Sunday - Rotorua and Waimangu

Sunday morning, we got up in time to attend church in the Fairy Spring Ward, which was not far from our motel in Rotorua. Other than the fact that the congregation was primarily Maori and the accents were Kiwi (which means that accent would be pronounced as ecksint), it was pretty much like attending an LDS worship service anywhere in the English-speaking world.



We stayed only for sacrament meeting and then, rationalizing that an afternoon enjoying God's creations was as worshipful as attending church, we changed our clothes and headed toward the Waimangu Volcanic Valley, thirty minutes southeast of Rotorua.

The website gives this history: "In 1886 the Rotorua region was shaken by the eruption of Mt Tarawera, forming the Waimangu Volcanic Valley. The eruption destroyed the surrounding area and opened the earth along a 17km rift, splitting Mt Tarawera in two. Lake Rotomahana exploded to 20 times its size, and the 7 craters formed that make up Waimangu Volcanic Valley. Within 15 years of the volcanic eruption, the hot springs of the Waimangu Geothermal System were established within the newly formed craters, making this the world's youngest geothermal eco-system. Plant life returned to the devastated land 30 years after the eruption."



Waimangu now offers hiking trails and a cruise around Lake Rotomahana, where one can view and learn about all three centers of volcanic activity during the 1886 eruptions.

But before hitting the trails, we ordered lunch in the Cafe Nature near the visitors center, enjoying fresh quiche, roasted vegetable soup, and carrot cake.

The 4K developed trail starts at the top of the valley and works its way down toward Lake Rotomahana.

As we looked out over the valley from the trailhead, the lush, jungle-like scenery was reminiscent of what we had seen in the film Avatar. With no visible lava flows or exposed black basalt, the area certainly didn't look as if a volcano had erupted there any time in the recent past.

However, as we continued along the path, we could see the succession of craters that were created when Mt Tarawera exploded.


Most of the craters have now become lakes. The lakes and the streams that flow between them are fed by boiling springs that often leave heavy mineral deposits.

In some places there is little foliage and the paths are flat; in others, the Avataresque jungles are dense and the paths steep.

Lake Rotomahana lies at the end of the trail. Before the eruption it had been two separate lakes, but explosions under both lakes destroyed the rock that separated them and created a body of water larger than their former combined size. The blasts also produced a shock wave that destroyed all life within 6K.

As we cruised around the lake, a guide explained the history and pointed out the results of the eruptions, not the least of which is active geysers along the shore.

Mt Tarawera rises high above the lake, with the craters formed by the eruptions still evident. But also evident are the miraculous restorative powers of nature: abundant flora and fauna thrive in an area that was once completely devastated.

At the end of the tour, a bus returns hikers back up the valley to the visitors center (saving us what would have been another 4K trek, all up hill).


On our way home, Nancy wanted to drive by the LDS Temple outside of Hamilton. Our friend Kara (short for Karamea) Edwards was born here while her father installed the heating system for the temple, which looks like a smaller version of the Los Angeles Temple, where we were married. As the New Zealand Temple came into view, we noticed that the name of the street was Tuhikaramea Rd. We're not sure whether Kara was named after the street, or vice versa.

One of the purposes of LDS temples is to remember our deceased ancestors and link generations of families together for eternity. In an interesting juxtaposition, on the way back to Auckland we discovered a unique variation on the theme of remembering and honoring the dead. This Maori cemetery was built on the side of a hill with above-ground crypts. We were told that the practice of burying the dead above ground is fairly common in Pacific island cultures.

After a busy and beautiful two days, we were happy to get back to Takapuna, where we could enjoy a fabulous view of Auckland at sunset from the balcony outside our bedroom.