All steamed up
Grant Bradley gets close to nature’s forces at Te Puia
Deep in Te Whakarewarewa Valley on a still autumn night there’s the unmistakable sound of nature’s forces about to be unleashed.
As we sat on the thermally heated hot rocks, surrounded by fellow tourists, the rumbling started.
Right in front of us the Po¯ hutu geyser erupted, on cue. Water coming from it is well above boiling point (it can be as high as 180C) and leaps 30m into the air.
It instantly evaporates to form water vapour, which then recondenses to form steam with that distinctive sulphurous odour that wafts around this wonderful natural amphitheatre.
Po¯hutu is the largest active geyser in the Southern Hemisphere, one of the most reliable in the world and just five minutes’ drive from Rotorua city centre.
Po¯ hutu means “constant splashing” in Ma¯ ori and the geyser erupts once or twice an hour.
Eruptions can last from a few minutes to much longer. About 15 years ago, Po¯ hutu erupted for more than 250 days.
It is a fitting finale to the Te Po¯ evening experience at Te Puia.
Although attracting primarily overseas visitors, the three-hour visit is an excellent one for Kiwis, especially if you haven’t done anything like this for a while. New Zealand tourist attractions that may have been around for a
while have sure lifted their game.
Our Te Puia hosts first welcomed us, we got a look at the hangi being lifted before a (very brief) po¯ whiri and a cultural experience at the Rotowhio marae.
There was singing, storytelling and participation in poi dancing and haka by the enthusiastic tourist volunteers from countries including Australia, the United States, China and Mexico.
It was a great reminder of what a unique tourism proposition this country is blessed with — our fellow visitors looked enthralled.
New Zealand tourism started in this area and, with generations of guiding experience behind them, our guides moved the big group around masterfully. They were slick, in the best possible way.
The kai was great too and served in one of Te Puia’s near-new restaurants. A mighty spread of meats and vegetables, salad and seafood was followed by a big dessert selection. You pay extra for alcohol.
After dinner you’re on board the motorised waka (a hybrid people-mover) for a journey into the valley where our guide Ngaroma explained how locals still use the heat and steam for their everyday lives. And then it was time for the star of the show — Po¯ hutu — to do its thing. On a chilly night below a starry sky it was a magnificent sight.