A Veritable Rotorua

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 64, 18 December 1946, Page 5

A Veritable Rotorua

On the other side of the hills, the springs area proper is situated. The cliffs, surrounding, bear marked evidence of sulphur deposits, whilst from amidst the dense undergrowth on the lower • slopes, wisps of steam betray the presence of . hidden boiling pools, and vents. The most remarkable feature of this area, is that wijliin a circumference enclosing barely ten acres, such violent thermal activity is taking place that the many phenomena spread over different parts of Rotorua, are here (concentrated in the one spot. , ; 1 , The central feature is a tepid lake round which ‘the various other pools, streams and vents are situated. The lake is of a sufficiently low temperature., to permit bathing in certain parts, whilst disturbances on the surface indicate the presence cjf. a number of hot and cold springs welling up through the lake bottom. One iA particular .sometimes forms a small geyser,, with a spout of water forced up for some two feet above the surface. ■ • Several streams which drain into the lake contain quantities of the special mud or clay used in the various health treatments at Rotorua, and at one spot a warm natural bath, formed by a hollow in the ground, is, in fact, an uncommercialised replica of the baths at Rotorua, the qualities of which are so highly regarded. : '

Violent Activity

In several places, pink and blue terraces are rapidly being formed, whilst from a crevice not far away, a small geyser plays. The . overall violence of the activity, may be gauged from the fa'ct that despite the fact that the day on which the springs were viewed was warm and sunny, a great quantity of steam obscured almost half of the area. On a . cold day, a colossal ‘mushroom’ of.smoke totally shrouds the whole locality and rises high into the air.

The fact that this area has never been commercialised may probably be attributed not only to the extensive cost involved, but also to the nearness of the present well developed areas at Rotorua. But the springs are indeed an asset to the Whakatane district, and who knows but one day they may be opened up, and a new tourist centre, at present existing only in the dreams of a few, created.