The Waimangu Volcanic Valley It is one of the must-see places near Rotorua. We have bought a cumulative ticket to enter three places:

• The Whakarewarewa Village in Rotorua
• The thermal museum in Rotorua
• The Waimangu Volcanic Valley

Pay close attention to travel and visit times because the Waimangu Valley close not so late in the afternoon and you need enough time to:

1. Walking across the valley (at least 90 minutes if you walk fast, 2-3 hours if you relax a bit)
2. Take also the boat tour in the Rotomahana lake, also included in the cumulative ticket
3. Come back to the entrance with a shuttle service

Short description of the path:

The valley landscape, green and wild, reveals itself just beyond the ticket office. First two lakes we find on the path are the Southern Crater lake and the Frying pan lake. They seems formed by normal water, but the outgoing streams show that water is full of sulphur and other minerals.
The Inferno crater is the main attraction of the valley, with its bright blue lake, but appearances are deceiving!!! The water temperature is above 70 Celsius degrees, keep yourself in a safe zone and never get too close to the edge!
This valley is astonishing, there are also geysers and fumaroles on the path. The Marble Terraces and the Warbrick Terraces also deserve to be seen. They are silicate layers that can give us an idea of what the ancient Pink and White Terraces (destroyed in 1886) should have been.
The path is now next to the Rotomahana lake, end of the walk. On the last stretch, we point out the following elements:

• Many black swans
• A very strange purple plant/seeweed on a wet area
• The omnipresent Koru fern

This is alsto the starting point of the lake boat tour. Return at the ticket office by bus.

More info:

• http://www.waimangu.co.nz/
• http://www.whakarewarewa.com/
• http://www.rotoruamuseum.co.nz/
• http://www.waiotapu.co.nz/

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