The spectacular Pohutu geyser
In a region awash with geothermal wonders, it's tricky choosing what to spend your money on.
I adore Te Puia in the historic Te Whakarewarewa Valley, home to the tempestuous Pohutu geyser, the Southern Hemisphere's largest, which relentlessly flips its lid every hour, spewing boiling water high into the air.
Just off the Thermal Explorer Highway, between Rotorua to Taupo, another personal favourite is the spellbinding 'Hidden Valley' of Orakei Korako. This ancient thermal wonderland boasts New Zealand's most expansive silica terraces, following the destruction of the Pink & Whites in 1886.
Hugging the shores of placid Lake Ohakuri, Orakei Korako translates as The Place of Adorning. This beautiful lakeside valley throngs with thermal formations, an atmospheric geothermal cave, photogenic bushwalks through pristine native forest and mud pools.
Like a grand portal welcoming you to the park, the Emerald Terrace, New Zealand's largest, towers over the frontage. Over 20 million litres of hot water trickle over the terrace and down into the lake every day.
My favourite thermal formation is the Golden Fleece terrace, 40 metres and long and 5m high. Formed in 131 AD, this absurdly gorgeous structure resembles a gigantically delicious mound of icing sugar.
You can self-drive your way to Orakei Korako or sample its majesty on a jet boat safari with New Zealand River Jet. Operating on the Waikato River, where it crosses SH5 at Mihi, I plumped for their highly acclaimed jet boat safari to The Squeeze. This three-hour adventure climaxes with an intimate encounter clambering through a geothermal slot canyon to reach a hot waterfall.
En route to this multi-sensory encounter, my trusty jet boat driver and guide, Cam, entertained our group with a feast of anecdotes about the rich history of the river, the soaring pumice cliffs that edge the water and the indigenous history.
An open stretch of farmland flanking the riverfront prompted Cam to enthrall us with the backstory to the property. A farmer was clearing the land shortly after World War II and unearthed hundreds of Maori skeletal remains from a burial pit. He stacked them all up on a nearby hillock, fully exposed to the elements. His two sons thought it would be a great idea to use some of the skulls for target practice. After indulging in such a grossly insensitive pursuit, both sons mysteriously died.
The evocative Tutukau Gorge soon cradled us in its soaring grandeur. Cam remarked that there's an indelible sense of moodiness to the gorge, a certain spirituality. He observed how in the winter months a brooding mist will frequently cloak the gorge and fingers of frost will drape the trees, yet metres out of the gorge, no mist or frost is discernible.
After marvelling over the 50m vertical pumice walls of the gorge, where natural caves were once reserved as burial chambers for tribal chiefs, we disembarked the boat for the prize draw.
Fully kitted out in wetsuits and fleece layers by the team, we waded through the warm waters of the stream before reaching The Squeeze. Waist deep in bath-tub temperature water, we wedged our way through narrow crevasses, formed by cheek-by-jowl giant boulders, to reach and stand underneath a hot-water geothermal waterfall. It was more like a gushing fire hydrant than an open-air shower, lushly wrapped in virgin native forest. It's an absolutely exhilarating sensation.
NZ River Jet's The Squeeze is a singular experience beyond comparison. Exceptionally staffed by seasoned pros, you'll be fully equipped with safety gear. A gigantic package of photos and video from your personal experience is also available. Treat yourself to a unique Kiwi experience well worth bragging about.
Just 10 minutes north from the River Jet base, I ventured to Waikite Valley for a more languid thermal soak. Waikite Valley Thermal Pools, Springs and Spa is a blissed-out destination for a therapeutic bathe. The complex is home to New Zealand's largest single source of pure boiling water, the Manaroa Spring, which you can see hissing away, alongside the pools.
Take the eco-trail for a face-to-face encounter with the raw geothermal activity gushing from this spectacular spring. You've got a generous variety of pools to plop into, lushly bracketed in natural flora finery, while he pools are all drained and refilled daily. Overlooking the boiling Otamakokore River, the Garden Pool is my pet pick.