Steaming Successes

Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, 2007. Ajr

I was just putting these photographs of some of Rotorua’s prettiest geothermal attractions together when, in the synchronititous nature of things, I received a press release from Destination Tourism Rotorua Marketing telling me about the launch of their stand-alone Spanish language website – the fourth in their foreign language sites after the launch of their Chinese, Japanese and Korean sites in 2007. They’re planning a French site for later this year. In the meantime, one of their major tourist attractions – and one of my all-time favourites - Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, is still busy doing its thing. The russet-edged Champagne Pool (bottom right) is probably one of the most photographed volcanic attractions in the world but I like the brilliant yellow of the sulphur circles and the hissing, steaming fuss that the Lady Knox Geyser makes. If you’re a keen photographer, early morning is the best time to get there, just as the sun is coming through the trees. You can get some crazy ethereal lighting effects as the light hits the steam. www.rotoruanz.com www.geyserland.co.nz