Travelogue

During the months leading up to this trip, Herb and I had watched dozens of YouTube videos of various destinations on the North Island to fine-tune our 11-day itinerary down to a select few must-dos.

As far as geothermal wonders, there are so many areas of geysers, steam vents, and bubbling pots on the North Island that it would take us weeks (or maybe months) to see them all.

The one that kept rising to the top of our list was Orakei Korako for several reasons: it was fairly remote and therefore less frequently visited, you are allowed to wander around on your own rather than be part of a guided tour, and most importantly, it is a photographer’s paradise with its creamy white, yellow, and orange colorful silica terraces.

In fact, the name Ōrākei Kōrako means place of adornment or decoration, referring to its striking mineral terraces. Lonely Planet describes it as "arguably the best geothermal area left in New Zealand."

Like the Wairakei Terraces and the Craters of the Moon on our previous stop, Ōrakei Kōrako is located right in the heart of the Taupō Volcanic Zone (TVZ) between Rotorua and Taupo.

We originally were going to come here first after leaving Rotorua, but since it was one of the places we wanted to see most and the forecast was for rain, we decided to push it off for another day, even if it meant backtracking a little back towards Rotorua. It was only a 30 minute drive back from Taupo, and well worth the wait for clearer skies to explore this amazing area.

The silica terraces are best photographed in soft morning light, allowing for a better capture of the vivid colors without them being washed out by midday sun. So, we got an early start and arrived at 8:00 am, in time to be the first and only ones on the little on-demand, 3-minute ferry that took us from the visitor center across Lake Ohakuri to the “Hidden Valley.”

From there, we followed the self-guided 1.5-mile loop through a "Hidden Valley" filled with some of the most active geothermal features in New Zealand. The walk is designed as a circular route, ensuring that we wouldn’t miss any of the distinct volcanic terraces or the famous cave.

The path was easy to navigate and very well maintained with a mix of wooden boardwalks and about 885 steps to climb up to get to the various levels.

The little ferry dropped us off at a dock right next to the Emerald Terrace, a massive, colorful silica staircase that spills directly into the river. It’s quite an incredible sight. It is believed to be the largest active silica terrace in New Zealand.

From the name “Emerald” we would have expected to see a lot of green, but rather it is primarily burnt orange, mixed with creamy whites, browns, and yellows. Bright oranges thrive in hotter water, so where there is orange, you know the flow over them is very hot.

From there, we continued on to the colorful Rainbow Terrace, considered the most colorful feature in the park, where various colors run in long vertical streaks down its side.

While they might look like minteral stains, these colorful streaks are living microbial mats that act as a biological thermometer—the color you see tells you exactly how hot the water is in that specific spot.

Different algae and bacteria thrive in different water temperatures. The vivid oranges and yellow microbial mats are created by thermophilic (heat-loving) bacteria and algae.

The emerald green color comes from blue-green algae, whose green chlorophyll pigments thrive in more temperate temperature zones.

The deep browns and blacks thrive in cooler zones.

And finally, the brilliant whites lack microbial life of any sort, because its water is too hot for the colorful algae to survive.

We continued on and up, moving from the vibrant oranges, yellows, and greens of the Rainbow Terrace to the Golden Fleece, a spectacular 40-meter-long brilliantly white terrace.

While the Emerald and Rainbow Terraces are relatively flat, the Golden Fleece is a vertical wall, glowing with creamy whites and golds as hot water flows over its edge.

The major difference between the Lower Terraces (Emerald and Rainbow) and the Golden Fleece is its colors.

While the Rainbow and Emerald terraces are defined by their intense greens and oranges, the Golden Fleece is famous for its dazzling whiteness. It looks like a fluffy white cloud, which explains why the Māori named it Te Kapua, which means "The Cloud.”

So rather than a type of bacteria or algae, the white is silica sinter, which lacks the colorful microbial life found on the lower terraces, because its water is too hot for the colorful algae to survive.

We wondered why it wasn’t called the White Fleece, but I guess that is because we weren’t here during “Golden Hour” when the low-angled orange and yellow light causes it to glow like solid glow. I only wish we could have seen that, but you can’t be everywhere at sunset.

Above the Golden Fleece was the Artist’s Palette, a vast 10,000 square meter flat silica terrace with patches of vivid turquoise blue (clear pools), bright orange and gold (thermophilic bacteria) and deep green and black (algae that thrive in cooler temperatures).

It gets its name from its wide expanse of vibrant colors, reminiscent of an artist's canvas.

It is the highest point along the loop walk and the most open part of the park, with panoramic views of the geothermal landscape of Orakei Korako with its vibrant, colorful silica terraces, steam vents, boiling hot pools, and active geysers below.

Towards the end of the loop, the track leads to a viewing platform for Ruatapu Cave, New Zealand's only geothermal cave, and one of only two known in the world. It's a very rare natural phenomenon in that unlike typical limestone caves formed by rainwater, Ruatapu was formed through a combination of explosive volcanic force and slow chemical erosion.

Its formation began thousands of years ago as a hydrothermal eruption vent, when high-pressure steam trapped underground exploded toward the surface, blasting a vertical shaft through the soft volcanic rock. Over time, rising geothermal gases (like hydrogen sulfide) mixed with water to create sulfuric acid. This acid slowly ate away at the volcanic walls, widening the vent into the large, 35-meter-deep cavern seen today.

At the bottom of the cave, there is a pool of steam-heated groundwater. Because the water is highly acidic, it remains crystal clear and still, creating the perfect reflection that gives the cave its nickname “Pool of Mirrors.” It is believed that Māori women used the crystal-clear, still water of the pool as a mirror to prepare themselves before special ceremonies.

From the viewing platform, we looked down and could make out the water, but I couldn’t see any reflection. Maybe it was the time of day.

Having seen the major features along the way, we went back to a section we particularly liked for its surreal colors and textures. Photographing abstract patterns has become Herb’s favorite subject for photos, and I am starting to play around with it myself, moving away from expansive landscapes and focusing more on microscopic details where the subject is harder to identify.

It's so interesting to think that these amazing colors are living organisms (microbial mats). The vibrant oranges and yellow are pigments of heat-loving bacteria, while the deep greens and blacks are those that thrive in cooler temperatures.

We probably spent a good hour kneeling on the boardwalk to get down close to our microbial little friends. Herb loved it and he got some really interesting shots. I didn’t do too badly either.

Herb’s 2nd 70th birthday (his California one) was off to a good start. Now we would continue south to Tongariro National Park, where we hoped to hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.