Eight Days in the Taupo Volcanic Zone – Day 2: Rotorua

When you mention New Zealand’s thermal regions, the first name to come to mind is Rotorua. Often described as ‘Sulphur City’ the area is dotted with thermal springs which contain boiling cauldrons of water, pungent gas and steam emissions and bubbling mud pools – as well as the occasional thrusting geyser.

Although we were keen to visit a selection of these places, the sulphur dioxide smells quickly become tiring and many thermal areas have a similarity that soon makes you feel you’ve seen it all already. Consequently, we had another goal in store before ending the day at the campsite in the Waikite Valley where we would spend the night.

With overcast skies, our photo opportunities were limited for landscape shots so we decided to visit the popular (and commercialised) thermal site at Hell’s Gate on the way in to Rotorua. Named by George Bernard Shaw on a visit to New Zealand in the late 19^th century, it is claimed as Rotorua’s most active geothermal area – and certainly smells as if it is.

A structured walk takes visitors past boiling springs and pools of simmering water, steaming fumaroles and bubbling mud pools and includes a mud volcano. On the day we visited, a combination of the geothermal activity and leaden skies confirmed Shaw’s description of Hell’s Gate as a place where you can “get close to Hades and yet be able to return”.

Interestingly, I found myself using my PowerShot G10 much more than my DSLR to take photographs at Hell’s Gate. I’m not sure why; it could have been the weather or the commercial feel of the place. It may also have been the sheer convenience of using a compact camera in that type of environment. On looking through my photos, I’ve found the ones I took with the G10 captured the ‘hellish’ scenery much better than the shots I took with the EOS 5D2. The images reproduced here come from raw files, which have been processed in Adobe’s Camera Raw Photoshop plug-in.

Some of the hot pools you see on arrival at Hell’s Gate. (Photographed with Canon PowerShot G10, 6.1mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/403 second at f/7.1.)

A bubbling mud pool with one of the hot water pools behind it. (Photographed with Canon PowerShot G10, 6.1mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/125 second at f/7.1.)

The mud volcano at the edge of one of the upper level pools. (Photographed with Canon PowerShot G10, 6.1mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/202 second at f/7.1.)

A closer view of several of the smaller hot water pools. (Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; 32mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/362 second at f/9.5.)

Some more small hot pools, showing the typical colour variations found in the area. (Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; 55mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/360 second at f/11.)

A view of the upper terrace with manuka bushes benefiting from the warmth and high nutrient levels in the thermal landscape. (Photographed with Canon PowerShot G10, 6.1mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/636 second at f/7.1.)

Close-up view of a steaming fumarole with yellow crystals of sulphur deposited by the passing fumes. (Photographed with Canon PowerShot G10, 21.5mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/251 second at f/7.1.)

A shallow stream of water running from the Steaming Cliffs area. (Photographed with Canon PowerShot G10, 18.1mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/360 second at f/8.)

After stopping briefly for lunch in Rotorua, our next goal was the Wingspan Birds of Prey Trust (www.wingspan.co.nz), which is located on Paradise Valley Road about 20 minutes’ drive from the city. It’s difficult to find because the sign at the gate is small and discrete. However, for any photographer who is interested in raptors (birds of prey), it provides some superb picture-taking opportunities.

The best time to arrive is about half an hour before the afternoon’s flying displays, which take place at approximately 2 pm each day. This gives you time for a tour of the facility’s aviaries, in which the Trust maintains breeding pairs of the endangered New Zealand falcon along with morepork owls and Australasian Harrier hawks that have been injured and require veterinary attention before they can be returned to the wild. Birds which cannot be returned to the wild are kept for breeding or use in flying displays.

On the day we visited, two New Zealand falcons were being put through their paces – and at the same time receiving their afternoon meal. Ozzy, the male, was on first and amazed his audience with his speed and agility. New Zealand falcons are unique in having evolved to live in forests (other falcons inhabit open spaces) and are active and aggressive hunters. Like most raptors, the male is smaller than the female, Ruby, who was approximately 30% larger.

The EOS 5D2 came into its own for photographing the falcons as I was able to use my telephoto zoom lens and adjust aperture settings to provide selective focusing and isolate the subjects from the background. All shots were taken with aperture-priority AE mode and almost all of them were taken at f/5.6. It was almost impossible to track the birds in flight; they moved so quickly. Even using a stabilised lens failed to produce blur-free shots. However, once they had alighted, some excellent shots were possible.

Ozzy, the male New Zealand falcon, perched on a fence post. (Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM lens; 300mm focal length, 1/181 second at f/5.6.)

Ozzy in flight. (Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM lens; 300mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/500 second at f/5.6.)

Ozzy’s handler, Debbie Stewart, entices him to step down to a post with small pieces of meat. (Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM lens; 250mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/160 second at f/5.6.)

Ruby, the female New Zealand falcon, rips into a chicken leg on the glove of her handler, Noel Hyde. (Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM lens; 210mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/250 second at f/5.6.)

Ready for take-off, Ruby fixes a beady eye on the ground where a piece of meat has been dropped. (Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM lens; 300mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/250 second at f/5.6.)

Ruby on a fence post. Shooting at f/5.6 let me isolate her from a very distracting background. (Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM lens; 235mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/500 second at f/5.6.)

We ended the day at the Living Waters of Waikite camp site (www.hotpools.co.nz), which is adjacent to the Te Manaroa Spring, the largest single source of 100% pure boiling water in New Zealand. Water from this spring has been diverted to feed a series of thermal pools ranging from swimming pool size (and deep enough to swim in) to soaking pools large enough to accommodate 20 or more people to small 2-3 person pools. Several pools look out over the Waikite valley through which the stream fed by the springs runs.

This isn’t an area you would visit for picture-taking; you go for the springs and it was great to end the day (and begin the following one) with a swim and soak in the warm, soft water. Facilities for visitors are excellent, with after-swim showers and a small restaurant plus 20 campsites (including powered sites for campervans). Campers get free access to the pool complex; other visitors pay NZ$12 for admission (with concessions for children, spectators and families and higher rates for use of private soaking pools).

Looking over the Waikite pool complex from a terrace above the site. Mixing pools for cooling the spring water to a usable temperature can be seen in the foreground. (Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; 24mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/125 second at f/11.)

One of the soaking pools showing the view over the Waikite Valley. (Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; 55mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/181 second at f/11.)

The Te Manaroa Spring, source of the stream that provides hot water for the Waikite pool complex. (Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; 24mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/60 second at f/11.)

The stream close to the spring, showing mineral deposits along the water’s edges. (Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; 24mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/45 second at f/11.)