The town of Rotorua on the
North Island of
New Zealand has become increasingly popular with tourists. It is not that the town itself is particularly interesting. Visitors are drawn by the sights around Rotorua.
This is one of the most
volcanically active areas of New Zealand. Whakarewarewa is an area of boiling
springs and dramatic
geysers which shoot columns of scalding water high into the air. The steaming rivers and beautiful
calcerite formations cover a seething and violent nature.
In 1886 the mountains ripped themselves apart in a colossal explosion. Many people were killed, several
villages were destroyed and the blast was heard many miles away. The jagged craters left by the explosion can still be seen at Tarawera. Among the casualties of the eruption were the delicate pink and white terraces which were formed from the deposits laid down by the hot springs. They vanished beneath the blast.
Rotorua has, perhaps, the most dramatic
scenery of New Zealand.