We left home at 11am with heading for Wai-O-Tapu. About 2h later we arrived in Wai-O-Tapu. There is a park called
“Thermal Wonderland” which lies in a volcanic active area within a 50 by 250km stripe where the Pacific-plate meets the Indo-Australian plate. At Thermal Wonderland the Earth opens up and everywhere is steam, water bubbles, wonderful
colored environment and the smell of rotten eggs (sulfur).
One of the most colorful spots is the 62m deep “Champagne Pool” which is connected with the “Artist’s Palette”. The
spring of the name “Champagne Pool” comes from the carbon dioxide bubbles which are constantly soaring up. The source of the colors are the minerals and antimony which reacts with the atmosphere. Even if the pool make you think of a yakuzee you better stay off! The water temperature at the surface is about 74° Celsius. But you will find enough other natural heated pools in the area which are suited for taking a bath.
We hiked through the park for approx. 2 . 5hrs and were passing places like “Oyster Pool”, “Inferno Crater”, “Devil’s Bath”, “Opal Pool”, “Frying Pan Flat” or “Primrose Terrace”. The “Primrose Terrace” is an 1 . 5ha large area which makes you think of a glacier but it’s not. It’s a sinter terrace consisting of silicon which created wonderful structures.
5 minutes away from Thermal Wonderland are the Mud Pools. These pools consist - as you might guess - mostly of mud and of course it’s bubbling everywhere. Very nice.
As the sun has been low already we were heading for Rotorua. Rotorua has a big lake called “Lake Rotorua” *suprise* 
Actually this lake is a huge caldera from the biggest volcanic erruption in the last 5000 years, worldwide. We took a look around and finally had an all-you-can-eat dinner at Pizza Hut