We headed down the road to try and find our next hot spot, and ended up at the Wai-O-Tapu "Thermal Wonderland". Our first sighting was a wonderful sign that simply said mud pools, so off we went. The short road led to a steaming hot pool, again live with the wisps of steam and a strong odour of sulphur. The water was near boiling so despite its appearance of an inviting spa, especially after our cold night, I held Mary-Ellen back from jumping in. The silica clay mud was bubbling and belching from the pool, leaving a splattering of mud along the edges and surface of the pool.
This primordial ooze was truly spectacular to watch as it spewed out of the ground often being shot into the air in what seemed to be a rhythmic pattern with one another, until one spot would just start exploding uncontrollably with no discernible pattern, but phenomenal results! We certainly didn't get in, but along the way we did pick up some packaged mud for Mary-Ellen to try, likely from a similar source in the area, as grey as the mud we saw!
And yes, I know the video is sideways. Lesson learned.
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