A RUMOUR

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 4, 27 August 1931, Page 4

A RUMOUR

] WAIKITE OR CARETAKER, I REPORT OF REVIVAL ! OF WELL KNOWN ; GEYSER. Yesterday a rumour was current in Rotorua that the Waikiti geyser at Whakarewarewa, which has been dorma-nt for over a year, had suddenly manifested signs of life and was playing at regular intervals. The "Post" raceived a c'rcumstantial report to the effect that the geyser was playing as high as 30 feet at regular three minutes intervals, but knowing the strange ways of geysers, whic'h, like the Arabs of the poet, are given to sudden appearances and even more sudden fading away, a representatwe thought it well to see the geyser in action, before accepting its bona fides. It was a fortunate precaution for wben the visit of inspection was paid, there was no sign of unusual thermal or in fact any other activity in the native village. The usual steam clouds were in evidence and the guides sat in their usual places, fillirig in the passing minutes in the time honoured manner of women the world over when thiay have little' or nothing to do. 1 But there was no activity, or in fact any reaction at all, when Waikiti and its alleged eruph'on were mentioUed. There were only wide Maori smiles. "Waikiti not play for a year," they said. "That only the caretaker making the pool play for the hockey girls." And that, in fact, was all the erupt:on of Waikiti amounted to — the well known device of Ulkihg the pool below the model pa play to order. There is seldom smoke without fire but there is often a water spout without a geyser.