Hell’s Gate is a geothermal reserve and mud spa in Rotorua, New Zealand and is an area of historical significance for the local Māori people who have used it for centuries as a place for healing and general wellbeing. As you drive up, that distinct smell of sulphur is ever present in the air. Here you can opt for a one and a half to two hour guided or self-guided walk, and of course experience the mud spa and sulphur baths afterwards. We decided to explore the 2.4 km loop on our own.

As you enter the attraction, you’ll be greeted by two large totem poles and a walkway that leads you through an intricately carved wooden portico. The local Ngati Rangiteaorere people are the owners of this land. There’s a gift shop and restaurant on site, with plenty of parking to accommodate campervans like ours.

A place of myth and legend, Tikitere, the Maori name for this area is a shortened version of “aue teri nei tiki” meaning “here lies my precious one,” a phrase uttered by the mother of a Maori princess who threw herself into one of the boiling pools to escape her abusive husband, the tribal chief. The English name Hell’s Gate was adopted after the playwright George Bernard Shaw visited in 1934 and exclaimed “This could very well be the gates of hell.”

As you walk through this other worldly looking landscape, you can’t help but wonder about the boiling mass of mud and whatever else that lies beneath your feet. The yellowish tinge and burnt orange on some of the rocks along with some unexpected greenery, are the only pops of of colour you’ll see in this otherwise grayscape. We continued our walk along a well defined pathway across wooden bridges, past steaming fumaroles, sulphur lakes and boiling mud pools with names like Devil’s Cauldron and Sodom and Gomorrah.

In the middle of this reserve is a green space which has the feeling of a rainforest with lots of native trees, ferns and mosses. Some of the vegetation here is unique to this area because of the nutrient rich soil and warm environment. Running through it is the Kakahi Falls, said to be the hottest waterfall in the southern hemisphere with a temperature of about 40 C (104 F.) Maori warriors long ago, would bathe in the warm water of the falls to wash off blood and cleanse their wounds after battles.

As we exited the green space, we entered an area known as Crystal Valley. The pools here are larger, the steam and the boiling pools are so intense, you can feel a bit of warmth under your feet. We continued on way to the steaming cliffs which is on the far end of the reserve and has the hottest pool with a surface temperature over 120C (250F.) We were told that there have been instances of spontaneous combustions in the past caused by the large amounts of sulphur deposits coupled with high summer heat.

Another interesting sight was the 3 meter high mud volcano. The eruptions are of mud instead of lava and occur every four to six weeks. The mud hardens, the pressure builds up and an eruption occurs. Just around the corner are more steaming lakes and the Cooking Pool which was used for centuries to heat kai (Maori word for gathered food).

Click here for directions and here for more information.

We unfortunately didn’t have the time to indulge in the spa experience as we were roadtripping and wanting to see as much of the country as possible. We don’t usually visit the same country twice however, we could see ourselves visiting New Zealand again.

ABC Islands (1) adventure (1) architechture (2) Australia (2) Barbados (15) Beaches (8) Bolivia (3) Bora Bora (1) Botanical Gardens (3) botannical gardens (1) Bridgetown (2) California (2) campervan travel (2) Canada (2) Caribbean (19) cliffs (2) coastlines (2) Curacao (1) Dutch Antilles (1) Fairmont Empress Hotel (1) flowers (4) gardens (2) Grouse mountain (1) Helicopter tours (1) hiking (8) International travel (2) Landscape photography (2) natural world (2) Nature (5) New Zealand (5) ocean (2) outdoors (13) Overwater bungalow (1) photography (29) seattle (2) Senior travel (1) small towns (3) South Pacific (1) sunsets (3) sydney (2) Travel (34) travel blog (40) tropical flowers (2) Vancouver (2) Visit Australia (2)