"Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland" a Rotorua Travel Page by sunnywong

Waiotapu is Maori for "sacred waters", is perhaps the most colorful of all the thermal areas. This area is about 30 km south of Rotorua. It features the spectacular Champagne pools, a series of enormous hot pools that are a rich mixture of gold, yellow and orange. The colors are caused by mineral salts in the water. The pools occupy a crater that formed as a result of a volcanic explosion 900 years ago.

Prior to the eruption of Mt Tarawera in 1886, the Pink & White Terraces on Lake Rotomahana, Ohinemutu, and the area where Whakarewarewa is located were the main geothermal sightseeing areas in the Rotorua region.

After the destruction of the terraces by the eruption of Mt Tarawera, Wai-o-tapu was called "The New Wonderland" because of the presence of a large silica terrace (the largest in the southern hemisphere).

It was at this stage that the geothermal activity at Wai-o-tapu was fully explored. A large geyser was found in the late 1800s by a group of prison labourers endeavouring to wash their clothes in what appeared to be a hot spring. The action of the soap they were using had the effect of reducing the surface tension of the water contained in the geyser forcing the spring to erupt, spectacularly throwing their clothes from the pool.

<font face="Bookman Old Style" size="4"><font color="#008000">Further Links:
<a href="http://www.geyserland.co.nz/"><b><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:14">Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland Website </b></a>