Situated in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island, Rotorua is an amazing place we could find in New Zealand. Rotorua neaning “The second great lake of Kahumatamomoe” has occupied the most concentrated volcanic areas in the world.
The area is very famous for its geothermal activity and geysers.The existence of this amazing phenomenon is quite rare being normally associated with volcanic areas and you could find one of these at Rotorua.
The Pohutu Geyser is one of the most appealing parts of Rotorua. Located at Whakarewarewa, the Pohutu Geyser spurts hot water and steam up to three times per hour, which means you can see it perform around twenty times each day. The water colum height could reach up to 100 meters which is quite a spectacle to be seen .
But Rotorua has not only geysers, here you can find various hot mud pools all around the main city. No wonder, Rotorua is usually called Sulphur City or Roto-Vegas.
Rotorua was the first settlement in the area created in mid-14th century and the tourism in this area began in 19th century. There were the Pink and White terraces as the center destinations for the tour, but they were destroyed by the eruption of Mount Tarawera back in 1886.
Many of Te Arawa people were killed by this volcanic eruption and you should know that Te Arawa people had an important role in New Zealand history as many Te Arawa men fought for the Colonial Government in the mid 1800s.
Because of its rich culture, Rotorua has become one of the most appealing tourist destinations. The Mount Tarawera eruption also buried a village which is now called Te Wairoa, which means the Buried Village.
You can visit the hot thermal springs that can be found throughout the city of Rotorua and it is recommended to also see the Kuirau Park which is located around the west of the central city. There you could find hot bubbling mud pools. Mudpot or the paint pot is a type of hot spring holding no water in it.
The bubbling mud is usually white to greyish color, but don’t get surprised if you found the reddish or pink spots because that means the mud has a lot of iron in it. At the Kuirau Park, visitors could try to soak their feet in the mud pools which is said to be a very healthy procedure.
If you are willingly to walk around the city of Rotorua, please keep in mind that this city has a high concentration of the hydrogen sulphide emissions in the air and therefore, you will feel the odor of “rotten eggs” all through the city.
Photo Credit: Stuck in Customs
