Travelogue

Yesterday was pretty much just a preparation for the rest of our trip day, with the van pickup and a major food shopping extravaganza, so we were anxious to see some cool stuff and have some fun.

We would devote the first four days of our trip to the Taupo Volcanic Zone before moving on to
the subtropical coastlines on the Coromandel Peninsula on the Pacific Ocean and the untamed beauty of the coastline west of Auckland on the Tasman Sea - a nice mix of Surf and (Hot) Turf.

The Taupo Volcanic Zone is a 350 km long, 50 km wide belt of volcanic activity, renowned for its frequency of eruptions and geothermal intensity, that runs from the cone volcanoes of the Central Plateau through Taupo and Rotorua and up to the Bay of Plenty.

It’s essentially a giant "rift" or crack in the Earth's crust where two tectonic plates are pulling apart, allowing magma to rise remarkably close to the surface.

When we drove from Rotorua to Taupo today, we were on SH5, also known as the Thermal Explorer Highway. This 80 km stretch runs directly through the most active geothermal fields.

As we were driving along, we often saw steam rising from the pine forests and paddocks on either side of the road.

The Wairakei Thermal Valley, where we would spend our time today, is located in the central segment of the Taupo Volcanic Zone, about 10 km north of the Taupo town center. It is the most productive area for geothermal energy in the world.

We felt a bit bad about not having time to explore some of the geothermal wonders in Rotorua. There are so many areas of geysers, steam vents, and bubbling pots on the North Island, but we would have had to stay weeks to see them all. Instead, we just picked a few - mostly the less commercial and remote ones that we could explore on our own, rather than with a guide.

Wairakei Terraces & Thermal Health Spa

Our first geothermal stop was the Wairakei Terraces & Thermal Health Spa, set in a lush geothermal valley in the Taupo volcanic zone.

For the local Māori iwi (tribe), Ngāti Tūwharetoa, the Wairakei area has long been a place of healing and spiritual significance. The hot thermal waters were traditionally used for their therapeutic properties, a practice that continues today. The ownership and operation of the Wairakei Terraces are deeply rooted in this cultural context. The site is managed by a local family who are committed to the principles of kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and manaakitanga (hospitality), ensuring that the cultural integrity of the area is preserved and shared with visitors.

The main attraction is the series of outdoor thermal pools, fed by geothermal water drawn from 1.5 km underground, containing high concentrations of silica, magnesium, potassium, and sodium, which leaves your skin feeling silky. It reminded me of our experience in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland.

There are four distinct pools with temperatures typically ranging between 30°C and 40°C (86°F and 104°F), allowing you to choose the level of heat that is most comfortable.

The pools are positioned directly below stunning man-made silica terraces that recreate the look of the lost Pink and White Terraces of Tarawera, which were once considered the "eighth wonder of the world," before being destroyed by the 1886 Mount Tarawera eruption.

The building of these man-made terraces is done by drawing superheated water from 1.5 km underground and channeling it over a series of tiered structures. As the water cools, the dissolved silica crystallizes and settles, slowly forming the hard, white crust that creates the terrace shape. The silica-rich, turquoise-blue water cascading over them is striking.

Although the facility also offers massages and a self-guided Terrace Walk, we chose to spend our time in the thermal pools. The price for an entire day of soaking ws $27 NZ per person.

They were deeper than I expected, and often had to walk on tippy toes to keep my head above water. Fortunately I had my cell phone in a waterproof bag because I did get a bit surprised by a drop off in depth and it did get submerged.

We walked from pool to pool, trying to find the one whose temperature was just right. They were all pretty good, but I preferred the warmest two.

Along our pool strolling, we talked to several people from around the world with whom we shared our travel experiences. We always find somewhere new to go when doing this - in this case, the nearby Craters of the Moon hike, which we would do.

Just as we got out of the pools, as the predicted rain began to come down hard.

We didn’t care though as we felt totally relaxed from our soaking. The heat triggered the release of endorphins and dopamine (your body’s natural feel-good chemicals) and gave us what they call a sense of "comatose bliss" or profound calm. I hoped it would last us for the next 10 days. We might have to find recharging stations along the way.

Also, our skin felt silky smooth from the high silica and magnesium content in the pools, and we had a sense of tingling from the increased circulation which brought blood to the surface of our skin.

Craters of the Moon

The Craters of the Moon hike was a great recommendation - right up our alley, with lots of interesting geothermal features and no crowds.

Like the Wairakei Terraces we had just been too, this one also has been the result of human-induced geological changes. Unlike most natural wonders that take millions of years to form, the majority of the features we saw today appeared quite recently.

While there has been natural geothermal activity here for centuries—once centered around the massive Karapiti Blowhole—the dramatic shift to the "moon-like" landscape seen today occurred in the 1950s when the Wairakei Geothermal Power Station was built.

Before the construction of the Power Station, the Karapiti Blowhole, also historically known as the "Devil's Trumpet," was once one of New Zealand's most famous geothermal wonders. Its steam plume was so tall that Māori used it as a landmark when navigating their waka across Lake Taupo. Other than the Blowhole itself, thermal activity near Karapiti was restricted to small areas of warm soils and mud pools.

In the early 20th century, guides would famously throw kerosene-soaked sacks into the vent. The superheated steam would then blast the sparks high into the air, creating a "fireworks" effect.

But when the Power Station went live in the 1950s and began extracting massive amounts of hot water for electricity, the underground water pressure dropped significantly. As the water levels lowered, the remaining water began to boil more vigorously, creating pockets of high-pressure steam that rose toward the surface.

The buildup of pressurized steam beneath the earth's crust eventually forced its way out through hydrothermal eruptions. These eruptions ejected mud, steam, and pumice into the air, leaving behind the deep, colorful craters seen today.

From 1965-2002 there were more than 20 steam eruptions, occurring roughly every two years, creating the mysterious landscape that led to the name “Craters of the Moon.”
In 1987, the intense thermal activity caused the ground around the Karapiti Blowhole to collapse and become inactive. While the original blowhole is gone, the most active steam vents and fumaroles migrated to nearby hillsides.

Visitor access became possible in the 1980’s when the Department of Conservation built boardwalks and facilities to allow safe access to view the hot thermal features.

So today, we spent a few hours wandering through this incredible “lunar” landscape. It was so interesting that we barely noticed we were being rained on.

Along the way, we saw a variety of geothermal features:

Eruption craters formed by the violent release of steam pressure (hydrothermal eruptions), some of them reaching up to 20 meters deep. Their bright red and orange walls, the result of condensed steam and acidic gases chemically altering the iron-rich pumice soil, were striking.

Fumaroles (Steam Vents) that hissed and roared at us as pressurized gases escaped through small cracks in the ground

Mudpools formed when acidic gases react with the surface rocks to turn them into clay, which, when mixed with water, form bubbling and burping grey mudpools.

Today, the landscape remains dynamic. Because steam is constantly shifting and new vents emerge, the boardwalks in the park must be moved regularly to protect visitors from the heated ground.

Huka Falls

Just a few miles from Craters of the Moon, we stopped to see a bit of non-geothermal beauty - Huka Falls, one of New Zealand’s most visited natural wonders. Besides it being very dramatic and beautiful, it is extremely accessible.

From the main visitor car park, it was just a short walk to the Huka Falls Bridge, from which we gazed directly down into the churning, vibrant blue water of the Waikato River as it funneled through the narrow 15-meter gorge beneath us, creating a thunderous 11-meter drop. We could hear the thundering of the falls before we even got there.

While most visitors get no further than the views from the bridge, we continued on for about a quarter of a mile to various viewpoints, where I felt the views were even better, as we watched the powerful force of the falls come towards us.

The electric blue color of the water is amazing, so much so that New Zealanders have named it “Huka Blue.” Because the color is so iconic, "Huka Blue" is often used as a descriptive name for paint colors or clothing shades in New Zealand that mimic the turquoise of the river.

We had seen similar stunning electric blue water in the lakes on the South Island, but that was caused by glacial particles in the water, while the blue of Huka falls is mostly caused by air bubbles.

When we got home, I delved deeper into the cause of the “Huka Blue” effect and learned the following.

The “Huka Blue” effect is created by three main factors.

Its source is Lake Taupo, which is fed by snowmelt filtered through volcanic rock. It is very low in organic matter, like algae and tannin, which would normally turn the water green or brown.

Deep clear water absorbs red and yellow light wavelengths, which reflect back the blue end of the spectrum.

And lastly, as the water is forced through the narrow gorge, it becomes highly oxygenated, creating millions of tiny air bubbles that act like microscopic mirrors, reflecting and scattering the blue light even more intensely. It is this that creates the “milky” glowing turquoise look.

But blue isn’t the only color in the falls, as the thundering water is layered with frothy, white-capped water that looks like a thick foam at the base of the falls.

Perhaps that is why the Te Reo Māori named the falls huka, which means "foam" or "snow."

Taupo

During our travels on the South Island earlier this year, we came to like the consistency and facilities of the Top 10 Holiday Park campgrounds, so we found one in Taupo to plant ourselves for the night.

Also, this one was within walking distance to the Crafty Trout Brewery, where I wanted to take Herb for his birthday dinner.

This was the big 70, which is why we were in New Zealand in the first place. Actually, this year Herb would have two 70th birthdays, because New Zealand is almost one full day ahead of California. Not sure if that makes him 140 tomorrow or not, but in any case he was going to milk birthday boy treatment for 2 days.

It looked like it might rain, so we put on our rain jackets and headed off on the 2 km walk into town to the Crafty Trout Brewery, with a contingency plan of calling an Uber if necessary.

The place was great with a very cozy atmosphere which was kind of a blend of an Austrian “Bier Kafe” and a Kiwi fishing and hunting lodge.

The Crafty Trout is well-known for its distinctive "Alpine Style" beers, which are brewed using pristine volcanic water from Lake Taupō, and creative names that pay homage to the region's trout fishing culture.

The brewery was pretty empty, as it was only 4:00 in the afternoon, so the owner/chef gave us plenty of attention as we perused the menu. He told us that he was just working on a recipe for pork belly which he planned to add to the menu soon, but if we wanted to try it, he would be happy to make it for us.

We love pork belly, and this generous plate of pork belly, mixed vegetables, and fries was awesome. So glad he suggested it.
By the time we finished it was pouring, so we got an Uber back to our campground.

I would have to say that Herb had a pretty damn good birthday, and just think, he was having another one tomorrow.