Advertisement
Published: December 17th 2006
16/12/06
After we had been round Rotorua we drove for about 15 minutes further on to Waimangu Thermal Reserve.
From the ticket office the woman said it would take up about 1 hour 40 minutes to do the walk down. It was all down hill and then when you got to the end there was a bus that would bring you back. It was only 4 kilometres but it was very hot and there is hardly any shade because the last eruption destroyed all the plants. They are growing back but didn't help us yesterday.
The craters are really weird to look at because of the steam coming off the water and you can see steam coming out of the sides. The temperature in some of the lakes was 50 degrees and because of the sulphur there was no way you could go in them even though it did look nice to swim in.
We walked up to this one called Inferno Crater and it was a lovely blue colour looked like a swimming pool but wouldn't like to go swimming in this one either. The temperature in this one can go up to 80 degrees and
it has a geyser which blows when the pressure is too much but it was a very quiet day when we were there as you can see from the pictures.
At the end of the walk is Lake Rotomahana and the waters drain into this. There was some black swans and ducks swimming at the edge. There was a boat that takes you back round the edges but we never went out.
The mountain in the picture is Tarawera and you can see the hole in the side from the massive explosion in 1886. Thank goodness it's gone quiet because the area is taking ages to get back to normal.
It only took us an hour to walk to the end so don't know how that woman does it. She must stop every five minutes. It was really good but nice to get back in the shade and have a cool drink.
We went back into Rotorua for our tea and went to an Irish pub. Me and Uncle Andy had a massive burger and Aunty Tina had a lamb all to herself. After that we went home and got in around 7pm. All in all
we had a good day.
After getting sunburnt on Friday and hurting like mad all day Saturday, thought a cool bath would help - NOT. Couldn't sit down, couldn't lie down didn't know what to do - eventually put up with the pain and sat in the bath. After that I plastered myself in after sun which hurt like hell. Apart from that it has been a good weekend.
Soon be Xmas and the start of our travels to the South Island. If I get chance will do another blog before we go away - if not hope you all have a good Xmas and New Year and will speak when we get back up to Cambridge in 2007.
Love Ebo
xxxxxx
Advertisement
Tot: 0.073s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 10; qc: 46; dbt: 0.0486s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Waimangu Thermal Reserve
SUSAN MCGEACHY
non-member comment
SUNSHINE
Sitting here at work frezzing my ass off looking at the frozen white St Johns road and then I look at your lovellysun baked photoes, OHHH Im so so wanting to be there. lucky thing. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx