Bubbling wonders of Waimangu

By PATRICK SMITH

Mt Tarawera casts a spell over Lake Rotomahana on this still, overcast day.

We're floating above the spot where the legendary Pink Terrace stood before the sacred mountain erupted.

Aboard the sturdy little Waimangu Voyager is a well-thumbed album of photographs taken before and after the eruption 118 years ago. Here's one of tourists at the glittering White Terrace, which covered almost 3ha and dropped 30m to the shore.

By lining up on still-recognisable landmarks around the lake we can see exactly where both the Pink and White Terraces - once considered the eighth wonder of the world - would have been.

And it's not hard to imagine soaking in one of the basins of hot, silica-rich water that rewarded Victorian travellers after an intrepid journey inland from Tauranga.

Lake Rotomahana is today 40m deeper and many times larger than it was before the events of June 10, 1886, engulfed it and another small lake, Rotomakariki, destroyed the terraces and several Maori villages and killed at least 108 people.

The Waimangu volcanic valley behind us, and Rotomahana, 20 minutes' drive south of Rotorua, give a fascinating insight into the forces that continue to shape this amazing geothermal region.

This scenic reserve is the only large hydrothermal system in the world wholly formed in recent times as the direct result of volcanic eruption. But even if you're not into geology or history, the Waimangu Valley-Lake Rotomahana experience is brilliant.

The valley leg offers a journey through beautiful native bush, with steaming lakes and streams, bubbling hot springs, towering cliffs pitted with smoking fumaroles, vividly coloured silica terraces and breathtaking views.

You don't even have to walk if you don't want to. A shuttle bus runs back and forth to the lake and you can ride all the way, stopping at points of interest, or walk part-way and ride the rest.

Toby and I choose to walk, at least on the downhill leg to the lake. Our route is mapped out in the Wanderer's Guide we get with our tickets. The map is dotted with more than 30 stops along the way, each numbered feature described and explained.

As we wander from point to point we build up a picture of the events that created the valley, from the line of craters that blew during the 1886 eruption to the mighty explosion at Echo Crater in 1917 which formed Frying Pan Lake, and the brief Trinity Terrace blast in 1973.

The Waimangu Geyser, which was active from 1900 to 1904, was the biggest in the world, hurling sand, mud and rocks up to 400m into the air.

It's still a world of natural wonders _ the steaming, milky-blue Inferno Crater Lake; gaseous, bubbling Frying Pan Lake; the smoking monolith of Cathedral Rocks; multicoloured Warbrick Terrace; nature trails teeming with native birds ...

It's all put together in a package that has won its operators several eco-tourism awards.

Toby agreed the whole experience was "really cool" _ the ultimate endorsement from a 15-year-old.

You can do the walk in one or two hours, depending whether you use the bus, and the lake cruise takes about 50 minutes, so allow around three hours if you want to do both. There's a good information centre and cafe at the top of the valley.

Gettting there

The Waimangu Volcanic Valley is 14km south of Rotorua off State Highway 1.

Ph: (07) 366 6137

Email Waimangu Volcanic Valley

What it costs

Walk/bus $20 adult, $5 child, $45 family.

Lake cruise $25 adult, $5 child, $55 family.
Waimangu/Rotomahana $45 adult, $10 child, $95 family

Opening times

The valley is open daily from 8.30am. Waimangu Voyager trips depart visitor centre six times a day from 10am.

Last admissions (summer):

3pm walk/cruise

4.10pm cruise

4.45pm walk only.

Waimangu volcanic valley