Geologically, though, its heaven. The waterfalls above were once sacred Maori healing grounds. Warriors would come before fighting to mentally prepare for battle and afterwards to bathe their wounds in the medicinal water. People are still using the healing powers of the earth and indulging in mud baths at the spa, conveniently located at the entrance to Hell's Gate.
Apparently the cause of all this mess is the magma chambers that are as close as 2 and a half kilometers from the surface. Normally they are much deeper, around 15 km or so. The pools range in temperature from 40 degrees Celsius to more than 100. In Fahrenheit, thats around 100 to 200 degrees. The hottest is 138 C (about 280 F) The reason for this difference in temp has to do with how deep the vents are that release the gas and steam to the surface. Two pools that are right next to each other can, and do, have a difference of 40 degrees.
We were instructed by our guide to stay on the path since just that morning, we were told, a Japanese man left the path to get a close-up of the bubbly and the ground collapsed near the hot liquid and he had burns halfway up his leg. Needless to say, the scare tactic worked for me and I happily stuck to the trail.
Bentonite is found in large quantities in the area. Its been a while since my Physical Geology class but I remembered it in conjunction with kaolinite and the making of ceramics. But I'm fairly sure its found in the Bootlegger Cove Clay that underlies parts of Anchorage, AK. It looks like crumbly white rock but put under vibration or pressure, the liquid is released and it turns into a runny paste. Its the weirdest thing to be holding a hunk of white earth that turns into liquid right before your eyes.
Rotorua is situated around this entire geothermal area. Even in the center of town there are pools partitioned off so someone doesn't accidentally misstep.
This is my last night here, I'm off to Taupo in the morning. Cheers!!
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