Local: Thermal Streets

I recently came across an article in the Rotorua Post about a problem they've been having with the thermal springs in a neighbourhood. Don't look at me funny - my Dad was born in Rotorua and I like to keep up now and then.

Anyway, there's been hot water on the lawns and over the road, though they hope it's been fixed somewhat now. Here's a quote:

A local, who only wanted to be known as Api, said he had to dig a trench in his front yard to relieve the pressure from a ngawha (hot spring) vent that had become active. He said he believed a combination of a re-drilled [water] bore opposite his property and the roadworks had contributed to the problem.
"It's never blown for more than 40 years I've lived here. Has the ngawha under Lake Rd been blocked when they did those roadworks?" he asked. "More ngawhas are coming up on our property and the council doesn't seem to be interested in it, they're just worried about the road. At the end of the day, we don't really need that road, but we always need our ngawha for cooking and bathing."

Check out the whole article here. Just goes to show, you gotta be careful where you dig!