Q_Q: 19 Aug 2014 - Wai-O-Tapu Waimangu combo tour

Had booked online with "Headfast" for tour to Wai-o-Tapu and Waimangu. Both were far to access without transport. We were picked up from I site beside our backpackers.

Below details taken from the pamphlet given to us when we visited Wai-O-Tapu.

The Wai-O-Tapu thermal area is part of a Scenic Reserve administered by the Department of Conservation and has the largest area of surface thermal activity of any hydrothermal system in the Taupo Volcanic Zone.

Covering some 18 sq.km, with the volcanic dome of Maungakakaramea (Rainbow Mountain) at its northern boundary, the area is literally covered with collapsed craters, cold and boiling pools of mud, water and steaming fumaroles. The general public sees only a very small portion. The area is associated with volcanic activity dating back about 160,000 years and is located right on the edge of the largest volcanic caldera (depression) within the active Taupo Volcanic Zone.

TheWai-O-Tapu stream forms an integral part of the drainage system which ultimately flows into the Waikato River and out into the Tasman Sea. Boiling springs and volcanic gases introduce numerous minerals into the water which account for no fish life in the stream.

As a Scenic Reserve, all native flora, fauna and geological formations are strictly protected. The surrounding manuka scrub vegetation is extremely flammable as are some of the minerals.

DO NOT SMOKE IN THE PARK

Beneath the ground is a system of streams which are heated by magma left over from earlier eruptions. The water is so hot (temperatures of up to 300 degree Celsius have been recorded) that it absorbs mineral out of the rocks through which it passes and transport them to the surface as steam where they were ultimately absorbed into the ground. The so called "rotten egg smell" of geothermal areas is associated with "hydrogen sulphide" (H2S).

The wide range of colours in the area are all natural and are due to different mineral elements, the predominant colours being:

Green - Colloidal sulphur / ferrous salts

Orange - Antimony

Purple - Manganese oxide

White - Silica

Yellow-primrose - Sulphur

Red-brown -Iron Oxide

Black- Sulphur and carbon

Taken from Wikepedia

In 1901 the first open prison in New Zealand was established at Waiotapu, its object to accommodate some of the better behaved prisoners from around the jails of the Rotorua Lakes District.

It was a gang of those prisoners who first discovered the clearing in which the geyser is situated and that the spring could be made to erupt by adding soap, discovered when they first added soap to the hot water to wash their clothes.

The show started at 1015hrs, the person told us the story of the prisoner and he added soap powder into the geyser. It was said that eruptions produce a jet of water reaching up to 20m and can last for over an hour.

We reached Wai-O-Tapu around 1045hrs and had to report back to bus at 1200hrs. We were given around 1hr 15mins to complete the walk in Wai-O-Tapu. There were total of 25 points that we have to follow on the map given. We do not have enough time, we did not visit all the points and we had to run back to our bus. We missed point 22 to 25. Hmm...if we had our own transport, it would be good.

Illustration of the different point taken from the pamphlet given to us.

After crossing the Wai-O-Tapu hot stream, the first thermal sights to be seen are:

The weather pool - The colour of the water in this pool changes with the weather. After heavy rainfall, the water appears cloudy and sunlight can make it appear to be a grey/blue colour. Next door and underground steam with a water temperature of about 100 degree celcius exit the crater area.

The craters - These are up to 50 metres in diameter and up to 20 metres deep. Several contain hot water springs and most have extensive sulphur deposits formed by escaping vapours meeting with our atmosphere. Most of these craters have been formed over the last few hundred years by the action of acidic steam rising from superheated under-ground water dissolving the ground above and ultimately causing it to collapse.

1. Devil's Home - The first example of a collapsed crater where under ground acid action has caused the ground to collapse. Note the rough sides and yellow/greenish color where cooling volcanic vapours have coloured the walls

2. Rainbow Crater - Named after sulphur crystals and coloured mineral veins exposed in the kaolin clay walls of the crater. An oily slick is visible on top of the boiling water at its base. During the summer when the rainfall is less, the water becomes less fluid and resembles a boiling mud pool. Opposite the crater is an area of steaming ground where the steam leaves the ground crystals are forming around the vents. These vents are know as fumaroles.

3. Thunder Crater - A collapsed crater formed in 1968. It graphically illustrates how unstable the land can be, note the steaming water at the bottom which is responsible for the erosion

4. Devil's ink pot - A series of mud pools whose water levels fluctuate with the amount of rainfall. The colour is due to small amount of graphite and crude oil brought to the surface by the water forcing its way up.

5. Artist Palette - Overflowing water from the Champagne Pool draws with it minerals that have organized from below the surface. As the water cool and the minerals are exposed to our atmosphere they show themselves in a variety of locations and colours depending upon water levels and wind direction. On the left of the palette is a geyser from which steam rises and water can erupt up to a height of one metre.

7. Crossing the Terrace on the Boardwalk - An experience unique to Wai-O-Tapu. The structure sits on the very edge of the firmer ground associated with the terraces. It rests on specially treated timber and is secured by stainless steel pins.

21. The Champagne Pool - This spring is the largest in the distinct, being 65m in diameter and 62m deep. Its surface temperature is 74 degree Celsius and bubbles are due to carbon dioxide. The pool was formed 700 years ago by a hydrothermal eruption the rocks from which can be seen at the top of the embankment by the track. Minerals contained in the water are gold, silver, mercury, sulphur, arsenic, thallium, antimony etc and are presently depositing in the surrounding sinter ledge. The various sinter ledge have been associated with titling of the pool as a consequence of earthquake activity.

9. Jean Batten Geyser - Named after the famous Rotorua-born-aviatrix who visited Wai-O-Tapu in1931. She was famous for her solo flights and became the first woman to fly both ways between Australia and England in April 1935. The geyser has been known to erupt to about 3m high but has relatively in recent years.

6. Opal Pool - A sulphurous spring on the edge of the sinter terrace named after its greenish yellow colour. From here there is a great side view of the terraces and down the valley to Ohaaki geothermal power station in the distance.

12. Bridal Veil Falls - These falls mark the end of the sinter terraces and have been partially coloured by the overflow from the opal pool while the green colour is attributable to microbial mats. From here the water falls into a shallow creek as it makes its way southward towards Lake Ngakoro.

13. Wai-O-Tapu Geyser - Erupts to heights of up to 3 meters on a cycle from 2 to 36 hours when the water table is low

15. Flying Pan flat - Also an eruption crater the unstable floor of which is littered with bubbling hot springs and fumaroles. The island is home to families of pied stilts who have claimed the insects in the area as their own.

16. Oyster pool - Viewed from the timber boardwalk and located in unstable ground this natural sulphurous pool is named after its distinct shape.

17. Sulphur Cave - Viewed from the track, there are magnificent examples of undisturbed crystalized sulphur formed as hot sulphur gases have cooled in the sheltered atmosphere of the overhanging cliff.

18. Lake Ngakoro Waterfall - Having taken the bush trail along the flats you are rewarded by the sight and sound of water tumbling over the rocks into the green waters of Lake Ngakoro( the grandfather). From the lookout area above the falls the majority of the lake is visible which was formed after an eruption more than 700 years ago. Looking to the left hand shore, rising steam indicates that the island is still thermally active.

20. Sulphur Mounds - Looking like large ant hills these mounds of sulphur were formed under water and were exposed when the area was drained for road formation further to the east in the 1950's.

Like Wai-O-Tapu, we were given a map to explore the place on own. This attraction was not bad as it provides bus transport from last point back to starting point.

We reached Waimangu around 1230hrs and we got longer hours. We walk to point 32 skip the hike at point 18 and took their bus back around 1530hrs

Taken from Waimangu website:

The Eruption & Birth of Waimangu

Born in the violence of volcanic eruption... in geological terms, Waimangu Volcanic Valley was created this morning. 1886: The Rotorua region is shaken by the mighty eruption of Mt Tarawera. With a devastating effect on the surrounding areas, Lake Rotomahana exploding to 20 times its size and the world renowned Pink and White Terraces are destroyed forever. And all plant and bird life is extinguished as Waimangu Volcanic Valley is formed. Within 15 years of the volcanic eruption, the hot springs of the Waimangu Geothermal System are established. The newly formed craters become the world's youngest geothermal eco-system. Plant life returns to the devastated land 30 years after the eruption.

1900:
The largest geyser ever recorded, Waimangu Geyser, erupts blasting black scalding water, rocks and steam 450 metres into the sky. This eruption continues for 4 years until November 1904. Unfortunately, in 1903, four visitors are killed after wandering too close to the geyser, disregarding a guide’s warming 1917: Huge blasts form Frying Pan Lake, the largest hot water spring in the world race up the crater walls. These blasts destroy a nearby accommodation house killing the owner’s wife and child. The conditions following these blasts are perfect for plant and bird life to begin again. Today: Discover the stories of Waimangu as you explore our rich social, cultural and natural history.

Enjoy a boat cruise, walk or hike through the World’s youngest geothermal area. Born from complete devastation, now home to many geothermal features of worldwide importance!

1. Panorama - Dominant on the skyline is Tarawera mountain, a restlessly sleeping volcano which has erupted five times in the last 18,000 years. In the foreground is Waimangu. Before the last eruption on 10 Jun 1886, this area was rolling scrub-covered hills with no surface hydrothermal activity. Then, during the night of 10 June 1886, a line of craters from the northern end of Tarawera all the way to the Waimangu Valley was formed by violent eruption. This event completely destroyed all plant, animal and bird life in the whole of the area of country visible from this point. All the vegetation you now see has resulted from plant re-colonization since that date. Three important dates dominate the history of the valley: 1886, the Tarawara eruption; 1900-1904 when the world's largest geyser was active 1 km away, just beyond the hot lake visible from here; 1917, the Frying pan flat eruption which burst out where you see the hot lake and send a surge of steam and debris up to this very place and destroyed an accommodation house (Waimangu House) a this site.

2. Southern Crater - This southern-most crater formed by the 1886 eruption is about 50m deep. It has not been active since immediately after that initial eruption apart from processing some warm ground and a couple of small mud pools at its north-eastern end. The shallow lake (Emerald Pool) is cold.

3. Emerald Pool - The cold water pool occupying the floor of Southern Crater supports huge mats of algae and sphagnum moss when conditions are right. The native red floating fern Azolla also is sometimes present. At various times the lake has hues of blue, brown and emerald, the reason for these colour changes being evidently due to changes in the state of the various plant species. The lakelet seems largely to be rainwater and its level reflects ground water levels in the surrounding country. Normally its maximum depth is about 2m.

8. Echo Crater and Frying pan lake - Pause here and listen to the eerie sound coming from the hot springs and fumaroles about Echo Crater and Frying Pan lake. The lake water is acidic (average PH3.5)while the carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide gas bubbling up gives the appearance of boiling. In fact in vents on the lake bed real boiling is occurring, but the body of the lake is somewhat cooler because of evaporation, convection and radiation of heat.

12. Waimangu Geyser (Black water Geyser) - The large basin in front of you, bordered by hills and three sides, was once the basin of Waimangu Geyser. Active between 1900 and 1904, Waimangu was the world's largest known geyser. Erupting sometimes up to 400 metres (1300 ft) high, and hurling black, sand mud and rocks into the air, Waimangu Geyser followed a 36 hr cycle of activity. In Aug 1903, tourist guide Alf Warbrick launched a rowboat on the geyser's lake as the result of a dare. He and his companion measured the lake depth at only 48 feet (14.6m) but this unexpectedly shallow result evidentally came about because the solid material ejected in the eruptions largely fell back into the vent each time. The geyser lake covered an area 80m x 130m

19. Bird Nest Terrace - Striking multi colored algae adhere to the delicate miniature silica terraces formed by these boiling springs. The different colors are caused by the varying temperature in the outflow from these springs. Blue-green algae cannot survive at more than 75 degree Celsius.

20. Clamshell spring - The silica rich waters of this boiling spring form an unusual shell-shaped terrace and help maintain the adjacent stream temperature. Springs such as this are home to thermophilic bacteria. Similar simple organisms are believed by many scientists to have been present at the beginning of life on earth.

28. Warbrick Terraces - Take the path past Bus stop 2 into Rainbow Crater, formed by the 1886 eruption. Warbrick Terrace is a set of multi-colored fast growing silica platforms forming over an old stream terrace in a similar way to Marble Terrace. In addition algae in recent years have assisted in the silica deposition to build a dam across the warm stream draining through the crater. A further series of ripple terraces are now forming at right angles to the original ones. The name commemorates members of the Warbrick family who were intimately connected with the history of this area. Alfred Patchet Warbrick, who was reputed to have been born on the shoes of old Lake Rotomahana, spent 45 yrs guiding thousands of people and exploring the Rotorua hydrothermal and volcanic region, climbing, camping and path finding. He was involved in the first rescue expedition across Lake Tarawera a few days after 1886 eruption. After Waimangu Geyser broke out he became and employee of the Government Department of Tourist and Health Resort as chief guide in the Waimangu, Rotomahana, and Tarawera region and assisted in developing and expanding a system of land and lake tours in the geyser country of Rotorua. A brother Joseph was one of the victims of the Waimangu Geyser eruption of 30 Aug 1903. The Warbricks were member of the first Maori rugby team to tour England and belonged to the Ngati Rangithi Tribe.