Wairakei

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 343, 3 October 1932, Page 8

Wairakei

The one day Wairakei trip com- g mands special attention because of |j the wide variety of sights included |j in the tour. The journey there and ti back covers 120 miles, but is made jg under conditions of comfort that ren- |g der fatigue impossible. The first §j fifteen miles have already been cov- j| i ered on the Round Trip; thence the g j car strikes into the very centre of jg the Thermal Regions, and traverses jg eountry that bears every mark of j| frequent and violent volcanic action. §} I Rainbow Mountain derives its name |l ! from the irridescence of colour in B i stone and sand that decorates its jg slopes, over 100 tints having been S distinguished. The vicinity of Rain- 1 bow Mountain is very active, the reg- fj ion meriting special notice because 8 here the earth's crust is perilously 1 weak and thin, scientists contending 9 that the earth's internal fires ap- | proach * within near distance of the jj surface. These conditions prevail §f over the wide extent of the Reporoa | Plains, and although not spectacular, | are potentially dangerous. The first | important sight to be gained as the | car enters the Taupjo district 'is the | Aratiatia cataract, a whirling, foam- | ing rush of water which exemplifies | not only majesty, but strength. Nothing can resist a torrent of such j magnitude, which the tourist views ] in perfect safety from a rock platform pitched in the very centre of g the rapids, the water crashing and t roaring at his feet. The Huka Falls have been described as the prettiest sight in the North Island; the rush j of water along the rock chasm as it approaches the falls, furnishing a f thrilling spectacle. The Waikato River, perhaps the most ancient in the world, flows through a gorge hol- j lowed out in the "course of ages to j an actual depth in parts of 150 feet. Across Lake Taupo on a clear day the three mountain ranges, snow-cov-ered and of dazzling whiteness, stand j silhouetted against a background of deepest blue. The mountains com- j prise the National Park, and include c the three famous summits of Tonga- * riro, Ruapehu, and Ngauruhoe. The | last-named, Ngauruhoe, is in frequent » eruption, the cumulous black cloud S of smoke standing in sharp contrast j to the mantle of snow beneath. The 3 immensity of Lake Taupo can only j be appreciated by a visit to its £ shores. It receives as tributaries the waters of twenty-six rivers, the Wai- § kato River being the only outlet. | The Geyser Valley contains an im- | pressive dispiay of thermal activity. | Included in the sights are Cham- | pagne Pool in violet agitation with | intense heat, the Dragon's Mouth, the | Eagle's Nest, Pink Terrace, fairy | pools in every hue, and geysers which | play strictly to tiriietable. The di- j versity of sights and experiences on jj this trip gives it premier place j among the world's great tourist attractions. ■■■■ ' ■ J r