photo from http://www.rotorua.co.nz/
Most people associate the thermal wonderland city of Rotorua as the place that stinks of eggs. Sulphur smells are all pervading in certain parts of the city and hardly noticeable, in others. Yesterday, I went to have lunch with a dear friend and decided to take a few photos of the free attractions (as opposed to the hideously overpriced ‘tourist traps’) and stopped at Kuirau Park. The park is in the lee of the hospital hill and near the lake front. It is absolutely fascinating. Last time I stopped there, I am sure there were not as many volcanic reminders? I do recall, nine years ago, a surge of mini eruptions in the park but have not been aware of too many since?
photo from: www.geonet.org.nz
Enclosed boiling water pools, bubbly mud pools and hissing fumaroles course through and under the walkways. The city residents seem oblivious to the limb threatening let alone life threatening menaces as the walk through the park, carrying groceries. A state of the art playground is just a few metres from hell’s spleen being vented. But the quaintest curiosity; was the tiny covered building over a pool, for people to dabble their toes in the hot mineral waters. Do they do this at lunchtime on their breaks or do class lots of smelly children come down to wash their feet accompanied by over wrought teachers or is it one of the healing treatments left over from the days when the hospital was famous for its thermal hydrotherapy applications? The best answer is probably that a former altruistic body of city councillors just thought it would be a nice thing to have in the park.
No comments:
Post a Comment