"This Stinks!"

Sometimes we go to an attraction or a place, maybe even spend (a lot of) money on an entrance fee, and the experience just isn't working for all 5 of us.  Sometimes the complaints are registered loudly and frequently.  Sometimes the parents just have to decide it is still a cool stop and we are doing it anyway.  My mantra during our visit to Wai-O-Tapu was "well  I am glad we came, it is really cool."

Wai-O-Tapu thermal park was just down the road from our super cool campsite at the Waikite Thermal Springs and it is described as "New Zealand's most colourful geothermal attraction".  Words such as "amazing" "stunning" "can't miss" were used in descriptions of the park. In fact its full title is "Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland".  Seems like a home run for the family.  What we didn't factor in was the heat, hunger (always have your picnic lunch before, never after a walk, no matter the time of day), and the biggest factor of all, the overpowering stench of sulfur. Turns out a couple of our younger family members can't stand the smell and despite my coaching couldn't walk and breath out of their mouths.  Sulfur smell+heat+hunger=well, you can guess.

So griping and gagging aside, it was truly an amazing site.  We meandered on boardwalks that led us past various pools and streams of different colours.  The colours are from depositions of minerals as the water evaporates.  There are dried clumps of colourful sediment, streams of steaming water and pots of bubbling mud.  Sounds cool right?

Boiling water

Bubbling Mud

This colour is not retouched.  Like nothing I've seen in nature! 
This is called "Devil's Bath" and is a sulfuric pool.

Roto Karikitea (aka Devils Bath) has a pH of 2. 
Falling in the acidic neon green pool would mean certain death I would surmise...

Famous "Champagne Pool." It is the largest hot spring in New Zealand. 
It gets its name from the bubbles on the surface caused by carbon dioxide.

"Artist's Palette" 

The Artist's Palette is created by waters that overflow from the large Champagne Pool.  These waters bring minerals with them and as the water cools and evaporates the minerals are left behind.  Apparently this area is always changing as what minerals are on display are affected by sunlight, wind and water.

Much of the walk was through and past fairly barren landscape.  It looked like another planet.

We landed on this nose blocker, with me walking in front telling him when there were particularly smelly spots.
He frequently told me I "failed" at my challenge.

Oyster Pool is shaped like an oyster shell