Rotorua 2

Hell’s Gate Geothermal Park is New Zealand’s most active geothermal park, with boiling mud pools, a mud volcano and the southern hemispheres only hot water waterfall.


O My God the Smell!!!!!

Steaming Cliffs

The steaming cliffs pool is the hottest in the reserve. At the surface the temperature is 122 o C and 145 o C one metre below the surface.


Kakahi Falls

The Kakahi Falls is the largest hot water fall in the Southern Hemisphere. Its temperature is approximately 40 o C. The Maori warriors used to bathe themselves in the warm waters to cleanse the blood of battles.

Ink Pots

These pools appear as a black crack in the ground where the water temperature is approx 98 oC. The black colour is caused by sulphides which form the graphite like colour.

Depth approx 20 metres.

Devil's Cauldron

The black mud has a temperature of 120 oC. The black mud has been used in the treatment of arthritis and rheumatism.

Cooking Pool

The cooking pool has a temperature of approx 98 o C, which remains constant throughout the year. Although smelling of sulphur and containing black water, there is no tainting to the food cooked in the pool. An adult pig can be cooked within 2 hours.

Baby Adam

A collection of small pools with constantly changing levels of activity. Depth 1 metre, temperature 68 o C.

Out Door Mud Bath
I felt like a child playing in the mud but this was no ordinary mud it was Hot Mud!!

Geothermal Spa also outdoors
After the mud was washed off in an outdoor cold water shower (This was necessary to close the pores so they who must be obeyed told us) we bathed in the sulphur spa which was a pleasant 39 o C.
I don’t think we will ever get that smell out of our togs.

Massage
Following a lovely cup of manuka tea and a muffin, while we were nice and cosy in our big fluffy bathrobes, we were met by our respective masseuses. I got the short straw as my masseuse was the “Strong girl”!!!! Enough said about that…..

Regent's Restaurant.

Had a lovely meal in a fab restaurant. Although you cannot see, believe me when I tell you that all the mud is gone!