
Another morning. Another brisk walk planned. This time it will be at Wai-O-Tapu a thermal area that is part of a Scenic Reserve. This area is called the Taupo Volcanic Zone and this is the largest area of surface thermal activity around. The morning is chilly but the sun is shining again. Yesterday afternoon’s rain seems to have passed and we are promised a good day by the morning show’s weatherman. As we drive to Wai-O-Tapu we pass through areas that are foggy due to the thermal activity. It is a bit like driving through the Smokey Mountains only these clouds are full of sulfur smell and come from the ground up.

There are three tracks to follow, all nicely marked and in
good condition. We don’t linger in the lookout spots and are able to cover all
three trails in the allotted hour. We don’t want to miss the geyser and it is
scheduled to go off at 10:15. We follow a line of cars and find a parking lot
filling up fast with people ready to view this natural phenomenon.

At the appointed time, a park ranger with a microphone
stands next to the cone shape and explains a little history. The area was once
a place where convicts were sent to plant trees. Several of them found a
thermal pool and decided to do their laundry. They wet their grimy clothes and
then worked some soap into them to get them clean. They put them back into the
pool to rinse them out and within a few minutes, they got a big surprise. The
pool erupted with a geyser and sent their clothes flying into the air.

The ranger explains that the mixture he puts into the geyser
is not soap but an ecologically safe compound that will accomplish the same
thing—break the surface tension of the water below allowing the hot water to
build into a force that will send it shooting into the air. He steps up to the
cone and empties his sack into the opening. A few minutes later we begin to see
bubbles and then a few spurts and suddenly the geyser gushes up into the air
amazing all of the observers. The eruption lasts quite a while before it peters
out—maybe 15 minutes. By then half of the observers have already bailed and are
trying to make it through the congested parking lot.

No comments:
Post a Comment