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!

A Visit to Rotorua

Rotorua's got to be one of the smelliest cities on the planet. And no, it's not due to any unwieldy rubbish dump or suchlike. The entire area sits on a thin planetary crust, allowing all sorts of sulphuric minerals and other hot things to bubble up to the surface. I made a couple of videos there last weekend - hope you enjoy these amazing landscapes!





My article last week in the Colorado City News provides a textual introduction to this rather...aromatic city. In the next couple of days I'll be doing another article on Waimangu and Tikitere which you see in these videos, so keep an eye out for that.

I hope this will be the start of a true series of globetrotting videos and slideshows set to music. Next up: Ireland!