New Zealand is part of the Pacific ring of fire. It sits right on the boundary between the Pacific and India/Australia tectonic plates. Some of the largest eruptions in modern history have occurred here. So on our fourth day in Rotorua, we drove to Waimangu – a volcanic valley created on June 10, 1886 when a series of volcanic eruptions changed an area of rolling hills into a mountainous valley with craters, lakes and geothermal features. All vegetation was destroyed and started growing again from scratch since then. You would expect to see desolate lava fields. Instead, it’s an incredibly lush environment full of trees, ferns and birds.
Our hike started at the top of the valley with panoramic views and a peak at the first crater lake. This crater is inactive and the lake water is primarily from rain water, so it is not warm. It changes colors depending on the types of algae currently growing. It was emerald green when we visited.
The next crater was called Frying Pan Lake. It is the world’s largest hot spring with an average temperature of a steamy 131°F! Even the soil and hills around it are hot and steaming. It was eerie to see the steam skittering across the surface and out of the surrounding hills.
Downstream from Frying Pan Lake is the site of the most recent eruption event from February 1973. Hot mud from the eruption sprayed over 1000 feet. Mud and water are still bubbling here as we walked by.
The next lake is called Inferno Crater. It contains the worlds largest geyser-like feature, but it is completely underwater so you can’t see it spray in the air. Instead, the water levels change dramatically as the geyser cycles every two weeks or so. A few days it is overflowing, causing boiling water (up to 171°F) to run down the valley. Then, it recedes for several days before starting the cycle again.
The final lake we arrived at was Lake Rotomahana, a large fresh water lake with an island in the center. In the 1800s it was a tourist attraction as it had world famous pink and white terraces that had formed over millions of years from cascading geothermal waters. The eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886 buried it and dramatically changed the lake. Today it is a bird sanctuary that is as unique as one of its most common inhabitants – the black swan.
The drive back to town took us through giant rolling hills with lots of sheep. At one point, a farmer was moving his herd from one field to another on the road so we had to stop and wait. It was fun to see. He used his pickup and horn to keep the sheep moving as they kept wanting to stop and enjoy the lush grass in the ditches. One lamb decided to go down a different road, which the farmer did not take lightly. He jumped out of his pickup and grabbed the poor little lamb by his front legs and threw him into the back of his truck. I guess he had a zero tolerance policy. Soon the sheep were in a new field and we were back on our winding way.
In the evening we went to the Mitai Maori Village for the obligatory touristy dinner / show experience. It was fun, and located in a very pretty forested valley. First we went for a walk down into the ravine where they had traditional village huts staged. There was a small, clear fresh water stream at the bottom. They said this was the source of the water we would drink that night. As we were looking at the stream, a waka canoe of Māori warriors came paddling by.
We enjoyed a large buffet meal that was roasted in the Hangi ovens. Their oven did not use geothermal heat. Instead, they built a fire with large rocks placed on top of the wood. Once the fire was just embers they put some water on the rocks, added racks of food and covered it up. The lamb, chicken and sweet potatoes cooked this way were delicious. Sophie said it was the best lamb she ever had. It had a slight smoky flavor and was very tender from the steam.
After our meal we watched a show where they sang songs, did traditional Māori dances and demonstrated warrior rituals like the haka dance used to psych up warriors and intimidate other tribes by making their eyes wide and sticking out their tongues. It was a bit campy, but entertaining. After we walked down by the stream again and saw hundreds of glow worms along the banks! They are actually the larvae of carnivorous fungus gnats, and are pretty common in New Zealand. At night they hang from their silk threads and glow to attract smaller prey like mayflies or moths. They use their sticky silk to make a maze of threads that trap their prey when they fly close to their bioluminescent light. I took a picture of some along the bank – it might look like stars in the sky, but it was the glow worms shimmering.
We went to bed in our camper that night thinking about all the incredible things we saw that day – from bubbling crater lakes to pure drinking water streams from black swans to glow worms. And yes, I got that stupid song stuck in my head as I was trying to fall asleep: glow little glow worm, shimmer, shimmer!
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