A Long Soak in a Hot Spring

I take back all the bad things I said about New Zealand in my previous blog post.  Well, almost.

She redeemed herself nicely with a couple of hot soaks in steaming spring water--the first one in a heavily forested, hot rural creek, with water gently cascading over rock and a  serene view above. (Yes, the water LOOKS cold, but that's only because the camera can't capture the steam rising off the surface.)

The other was in a harsher geothermal landscape, at the intersection of fair-sized cold and hot rivers. The temperature was comfortable, the sulfur not too strong, and the crowds manageable.

Why the qualified redemption? Because yet another hazard of soaking in hot springs was revealed to us today (in addition to those mentioned yesterday: sunburn, drowning, burns, etc.). And THIS one is a real killer. So don't get too jealous.
                            
Speaking of geothermal landscapes: take your choice, name your price; New Zealand's North Island has one that's just right for you!
                          
Start with the free attractions--the slurpy and violently boiling (at 100 degrees centigrade) mud pools near Wai-O-Tapu. Erupt! Plop! Only a video does it justice.

Then move on to one of the privately owned and commercially operated collections of "geothermal wonders." Americans, appreciate your national parks while you still have them! The price of exploring the geology of things here ranges from $15 to $95.
                          
We chose the $27 Orakei Karako, a colorful collection of hot rocks, steam vents, geysers, boiling mud pools, and steaming craters. Similar to Yellowstone, on 1/10 the scale.

My favorites are the mud pools! The bubbling pools of scalding magma-heated slurpy water deserve another mention--and another video.

The crowning color is the pale blue crystal "lake."