Te Puia is part of the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve. It is an amazing geothermal area with several geysers. The biggest one is named Pohutu and it shoots up to 50 feet in the air many times throughout the day. In addition, there are sulphurous springs (I wish that you could smell what it’s like here) and glooping pools of boiling mud. It is quite an impressive place to see in person. I wish I had more time to tell you about it in this post, but instead, I am going to direct you to this website if you’d like to learn more.
November 18, 2014 at 11:42 pm
Looks like you are having a spectacular adventure!! Thank you for letting us experience it through you!! 🙂
November 19, 2014 at 9:00 am
Of course… glad to have you along for the adventure!
November 19, 2014 at 2:40 am
Wow! I cannot believe that there is boiling mud! How do you think it became so hot? Is it a volcano? Please show us more pictures and enjoy the rest of your trip.
November 20, 2014 at 10:45 am
Thanks for your comment Jennifer! Mud pools are created in geothermal areas when water rises to the surface from underground and mixes with the rich soil (made of volcanic ash) to make a bubbling mud pool.
November 19, 2014 at 4:12 am
Boiling mud?!? If the mud was boiling, I would think there would be a volcano or something. Do you think if you were to dig there would be a volcano? Just a thought.
November 20, 2014 at 10:41 am
You’re right in thinking that there is a lot of geothermal activity in the area, but I don’t think that you would find a volcano if you dug underground. What happens with mud pools is that water rises to the surface from underground and mixes with the rich soil (made of volcanic ash) to make a bubbling mud pool.
November 19, 2014 at 4:47 pm
Did you go into the water or dirt, or was it just two hot?
November 20, 2014 at 10:21 am
It was definitely much too hot. It was just for us to look at.
November 19, 2014 at 4:50 pm
How hot is the water from the geysers ?
November 20, 2014 at 10:29 am
That is a great question Brandon. I did not ask that question when I was there, so it looks like we’ll have to do some research to find out. Let me know if you find the answer before I do!
November 19, 2014 at 4:53 pm
Was the water hot and did you get wet?
November 20, 2014 at 10:37 am
We did feel some of the water spray on us from the geyser, but mostly we got wet due to the downpour of rain that came while we were there.