Whakarewarewa Thermal Valley

Thermal geyser

For local Maori, the Whakarewarewa Valley is more than a natural wonder. According to tribal history, this was the place where the Goddesses of fire, Te Pupu and Te Hoata, emerged from the earth’s core, inhaling and exhaling, creating the geysers, hot springs and mud pools.

It is within this valley where the fortress of Te Puia once stood, a stronghold never taken in battle.

And it is here where the descendants of the ancients still live today, walking and guiding you through a land more than 40,000 years old.

The richness of history in the valley is second only to the power of Nature.

Where Gods Once Breathed

Here is where the earth’s crust is thinnest, where awesome drama unfolds daily as geysers erupt, mud pools bubble, steam hisses and warm water rains down.

Boiling mudSome 500 pools and at least 65 geyser vents, each with their own name, are found on this site. Seven geysers are active, the most famous, Pohutu, meaning big splash or explosion.

In front of visitors Pohutu can erupt up to 30 metres high, depending on its mood.

“Every geyser, every pool has their own personality,” says Environmental and Assets Manager, Grace Neilson.

“They have good days and bad days. You can hear whether they are happy or not by the sounds they make. We’ve learnt to listen carefully.”

The Land Management team knows every corner of this wonderland. Tracks and valley are checked daily for signs of new activity and not a hairline crack goes unnoticed. While safety is paramount, so is conservation.

GeyserNative birds are an important part of life in the valley, their very survival in this volatile environment a tribute to Nature herself. As well, more than 500 different varieties of flora support the ecological system from the delicate orchid to the humble weed.

“Bracken, the fern plant is seen as a weed. Yet held by the stem and placed upside down in the stream, that bracken will trap a feast of crayfish in its branches.”

While a special Waka express transport is available, visitors are welcome to guide themselves through easy walks.

Guided tours, however, are a wonderful step into this world of supreme story telling.

Steam across Whakarewarewa ValleyThere are remarkable accounts of how ancestors survived in a land where hot pools, certain death for strangers, were as familiar as a kitchen stove to local peoples.

Indeed, the first occupants of the valley around 1325 were a people known as the dragon slayers. Some present guides can recite their genealogy back 25 generations to those original inhabitants.

“The land was, is and will always be everything to us. The old people taught us to work with the land, not against it. That’s how you win your battles,” says Grace.

It is the popularity of stories that has inspired the opening of a new and special nature walk for 2005.

For the first time Te Puia will share ancient beliefs, the journey of its’ people from the beginning of creation, through the heavens to the world of mankind.

The story will walk through previously inaccessible parts of the valley where events and deeds took place – a story that will be related by true descendants.

It is a reminder of all that went before. For the Whakarewarewa Thermal Valley is a step back in time and a step forward to understanding.