Waimangu Volcanic Valley

On 10 June 1886 Mount Tarawera split open along a rift and the eruption tore out the valley that is now Waimangu - which makes this the only hydrothermal system anywhere whose entire life is documented from day one, and the reason scientists have watched it continuously ever since. Everything here is younger than photography. The walk down the valley is about four kilometres, one way and downhill, with a shuttle back up: past Frying Pan Lake, the largest hot spring in the world by surface area, and Inferno Crater, whose water level and temperature rise and fall on a cycle of a few weeks driven by a geyser hidden below that never surfaces. Further down the valley cools into regenerating bush and reaches Lake Rotomahana, where the Pink and White Terraces lay before 1886; a boat cruise runs over the site. It is quieter, greener and less theatrical than Rotorua's other geothermal parks.

What you actually see

• Frying Pan Lake - the largest hot spring on earth by area.
• Inferno Crater - rising and falling on a multi-week cycle.
• The 1886 valley - a geothermal system younger than photography.
• Lake Rotomahana - the cruise over the drowned terraces site.

When to go

Any season - cold mornings give the most steam. Allow three to four hours; the cruise adds an hour and needs booking with the ticket.

Honest expectations

Ticketed and not cheap, with the cruise extra. The walk is four kilometres downhill and you must catch the shuttle back or walk up. Stay on the paths - the ground is unstable and the water is scalding.

Nearby

Wai-O-Tapu is close; Rotorua and its lakes are north.