Craters of the Moon

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Apparently, thermal activity is common in NZ because it lies on the edge of two colliding tectonic plates, the Pacific and the Indo-Australian Plates. The Pacific Plate is pushed downward beneath the North Island and the deeper it goes, the hotter it gets.

In 1958, The Wairakei Geothermal Powerstation opened, taking underground water from the Wairakei Field and converting heat energy into electrical energy. It was the first geothermal plant in the world to use very hot water as the source of steam to drive the turbines. It now produces 1550 GWH of electricity per annum, 4.3% of NZ's electricity prodution.

The Powerstation is just up the road from here, near the geothermal field know as Craters of the Moon, with its steam vents, hot springs, mud pools and geysers, caused by a large pool of magma heating the underground water.

Had a walk around the Craters, $5 entry each - it was a particularly hot day anyway, but the heat you can feel from the ground is incredible. You can hear bubbling and crackling noises as you walk past the steam vents. It's amazing that any vegitation grows there, but some plants do seem to thrive in this environment.

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Photos

Craters
Where are the Clangers?

Fumarole
'Let's see if I can get this one going...'

Comments

[Cathy & Jo]

But what about the smell? I can't believe there's no comment...

[Lichie]

Smell
Elo U2! It's not like Rotorua up the road, where it stinks of sulphur. Craters just smells a bit eggy, but not that bad, or maybe that was Steve... :-)

[Wynski]

Smurfs
Interesting to read about why the Kamikaze's wore helmets !! Well,what colour do Smurfs go when they are strangled ?? Great news,keep smiling and enjoying. By the way,what was the best thing before sliced bread ??

[Sally]

Love the commentary. Great pics!
Glad to see you are both having a fab time. Odd seeing somewhere so hot and humid when we're coping with Bonfire night, Halloween, dark nights and the run up to Xmas!