Taupo and thermal fun

One of the great things about the north island is that it is thermally active. Rainy days are good days to check out some of the thermal activity.

I visited Craters of the Moon, which had some mud pools, steam vents, and sink holes. It was a little bit of a tourist trap, but it ensnared me. An equally interesting activity for the day was to kayak out to Maori carvings. However, on a chilled day, steam vents and coffee sounded much better.

 

I wonder what it would be like to be an early settler that stumbles upon areas like this. I bet it was frightening, but at the same time, the heat could be harnessed for energy to cook, irrigate, and to take warm baths.