Little Lolly's Small Adventures: Hell's Gate Geothermal Park

A snapshot of our whereabouts today but not the actual road route

Today we visited Hell's Gate? Eh? 😳 Fortunately it is not the biblical hell. It is a geothermal area not far from from our hotel. I have been there on a ship's tour as tour escort but tours are usually rushed so I was glad to visit the area with Paul at a more leisurely pace. We were able to see the whole geothermal area for a change, rather than half of it - as has been the case. There were hot springs, bubbling mud pots, hot steam vents and a sacred river, the river water being hot. The area had a pungent and permeating smell of sulphur but once we got to the river area where there was plenty of trees - the sulphur smell disappeared. The trees absorbed the smell and their trunks and branches had turned an orange/rusty colour over time.

After our walk around the geothermal area we went to the mud spa area. We smeared ourselves in sulphurous mud and soaked in a hot spring pool for a bit (this part was timed for about 20 minutes per session). After that we rinsed off the mud and went to another hot spring pool and relaxed until it was time to dry off and go for our massage. The therapists were good - no pain, no gain - ironing out any muscle knots in our backs and legs. But it was worth it. Painful but we felt very relaxed and tired afterwards.

We headed in a meandering manner to our next lodgings, Rotorua Farm Stay which is just over half an hour drive in south-westerly direction from Rotorua. Unfortunately we overshot the farm because the GPS on the satnav was accurate but not quite accurate enough. We turned around, used another satnav programme and found the farm which is, I gather, more of a smallholding rather than a large farm with a horse, a few sheep, cockerels and hens with their chicks, ducks and a dog.

Our host warmly welcomed us, as did her young son, and showed us to our room and offered to show us around the property. It was getting late and we were very tired so we declined and will maybe take up her offer another day. Our host's husband arrived home from work a bit later on and we were able to meet him before we headed to bed.

Although we have showered, we stink of sulphur. It will take a while for it make its way out of our skin. Oh well.

Tomorrow is another day.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Panoramic view

Having got all muddied in the sulphur mud spa and then nearly finished
washing it off, Paul realised that the video camera had been pointing in the
wrong direction... He's not trying to hide anything with his hand, just adjusting
the camera for a bit of video footage.

Hot spring pool to relax in with a good view of the geothermal area

Heading towards Rotorua

It has certainly been a packed day for the excursion group I was assigned to. The weather was overcast and mild in Tauranga when we docked but guests were determined to make the most of their day.

It was a good 1½ hours or so Rotorua and our guide/driver gave an ongoing commentary about the scenery that we passed through, pointing out things of interest as well as answering guests questions. Oour guide/driver had either false teeth or a plate which, unfortunately, he kept sucking on so when he talked so there was this almost constant 'tsk' sound. It could have been a tick the microphone system but I doubt it.

Our first destination was Rainbow Springs Nature Park and the nocturnal kiwi house. Our site guide at Rainbow Springs was very knowledgeable. As we walked along the tree-lined paths we passed streams, ponds with rainbow trout, birds - some allowed to move freely about the park, others in cages; and the reptile area. We didn't fully cover the park as time was limited but instead we got to see the main areas/highlights of the park. This included nocturnal kiwi house was a supposed to be a quiet, dark, place but as you can imagine – some people simply did not listen. People still used the flashes on their cameras and made a bit of noise. Unfortunately the photographs I took didn't come out at all so I have not got any photographs of them. At least I managed to get photographs while in the information centre that preceded the nocturnal area. Kiwis are quite temperamental birds and the site guide did not want too much disturbance in case the kiwis fled into the undergrowth. Kiwis are a protected species and any eggs found in the wild are removed from the nest and incubated artificially. The chicks are raised until they reach about 1kg in weight and then released into the wild. The artificial incubation increases the survival rate for the kiwi eggs, i.e. from natural predators such as stoats and ferrets; and the release weight is important so that the bird is big enough to defend itself from predators as well.

Our next stop was to Mitai Village for a Maori cultural performance and a traditional hangi meal. After an introduction by one of the staff we were directed along path, past a bubbling spring (Fairy Spring which is sacred to the Maori) with beautiful clear water, down to the river where we saw Maori warriors on a canoe. From there we went past part of the restored Maori village (or possibly a mock-up) and joined up with the Maori warriors in the performing area. The traditional challenge was given by the Chief and a designated spokesman responded on our behalf after which there was a show of traditional music, singing and dancing. It was a lovely show and the passengers

This is what an uncovered 'hangi' looks like.
This photograph is from one of my previous blogs.

had a bit of insight into the Maori culture. Next it was time for lunch followed. Lamb, potatoes, chicken, vegetables sweet potatoes had been cooking slowly on hot rocks, covered in clean sack cloths, for a few hours before we had come. By the time the performance was over our meal was ready and was laid out in a buffet style. It was delicious.

At the end of the meal we boarded the bus and our driver/guide took us on a slow through Rotorua (whew did the town stink of sulphur!!) to Hell’s Gate Geothermal Reserve. Due to time constraints our site guide could not take us on a full tour of Hell’s Gate so we got a shortened version. It was a very interesting tour and we had to stick strictly to the paths because of holes opening up (although the path is checked every morning before guests arrive). The earth’s crust at that area is very thin – the heat source being about 1 ½ to 2kms below the surface. It was interesting seeing the stark peaky land with yellow sulphur areas dotted about. There was a hot waterfall with clear water running down the rocks at around 40°C. The waterfall is sacred to the Maoris and only the warriors (in the past) could bathe there. There were bubbling mud pools and simmering hot spring pools. Some of the black, grey and white mud that comes up to the surface is used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes. One can take a mud bath in the spa area of the geothermal reserve. People taking a mud bath find it very relaxing and beneficial due to the high mineral content of the mud. The sulphur smell through the geothermal reserve was extremely pungent except in a forest area. The forest absorbed the smells. In the past, sulphur was used on wounds and to treat conditions such as arthritis and skin ailments.

All too soon our tour was at an end and we had to get back to the ship. Our driver/guide was into the xmas spirit already and played some festive music. I manged to have a nap during the journey back. As for the other guests - I'm not sure.