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| Lady Knox Geyser, Wai O Tapu |
Our next visit was one of our favourites. We had to get to Wai O Tapu early enough to see one of its main attractions, the daily eruption of the Lady Knox Geyser.
Apparently, the geyser first erupted when members of a prison party were washing their clothes in the pool and someone dropped in the soap, triggering the reaction. They set the geyser off here every morning in basically the same way.
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| Lady Knox Geyser, Wai O Tapu |
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| Wai O Tapu |
If you do visit here, bear in mind that the geyser is a short drive away from the main gate, so leave enough time to get your tickets and then to drive back to it, before it is set off at about 10:15am.
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| Wai O Tapu |
The rest of the park has plenty of good thermals to see, but our favourite was undoubtedly the Champagne Pool. Despite the name, this had nothing to do with alcohol, though that does come from the bubbles in the pool. It is quite stunning to see, although if you want to take a photo you have to seize your opportunity in those brief moments that the wind is blowing the clouds of mist away.
It is also well worth stopping off at the mud pools, where we couldn't help but think of the three witches in Macbeth - 'hubble bubble toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble'.
The post continues with the last place we visited beneath these photos....
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| Wai O Tapu |
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| Wai O Tapu |
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| Artist's Palette, Wai O Tapu |
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| Artist's Palette, Wai O Tapu |
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| Artist's Palette, Wai O Tapu |
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| Artist's Palette, Wai O Tapu |
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| Champagne Pool, Wai O Tapu |
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| Champagne Pool, Wai O Tapu |
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| Champagne Pool, Wai O Tapu |
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| Wai O Tapu |
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| Wai O Tapu |
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| Wai O Tapu |
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| Wai O Tapu |
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| Wai O Tapu |
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| Wai O Tapu |
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| Wai O Tapu |
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| Wai O Tapu |
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| Wai O Tapu |
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| Orakei, Korako |
Our final geothermal visit was Orakei Korako down near to Lake Taupo. Thankfully, being off season here not only meant that we had the place almost to ourselves, it also meant that we had an empty car park, so could choose a spot well away from the vent of steam that was coming up through the surface.
We took the little ferry boat across the lake and set off around the park. There are quite a lot of steps here, so it's not really suited to wheelchairs or buggies, but otherwise it is worth the walk. The geothermals here may not be the biggest or best necessarily, but they are impressive, and the walk around is lovely.
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Diamond Geyser, Orakei, Korako
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| Two Diamond Geysers! |
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| Orakei, Korako |
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| Orakei, Korako |
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| Orakei, Korako |
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| Orakei, Korako |
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| Orakei, Korako |
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| Orakei, Korako |
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| Orakei, Korako |
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| Orakei, Korako |
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| Orakei, Korako |
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| Orakei, Korako |
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