Te Puia, Rotorua – Steam and Boiling Mud (New Zealand)

On the way out of Rotorua (travelling South)…you can not miss Te Puia – a thermal activity and Maori culture “theme park” based around the southern hemisphere’s  biggest and most active thermal Geyser.

Fees

Entry fee for adults is $48 (as of Feb 2014), but if you say that you only have an hour and just want to duck in and take some quikc photos (like I did) they may just let you on for $29 🙂

Tips

• I suggest that you stay clear of the “free tour” groups which depart on the hour, but grab a park map and do your own thing.
• There is a shortcut (along a gravel path) to the main Geyser which bypasses most of the traffic.
• The main Geyser itself goes off about twice an hour and is active for about 10-20 minutes and then dormant (steam only) for another 40 minutes.  There is a smaller geyser (called “the indicator” which starts about 10-20 minutes before the main one kicks in).
• Some tour guides seem to bring their groups to the main geyser – then send them off “exploring” for 10-15 minutes – this is a good chance to grab a chat with the guide and learn something 🙂