SveNRG
Rotorua - Okere, Hell's gate and Whakarewarewa village
We took the car to Okere falls, a lush forest area with plenty of
waterfalls and caves to see. There was also an old hydro generator
from the early 20th century on display. We walked around for around an
hour. Back at the hostel, I raised an eyebrow when Emma told me about
a place called Hell's gate. The Maori call it "Tikitere". It's
Rotorua's most active geothermal area on State Highway 30, between
Lake Rotorua and Lake Rotoiti in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. It
includes many geothermal features including steaming lakes, mudpools,
fumaroles, a mud volcano and Kakahi, the largest hot waterfall in the
Southern Hemisphere. It was something else! Like a moon landscape.
Read more about Tikitere on wikipedia
After, we went to "Wakarewarewa" living thermal village, where Maori
people still live as a tribe. We took the guided tour through the
village by one of the villagers. She greeted us with 'Kia Ora', which
means 'Good health to you.' Guiding tourists is something they've been
doing for hundreds of years. They still cook most of their food in
self-made pressure cookers, which are simply wooden boxes placed on a
thermal exit from the ground. It will steam-cook just about everything
and taste wonderfull. Nothing will burn in there. In the picture, you
see our guide next to the boiling pool of water where they boil food.
It runs 30m deep! She showed us the communal bathing place, burriel
grounds and some geysers that become active once every hour for about
15 minutes and spray boiling water up to 10m up in the air. She
mentioned that only 10% of active geysers remain today, compared to
1930. That's because surrounding accomodations tap into the power to
offer geyser-heated baths to tourists, right into their rooms - as a
gimmick. When I asked her, she told me that they haven't stopped
tapping the power up to this day.
Next up: Taupo! Just a 80km drive south from Rotorua.
Rotorua - Okere, Hell's gate and Whakarewarewa village
We took the car to Okere falls, a lush forest area with plenty of
waterfalls and caves to see. There was also an old hydro generator
from the early 20th century on display. We walked around for around an
hour. Back at the hostel, I raised an eyebrow when Emma told me about
a place called Hell's gate. The Maori call it "Tikitere". It's
Rotorua's most active geothermal area on State Highway 30, between
Lake Rotorua and Lake Rotoiti in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. It
includes many geothermal features including steaming lakes, mudpools,
fumaroles, a mud volcano and Kakahi, the largest hot waterfall in the
Southern Hemisphere. It was something else! Like a moon landscape.
Read more about Tikitere on wikipedia
After, we went to "Wakarewarewa" living thermal village, where Maori
people still live as a tribe. We took the guided tour through the
village by one of the villagers. She greeted us with 'Kia Ora', which
means 'Good health to you.' Guiding tourists is something they've been
doing for hundreds of years. They still cook most of their food in
self-made pressure cookers, which are simply wooden boxes placed on a
thermal exit from the ground. It will steam-cook just about everything
and taste wonderfull. Nothing will burn in there. In the picture, you
see our guide next to the boiling pool of water where they boil food.
It runs 30m deep! She showed us the communal bathing place, burriel
grounds and some geysers that become active once every hour for about
15 minutes and spray boiling water up to 10m up in the air. She
mentioned that only 10% of active geysers remain today, compared to
1930. That's because surrounding accomodations tap into the power to
offer geyser-heated baths to tourists, right into their rooms - as a
gimmick. When I asked her, she told me that they haven't stopped
tapping the power up to this day.
Next up: Taupo! Just a 80km drive south from Rotorua.