Day 25 (#1): Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Park
Middle Earth (Hobbiton) yesterday, today I found myself on an entirely different planet all together. I have never seen anything anywhere quite like what I saw today. Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Park calls itself a “wonderland” and was named one of the "20 Most Surreal Places in the World" by Trip Advisor. For me, it just made “#1 most surreal” on my list. Or maybe it’s carved out a category all it’s own, other worldly just doesn’t cover it.
Beneath the ground is a system of streams heated by magma left over from earlier volcanic eruptions. The water has been recorded as hot as 300C/572F, so hot that it absorbs minerals out of the rocks and transports it to the surface as steam, then they are absorbed into the ground. This is what creates such amazing colors. I’ve never seen such a wide range of colors quite like this and the fact they are naturally occurring...WOW!!!
The color palate consists of the following:
Green: Colloidal sulphur/ferrous salts
Orange: Antimony
Purple: Manganese oxide
White: Silica
Yellow-primrose: Sulphur
Red-brown: Iron oxide
Black: Sulphur & carbon
