Waikite Valley ("Jurassic Walk")

After our fill of Kerosene Creek, we continued to more geothermal marvels.

We tried to get a glimpse of Lady Knox Geyser, part of another "geothermal themepark". This was as secure as Fort Knox, and we weren't willing to pay for the attraction. At the same time each day, they pour soap into the geyser to make it erupt. We later heard that it hadn't reacted at all..

Instead, we went to a nearby area with mud pools. No, you can't go mudding in the pools. The water/steam that comes out is 100°C here. But the effects are really cool. The hot water has dissolved a lot of minerals and created a big, muddy soup. And like a thick, boiling, pot of soup, the mud sputters on its geothermic "stove". Once in a while, a big splatter of mud got flung into the air. "Bloob.. bloob.. bloob". In other spots, the mud bubbled/boiled continuously. All the while, steam danced over the entire mud pool as the wind swirled it one way and another.

Nearby, a nature walk took us to the source of hot spring pools. We first walked past the pools, where you had the choice of cool, warm, hot, very hot, and private pools. They had created an interpretive trail along the creek from which they drew their water. The valley was filled with steam, and only the occasional gust of wind would show the water below. The steam crawled up through the rainforest ferns and trees. It looked like Jurassic Park or Land Before Time! At the end of the trail we got to the source of the creek, a big spring. Boiling water was rising to the surface and gushing steam up over the walkway. Some spots were too hot to stand at times. You can just imagine all the energy just below the ground!

After that hot walk, we decided to go for another swim. Similar to Kerosene Creek, Hot-Cold spring has a creek that is fed by geothermal water. Except this water is much hotter, easily 40°C, like a hot tub. And it continuously flows down the creek. But as it flows into a large swimming hole, a cold creek also joins up. In the middle, water from both creeks mixed, and you could find a spot that was just the right temperature for you. It was especially fun to alternate, sitting in the hot stream, then letting the fast flowing, cold stream carry you downstream like a lazy river. Then, repeat! Fantastic!Read more