In Wai-O-Tapu National Park and at Lady Knox

The active geothermal area at the southern end of the Okataina Volcanic Center, just north of the Reporoa Caldera in the Taupo volcanic zone, is our destination today. The area with the thermal springs is called Wai-O-Tapu and is owned by a Maori holding, a local tribal enterprise.

We drive into the area about 30 km south of Rotorua. Besides the springs that we want to see, there is also a geyser here, the Lady Knox Geyser. This geyser is brought to eruption daily at 10:15 AM with a 'relaxant'. The whole process lasts about 5 minutes.

We find ourselves in a circle in front of the eruption cone in a kind of arena with at least 200 people. Everyone is here initially for the geyser.

After a few minutes, an official team arrives, talks about the geyser, and one of the staff pours a surfactant, i.e., detergent, into the cone, whereupon a few minutes later the geyser 'spits out' its fountain, accompanied by a live Maori song. It is said that this fountain reaches a height of about 20 meters. Silica has caused the cone to grow white over the years.

After a few minutes, the whole spectacle is over, and all visitors head to the entrance of the geothermal area, the Wai-O-Tapu. From here, walkways lead around the many 'pools' and springs. A slightly sulfuric smell is noticeable and accompanies us during our approximately 3 km long walk along the designated trail.

We quickly remember the geothermal field within Yellowstone National Park in the USA and are not allowed to make a comparison here. Everything is smaller and a bit less spectacular. However, there is one pool, the Champagne Pool, that glows in beautiful colors. It is one of the largest hot springs in New Zealand and gets its name from the many gas bubbles that rise and resemble a glass of champagne.

Right around the corner is the Artists’ Palette. This pool is fed by the Champagne Pool and changes its appearance daily depending on the sunlight, wind, and water level.

Next to these colorful pools, there are also countless gray, muddy pools that bubble away.

Small waterfalls interrupt the pool landscape and lead us back to the exit. Shortly before that, another pool catches our attention. This pool, the Roto Karikitea, has the craziest color we have ever seen. A really rich slime green ... It looks so unnatural that one can hardly believe it is real.

After a short lunch break (mandatory biscuits with water) near the Visitor Center, we drive back to Rotorua.

We check into a different hotel today, the Princess Gate Hotel, which Thorsten booked a long time ago for 45 NZD (25 euros). Normally, one pays ten times as much at this hotel. However, booking.com offered the suite including breakfast, which would normally cost 60 NZD for both of us together, at this incredible price. One cannot say no to that ... The young woman at the reception also seemed unsure if the price was correct and initially consulted with her manager. There were slight doubts on her face regarding the included breakfast. She initially wanted to point out to us that it would cost an additional 30 NZD per person if we wanted breakfast. But we pointed out that it is already included in the room rate. We believe she found that quite cheap ...

The suite is spacious but also a bit worn out and notably has very low door handles. Was this once a hobbit house?

The age of the house, over 100 years, is also evident in that there are no USB ports in the sockets to charge devices. This had never been an issue before. Since New Zealand has different plugs for the socket than the USA or Europe, we unfortunately only have one adapter to charge ... Well, there are worse things.

We take a stroll through the city for window shopping. We notice that tourist souvenirs are very cheap here. Magnets for a few NZD and t-shirts for 15 to a maximum of 20 NZD. But that alone cannot be a reason to buy more magnets and t-shirts than one considers necessary – and thus, the shopping spree is kept within limits.