Geothermal activity continues outside St Faith's Church

Geothermal activity is continuing outside St Faith's Church in Ohinemutu, but the solution may lie in simply ripping up the concrete.

Steam and bubbling water is coming up through the concrete at the front of the church, and new barriers have gone up to protect the public.

"We've been monitoring it," Wally Tangohau from, St Faith's said.

"It doesn't seem to have gotten any worse."

A new ngawha (geyser of boiling water) appeared in front of the church in April and temporarily closed the church.

Geothermal activity is bubbling away close to graves outside St Faith's Church. Photo/Ben Fraser

A number of areas outside the historic Anglican church remained blocked off this week where steam emerged from under the concrete.

The geothermal activity in April was blamed on the high level of Lake Rotorua after flooding.

It followed a series of hydrothermal eruptions in Lake Rotorua late last year and early this year.

The eruptions were very near Ohinemutu Village and were described as geysers of water emerging from the lake.

St Faith's is just metres from the lake edge and the site of the eruptions.

Geothermal activity has been fenced off outside St Faith's Church. Photo/Ben Fraser

Local resident and councillor Trevor Maxwell said he had seen the activity outside the church last weekend.

"I did speak to the caretaker and he said it's all this rain about, that's why it's still there."

Mr Tangohau said a scientist from GNS told them high lake levels had "further enhanced" the geothermal activity, which had always been present in the area.

The church would not know the extent of the problem until the concrete was pulled up.

"Hopefully by Christmas we might be a bit further down the track.

"We did think the actual stream might be under the church but we won't know until we get the concrete up.

"It could become an insurance issue."

The church had a mitigation plan in place, and was looking at potential solutions including cobblestones or a boardwalk in place of the concrete.

This could allow steam to vent more safely.

Mr Tangohau said there was no indication the activity would worsen or threaten the church or its grounds.