway back to Craters of the Moon. A small admission fee is payable for vehicles and for individuals who are on foot but it is well worth the charge.

New Zealand's geothermal areas show the raw power that lies beneath our planet and make you realise that man may claim to be powerful but the Earth is far stronger.

What is interesting about this area is that it apparently first materialized in the 1950s after a nearby power station lowered water levels. As somebody who has in interest in earthquakes I'd be interested to know if this subsequently increased earthquakes in the area. In areas of oil drilling earthquakes occur regularly due to mans' actions - I wonder if this is the same?

Well laid out tourist walkways and a loop road for vehicles ensure that there is little chance of an accident in such an active area.


I'm biased because I love these thermal areas but you really have to experience these regions as part of your New Zealand vacation.