Geothermal Rotorua

At the heart of the Northern Island of New Zealand is a geothermal hotspot, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, around which the city of Rotorua has developed. Forget seeing the traditional volcanoes here; this area is all about thermal hot springs, boiling (literally) pools, bubbling mud, and sulfur vents. If you’ve ever smelt sulfur, then you know that it spoils your appetite for a good egg salad sandwich. The entire area is permeated by the smell of rotten eggs; however, once you’ve been there for a few days, you kinda forget about it.

Most of the geothermal areas have, of course, been exploited by the tourist industry and there are only a couple of spots where you can see this natural occurrence for free. One of the hottest spots to pay for this experience is Hell’s Gate Thermal Reserve and Spa. There is a 2.5 km walk around the grounds where you can see mud volcanoes, lime-green sulfur pools, spewing mud pots, hot-water waterfalls, and native bush.

Then, after a long, hard day of being a tourist, you can enjoy the therapeutic effects of these waters. The full experience (which we, of course, did) starts with a private 20-minute mud bath in which you smear yourself, and your partner, with hot mud pulled directly from the bottom of the sulfur pools. This is followed immediately by the coldest mandatory shower I think I have ever had to experience, to enliven the pores and wash all the mud from crevices. Next is a long soak in the hot sulfur pools; again the water is pulled from the natural pools and mineral water is added to balance the pH. Back before Europeans got a hold of this area, the Mauri would soak in these waters after a battle to heal their wounds and revitalize their spirits. I think the sulfur pretty much kills every living beastie on your body, which is where the healing properties come from. The final touch was a full-hour traditional Manuka Oil massage.

Another area is the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, where the main attraction is the Champagne Pool, so called for the beautiful colored minerals leached out at its’ edge.

In stark contrast, beautiful Lake Rotorua attracts many types of water birds, including black swans.

It wasn’t until we left the area, would step out of our camper for a while, then return, that we realized that everything that we owned at that point – clothes, towels, seat cushions, us – smelt of sulfur. I must admit, though, my skin was very smooth, my aches were less, and my bug bites and cuts seemed to be healing quite a bit faster. Eggs, though… it was a couple of weeks before we ate them again.