January 15

Rotorua: Carey's Capers

I got up at 6:30. The weather looked promising as I prepared for Carey's Capers. While waiting for their van, I called Kaituna Cascades and made reservations for the rafting trip the bus driver recommended, with the seven meter waterfall. The van picked me up at 8:10. The Get Volcanic tour shared the same morning schedule, and the same van. Their tour would leave us in the afternoon for a four-wheel drive excursion up Mt. Tarawera. We left Rotorua after picking everyone up, and headed toward the Waiotapu thermal area about a 20 minute drive away. On the way, we stopped briefly at New Zealand's biggest boiling mudhole.

Waiotapu is said by many to be the region's best thermal area. All the thermal areas are privately owned, and the tour covered the various admission fees. It reminded me of what Yellowstone could have been like if there were no national park, and every geyser basin had a different owner. We began at the visitor's center and souvenir shop, and had 45 minutes to follow the path around the thermal lakes, steaming pits, and boiling mudholes. We were given maps, and told not to venture onto the Ngakoro Loop Walk, because it takes too long and people get lost on that bushwalk sometimes.

The pools were rather colorful, and the rocks were marked with bright yellow and red mineral deposits. It was clear why this is said to be New Zealand's most colorful thermal area. Some say it was more colorful in the past, though. Artist's Palette, whose colors are said to be constantly changing, was most impressive.

The path continued to an overlook, and then down into the valley past a colorful waterfall, to the loop walk through the bush we were supposed to skip. I turned back, passing white sinter terraces said to be the largest in New Zealand. The path then passed around the largest spring in the area, Champagne Pool, named for the tiny bubbles if carbon dioxide rising through the water. The pool was so steamy it was hard to see the water. There were then a series of craters, including one where birds nest so that the heat from the crater will incubate their eggs.

We had to get back on the bus at 10:10 to make it to nearby Lady Knox Geyser in time for the scheduled 10:15 eruption. This is the biggest geyser around. The eruption is artificially primed so it will occur at the same time every day. They pour soap down the geyser to reduce the water's surface tension and prompt the eruption. A large crowd was gathered around the bleachers overlooking the geyser. A few minutes after the man put the soap in, the geyser started bubbling, and shot up to a maximum of twenty meters. It would continue erupting at a lower level for another hour or so. We were told not to wait for it to stop, because it would take a long time.

After watching the geyser a few minutes, we walked back to the van, which had been moved to a private logging road behind a locked gate. This was because we were now going for a hot swim, a unique feature on Carey's tours, and they didn't want anyone else following. We drove out the dirt road to a hot creek, Kerosene Creek, and walked to a steaming swimming hole at the base of a small waterfall. The water was smelly, and a sign on the far side warned not to put your head in the water, or you could get amoebic meningitis, from amoebas that live in the hot water and can enter the brain through sinus cavities.

We changed in the woods, men and women in different directions. The water was comfortably hot, and the sand and gravel on the bottom was even hotter. The waterfall made a bubbly spa effect. We stayed here until about noon, and then drove to Waimangu Valley, a volcanic site with an interesting history, which has been quite active over the last century.

We received bag lunches from the cafe at the entrance, and sat on the porch to eat them. It was now sunny and hot out. After lunch, we went inside and looked at some old pictures as the guide explained the area's history. A popular tourist attraction, the Pink and White Terraces, were a major tourist attraction here until they were demolished by an enormous eruption of Mt. Tarawera in 1886. Afterward, the Waimangu Geyser appeared in this valley, which was the largest geyser in the world from 1900 until it stopped in 1904.

Our guide led us on a walk down into the valley. He was very knowledgeable about the history, geology, and plant life of the valley, and his commentary added a lot to the walk. A big blue lake, Waimangu Cauldron, is at the bottom of the crater, with steaming Cathedral Rocks behind. This is predicted to be the site of the next major volcanic eruption in the area, and is carefully monitored by geologists.

Beyond the lake, we followed a hot creek past boiling pools, and made a side trip up to a pretty blue lake with a temperature over 80 degrees C and a PH of 2.8, very acidic. It rises and falls cyclically, and is very interesting to geologists, who have a wire running into it for monitoring.

When Tarawera erupted in 1886, it completely changed the landscape here. We saw the site of the geyser that appeared in 1900, the biggest in the world. People would watch from shelters built around it. All that remains now is a cross marking the spot where the geyser killed four tourists who would not stay in the shelters. Another volcanic eruption in the 1970's buried everything here under deep mud and killed several people.

At the bottom of the walk, we saw another small hot pool with deep blue water, and several petrified trees. Then we boarded a bus back to the entrance at the top of the valley. The people doing the four-wheel drive tour left us here, as did anyone doing only the 3/4 day option of Carey's Capers. (Options range from half-day to full-day.) That left only two of us doing the full day excursion. The tour will go with only one person, if necessary.

The next stop was Whakarewarewa, just 3 km from downtown Rotorua. Many people would just walk here, but I was on a tight schedule since my plane was leaving tomorrow, so I came on the full Carey's Capers tour to see it today. We were instructed in Maori etiquette before arriving at the Maori Cultural Center at Whakarewarewa. We would say "Kia Ora" and do a hongi, or nose press, with the man who greeted the bus. Then we went inside the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute and joined a guided tour. Our Carey's Capers guide would meet us at the end.

We first visited the Maori Carving Institute, where apprentices learn to carve from master carvers. The apprentices must be Maori boys between 15 and 18, and come from a "carving family". They spend three years studying here. We saw some of the carvers in the workshop. Some examples of carvings were on display in the lobby, and our guide explained their meaning. The tongue played an important role, and the way it pointed had a variety of symbolic meanings. The wood carvings have eyes made of paua (abelone) shells.

The lady guiding us then demonstrated flax weaving, stripping the green leaf from the fiber with a mussel shell and rolling the strands together against her leg. We then toured a model pre-European village and the meeting house. Shoes must be removed before entering the sacred room. It was a big new building, decorated with elaborate carvings and woven panels.

Next we saw the Weaving Institute, where anyone interested, not necessarily Maori, can learn Maori Weaving. Then we visited the Kiwi House, a dimly lit room where two kiwis could be seen. These are odd-looking nocturnal birds about the size of a fat chicken. I had never seen one in the wild, so this would be my only look. The room was so dim, some people could never find the birds.

We walked out to the geyser field after leaving the cultural center. Two geysers were spouting as we approached. They spout often, but unpredictably. We also passed a boiling mudhole and a blue lake in the small thermal area. Then we moved on to the Maori village, and saw a cemetery with many small totem poles. Burial must be above ground here, or it would create new geysers. We also saw a small Catholic church and passed numerous souvenir shops.

A thermal pool in the village was used to cook corn on the cob, which was sold to tourists. Not all pools can be used for cooking, because some contain arsenic. I tried an ear of corn. It was pretty good. There are also boxes in the ground that the residents use to steam food. We saw the village thermal baths, and then met the bus out on the main street. The driver said our tour had been longer than usual.

We drove to the final thermal area, Hell's Gate, which the guide said was really smelly. We got complementary tea or coffee at the cafe here, and I also ordered a hazelnut tart. We were given maps, and had 45 minutes to follow the paths here. It certainly was smelly, with lots of steaming mud pools and lakes, but was not very colorful - just gray mud and a few streaks of sulfur. This was billed as "New Zealand's hottest and most active thermal area", but actually it was probably the least interesting of the day, with little variety and no geysers. As we walked, I talked to my partner, an Englishman, about physics for a while. I changed film for the last time, suspecting that maybe it didn't load correctly. There were some peacocks and pigeons roaming about, but generally the place gave the impression of having been past its prime. We returned to the bus and got back to town around 5 PM. As the guide said, we had probably had more than enough of thermal areas by this time.

When I got back to the hostel, I put on a bathing suit and went out back to try the whirlpool spa for a short time. Then I showered and changed some money, and booked transportation to Aukland for tomorrow afternoon. Then I looked in some of the nearby souvenir stores. I wanted to buy a Maori carving before I went home. By this time of day, after 6 PM, almost everything was closing except the big Japanese or Korean shops, which stay open to 11 PM. I also scouted around for some restaurants I had read about in Lonely Planet, trying to decide where to have dinner.

I then walked down to the historic Bath House, which is now a museum. It is an attractive Tudor style building on very carefully maintained grounds with blooming flowers and bowling greens. The place has a very British atmosphere. It also has a few steaming pools and vents. I took some pictures, not thinking about whether I had loaded the film properly.

I decided to have dinner at Alzac Cafe, which Lonely Planet said has "eclectic international dishes". I had some trouble finding the cafe because it had moved. It was worth the search, though, because their menu was quite interesting. I ordered vegetarian orzo with smoked tomatoes and pumpkin dumplings and a salad. The food was tasty and well-prepared. I also had a Mac's Ale. For desert, I got apple-cinnamon cheesecake with a cinnamon-fig crust and cappuccino. It was an excellent, filling meal for about $30 NZ.

On the way back to the hostel, I stopped at a drugstore and bought a waterproof disposable camera for my raft trip tomorrow. The price was outrageous, more than twice what they cost at home. I got back to the hostel after 9 PM and got the after hours code, and picked up a towel and bathing suit to visit the Polynesian Pools, which are open until 10:30.

A huge Japanese tour group was at the spa. I arrived just before a new busload came to check in. There was a 35 degree C pool inside, which was regulated by mixing the spring water with tap water. Outside were small "Radium Springs" and "Priest Springs" pools, ranging from 35 to 45 degrees C. These bubble straight up through gravel on the bottom, and the temperature is unregulated. Gas comes up too, and the bottoms can be quite hot at spots. It was suggested not to stay more than 15 minutes in the small pools, to avoid overheating. There were no signs here about brain-eating amoebas, so maybe they don't have any. I stayed until almost closing time, and then walked back downtown, which was now practically deserted. People don't stay up very late in New Zealand, even in resort towns.

I visited a brewpub, Pig & Whistle, which I had seen earlier, and tried their Snout Dark Ale, which was a tasty, malty brew. I went back to the hostel around 11:30, and took a walk down to the lake across the street before going to bed.

Copyright Scott A. Yost, 1996. All rights reserved.