Whakarewarewa

Whakarewarewa is approximately 3 kilometres from Rotorua, near the banks of the Puarenga river. It is the best known geothermal site in Rotorua, and probably the main place people go to see geysers, hot pools and mud pools.

Whakarewarewa is often visited for its 500 or so hot springs, many of which are encased in what are called "sinter" pools - a porous encrustation of silica or mineral deposit, which seems to take on different hues (but which are generally white or gray). The area boasts the largest geyser in the country, called Pohutu. It erupts about 15 times a day and climbs to around 90 feet in height.

In the 1980s, geothermal scientists found that the geyser activity here was showing signs of a serious decline and blamed it on the hundreds of bores that were tapping the geothermal resource in Rotorua. In 1986, the Government demanded the closure of all geothermal bores within 1.5km of Pohutu geyser and as a result of this, the water in the geothermal aquifer has begun to rise back towards its natural level. The geyser activity is recovering and now resembles its level in the 1970s.

The Maori Arts and Craft Centre is situated at Whakarewarewa and is definitely worth a visit, not least for the wood carving activities. Near the Centre is a Maori pa (fortified village) that's also worth investigating.