Orakei Korako

Orakei Korako is the geothermal field most visitors miss, largely because you cannot drive to it: a small ferry crosses Lake Ohakuri from the car park, and the walk starts on the far shore. What is on that shore is one of the best silica terrace systems left in the country - the Emerald Terrace rising straight from the water, sinter flats, geysers, and a two-kilometre boardwalk loop through the field and up into bush. About seventy per cent of the original field was flooded when the Ohakuri dam was built in 1961, so what remains is the upper part; the terraces you see are the survivors. Ruatapu Cave is unusual: a natural cave descending to a pool of warm acidic water, one of only two accessible geothermal caves in the world, and the name Orakei Korako - the place of adorning - comes from the tradition of chiefs using that pool as a mirror.

History

Ngāti Tahu - Ngāti Whaoa lived in the valley from early times, drawn by the hot springs for cooking and bathing, and the earliest European route from Rotorua to Taupō passed through it, with a Māori dugout canoe for the river crossing. The tourist resort opened on 15 December 1937, and the filling of Lake Ohakuri, begun on 19 January 1961, drowned two of the world's largest geysers, Minginui and Orakeikorako (Wikipedia, Orakei Korako).

Highlights

• The Emerald Terrace - silica rising straight out of the lake.
• Ruatapu Cave - the descent to the warm pool used as a mirror.
• The boardwalk loop - two kilometres through the geyser flats.
• The boat crossing - the only way in.

When to go

Any season; cold mornings maximise steam. It is quieter than the Rotorua parks at almost any hour. The last ferry back is well before dusk.

What to expect

Ticketed, boat included. The loop has steps and some steep sections. The cave descent is slippery and not for everyone. Much of the original field is under the lake and cannot be seen.

Nearby

Craters of the Moon and Aratiatia are toward Taupo; Wai-O-Tapu is north.

Key facts