Waiotapu Geothermal Wonderland (Part 1) 怀奥塔普地热奇景 (上)
Leaving the Champagne Pool, we walked uphill through a path that cut through the forest track. This track is known as the sacred way, which is a path that leads deeper into the valley of the Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland, to more amazing geothermal features that was created over 26,000 years ago through volcanic activities. The area was sacred for the local Maori tribes, as it provided them with food and warmth for generations. Now, it is a sight that attract travellers fascinated by the amazing geothermal creations crafted by mother earth.
离开香槟池，我们从一条穿过原始森林的小径步行上山。这条小山径叫神圣古道，是通往怀奥塔普地热公园深处的唯一通道。怀奥塔普地热区于26000年前形成，一直以来是附近毛里土著的神圣之地，赐予了他们食物和温暖。现在，怀奥塔普已变成旅游胜地，每年都有数不尽的游客前来欣赏和赞叹壮观亮丽的地热风貌。
Steamy waterway 地热小溪
At the top of the hill we arrived at a viewing platform which gave a panoramic view to the Frying Pan Flat, a thermal mud flat in the shape of a frying pan. In order to reach the flying pan flat, we needed to follow the winding footpath that hugs the banks of a local stream. This was no ordinary stream though, it was a thermal stream, where the water was warm and steamy from all the geothermal activities. In some parts we can clearly see the water bubbling, although it is not clear whether it was because it was boiling hot, or if volcanic gases were escaping from vents underneath creating the bubbles. Because of the rich mineral and particulate content in the water, the water almost looked murky white, with a tinge of blueish green. The footpath eventually turned into a boardwalk as the steamy stream flowed through cascades down into a volcanic lake, as calm as a mirror. Blotchy deposits of yellow sulphur dotted along the banks, vividly decorating the otherwise gloomy landscape.
爬到山上最高点我们到了一个瞭望台，在这里可以眺望平底锅滩，一个像平底锅形状的地热泥滩。从山上到平底锅滩，我们需要沿着一条弯弯曲曲的小溪走。这条小溪是一条地热小溪，溪水因地热变得暖和而冒着水蒸汽，让整条小溪看上去烟雾弥漫。有些地方溪水还在冒泡，不知道是因为水在沸腾，还是因为火山气体在水中形成泡沫。因为矿物成分和沉淀物都偏高，溪水非常混浊，呈奶白色并有点浅蓝的色调。转了个弯，小径变成了木栈桥，我们走到了小溪的上方，看见溪水变成小瀑布，流水潺潺的带着蒸汽涌进一个静如镜面的小火山湖里。岸边金黄色的硫化物点缀着那灰朦朦的景色。
The Frying Pan Flat 平底锅滩
Eventually, at the end of the boardwalk we arrived at the Frying Pan Flat, a vast sandy flat dotted with thermal pools. While the Frying Pan Flat was not as colourful as the Artist’s Palette, chemical deposits created patches of yellow and streaks of black that looked like strokes of paint on a blank canvas. There were tiny blueish boiling puddles sitting close to the pedestrian boardwalk, while the thermal stream that we saw earlier flowed into a big thermal pool at the centre of the flat, and then continued to flow out, exiting the Flying Pan Flat on the far side. Steam lingered on the surface of the pools, turning into white mist that lightly covered the surrounding scenery like a beautiful veil.
平底锅滩位于木栈道的尽头。这个平底锅形状的泥滩布满沙石和一个个小型的温泉池。虽然平底锅滩没有画家调色板的颜色艳丽，但硫磺和其他矿物形成的一道道黄色黑色的痕迹就像画布上的涂鸦，为这景色带来了一些色彩。有几个细小的水坑离木栈道很近，蔚蓝色的十分可爱。而滩中心的大温泉池则是刚才地热小溪的终点站，池面上的蒸汽形成白雾像一层漂亮的薄纱覆盖着附近的景色，让这滩景看上去有点扑朔迷离。
The Oyster Pool 牡蛎池
After backtracking from the Flying Pan Flat we continued on, soon reaching another thermal flat that was not particularly extraordinary, except for an ellipsoidally shaped blue pool in the middle of the flat. This is the Oyster Pool, so named due to its shape as well as the thick naturally forming rock ledges surrounding the pool, resembling an oyster. The water bubbled vibrantly at a single point right at the centre of the pool, just like a pearl at the centre of an oyster. Surrounding the flat was more cave structures, as well as native forests that had been part of this geothermal ecosystem for centuries.
从平底锅滩往回走，我们继续往前，很快就来到另外一个地热滩。这个地热滩看上去比较平平无奇，不过滩中央有一个蔚蓝色椭圆形的温泉池。这温泉池名为牡蛎池，因形状相似还有那像牡蛎壳的池边而得名。池中央那孤身只影的沸水泡像牡蛎里的一颗珍珠一样点缀着这温泉池。而围绕着地热滩是更多的火山坑洞和硫磺石，还有已经在这生长了几百年的原始森林。
Lake Ngakoro 雅科罗湖
Remember that thermal stream that ran alongside the footpath and went into the Frying Pan Flat? It turns out that after it travelled through the Frying Pan Flat it continues on and finally through a set of gentle waterfalls it flowed into Lake Ngakoro, a large volcanic lake located at the deepest part of the Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland. Lake Ngakoro itself was quite spectacular, for it was beautifully emerald, with the green water so calm that it showed reflections of the overcast sky above like a jade mirror. The Lake Ngakoro Falls, the series of waterfalls flowing into the lake, is the only set of waterfall in Waiotapu that looked like it was hot – the water was steaming furiously as it plunged down the fall, and spectators on the boardwalk can almost feel the warmth emanating from it. Interestingly, the waterfall looked milky white. So it is indeed puzzling that the lake itself was actually emerald green – where did the colour come from?
记得那流入平底锅滩的地热小溪吗？原来这小溪从平底锅滩继续往前，形成了一层层的瀑布，最后流入一个在怀奥塔普公园深处名为雅科罗湖的火山湖。雅科罗湖的特色在于它像绿宝石的湖水。平静的湖面倒影着天上的乌云，像一块平滑青翠的玉镜，十分漂亮。雅科湖瀑布，那段流进雅科湖的瀑布，是全公园里唯一看上去是热的瀑布。腾腾蒸汽随着瀑布的流动而弥漫在空中，我们在木栈道上也差点感觉到这泉水带来的温暖。瀑布的奶白泉水也让人感到费解:源头是奶白泉水的雅科罗湖颜色为何是翠绿的呢？
Path Downhill 下山道
Lake Ngakoro was essentially as far as one can go within the Waiotapu thermal wonderland. From here, the footpath led uphill into a native forest, and then back towards the Champagne Pool. There were still thermal streams along the footpath, although they were visibly cooler. This was confirmed when I put my hand into the stream – the water was as cold as the weather of this gloomy winter day. After taking some stairs back downhill, the footpath once again turned into a boardwalk, leading us along a vast field of white that resembled limestone formations. This is the Primrose Terraces, a set of geothermal staircase formed by mineral deposits similar to the now destroyed pink and white terraces in the nearby Waimangu Valley or the Pamukkale Terraces of Turkey. The Primrose Terraces, however, was much smaller in size – each step was only a few meters high and therefore cannot hold water and form thermal pools like the other terraces. Nevertheless, the large field of white steps was still pretty neat, and apparently reminded people of a bridal veil – hence the other name of the structure: the bridal veil falls.
雅科罗湖是最深入怀奥塔普公园的景点。从这里基本是要往回走了。下山时沿着另外一条小溪走。溪水依然是奶白色，然而温度却已变冷，摸上去基本上是寒冬的温度。走到山底，山径又再变回木栈道。这木栈道穿过了一大片雪白的石灰阶梯地型。这石灰阶梯名为报春花阶梯，和土尔其的棉花堡和这里附近已被火山摧毁的红白台阶非常相似。只是报春花阶梯每一级的高度和宽度只有几厘米，所以不能像其他石灰台阶一样储存温泉水变成可以给游客享用的温泉池。不过虽然不能当温泉，这一层层小阶梯还是十分美丽，像一条长长的白裙子。因此这阶梯也被称为婚纱瀑布。
Champagne Pool Again 再见香槟池
At the end of the boardwalk, we were back at the famous Champagne Pool, completing the full circuit of the Waiotapu Thermal Walk. We took the path leading towards the exit. There were still quite a few things to see. The path led us all the way around the Champagne Pool, giving us a completely different view of this pool of orange and blue. The reflections of trees and the sky above matched beautifully well with the misty Champagne Pool. We could also stare back to the Artist’s Palette, and watched that one small Turquoise pool steaming furiously into the sky. The whole area just looked very beautiful.
木栈道走到头，我们回到了香槟池的分叉路，完成了怀奥塔普公园的环形路线。在分叉路口往公园出囗的路上还有一些美丽的地热景观值得去看。沿着行人道围着香槟池绕了一圈，让我们可以在池的另外一边，以另一个角度欣赏这个围着橙色边载着蓝色水的温泉池。香槟池旁平静如镜的水池清晰地倒影着天上的云和池边的树林，与香槟池上的烟雾缭绕相映成趣，甚是好看。从这里还可以看到画家调色板上的蔚蓝色小水池腾腾冒烟。
Devil’s Bath 恶魔的浴池
Leaving the Champagne Pool, we were walking through rocky terrains again, with volcanic rocks and craters dominating the landscape. Steaming caves and jet black could be seen along the winding path. Everything looked gloomy and barren until we reached the Devil’s Bath. The Devil’s bath was the last attraction at Waiotapu, but it was one of the most striking one. For this little thermal pool was green. Not the clear emerald green that was seen at Lake Ngakoro, but the type of green that resembles water mixed with bright green paint – green, murky and opaque. It did look very eerie, and I could totally understand why someone would want to call it Devil’s Bath.
离开了香槟池我们沿着行人道回去公园入口，沿途再次回到以地坑和岩洞为主的火山地貌。烟雾弥漫的火山坑和漆黑如夜的火山池零零星星的散落在弯曲的行人径旁。看上去一片灰暗和荒芜，直到我们抵达出囗前的最后一个景点:恶魔的浴池。这个景点的特色就是池水很绿。非常的绿。它不是晶莹剔透像雅科罗湖那样翠绿，而是像刚刚用来洗沾了萤光绿颜料的画笔的水，混浊而诡异。真的就像恶魔的洗澡水。
Mudpools 泥浆池
Exiting the Waiotapu Thermal Park, there was one last thing to see. The Mud Pools. These were located further up the road, about a few minutes drive from the Thermal Park entrance. These Mudpools are actually free admission, so even if you are not planning to go into the Waiotapu Geothermal Wonderland, you can still enjoy these unique geothermal features. Mud pools are essentially pools of boiling mud. And that is pretty much what you would see here. A big pool of mud, which bubbled like a pot of porridge on the stove. The texture and the dynamics of the hot mud however made it immensely interesting to watch. Some of the thicker mud that was not as hot seems to be bubbling slowly, forming round bubbles that popped regularly. At the hottest parts of the pool, mud exploded violently on the surface of the pool, splattering mud everywhere. It was really cool to watch.
怀奥塔普地热奇景的最后一站是有名的泥浆池。泥浆池离地热公园门口不到五分钟车程，而且是免费的，所以就算不买门票进去公园也可以来泥浆池看一下。泥浆池里的泥水高达100度，而热泥浆就像一锅在炉子上滚烫的粥，又浓又稠。在池边没有那么热的地方，泥浆像刚煮开的粥，慢慢的冒着气泡。而在池中心温度升高，泥巴激烈地沸腾着，气泡爆开，泥浆四溅，十分震撼。
And with that, we left Waiotapu and headed back to our Air B&B. It started to rain quite heavily so we were quite lucky that we didn’t get soaked when we were doing the walk. All-in-all it had been amazing experience. There was so much to see at Waiotapu, and I would have never imagined that nature can create this kind of special, a little bit eerie, but spectacularly beautiful landscape.
游览泥浆池后我们开回罗托努亚的民宿，我们的地热之旅也告一段落。非常庆幸我们赶在滂沱大雨之前把怀奥塔普的所有景点跑完。怀奥塔普的确是一个奇妙的地方。从来没有想到大自然可以创造出这么奇特，诡异，但漂亮的奇观。能够有机会看到的确是十分幸运。
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Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://stabilowl.vornix.blog/2018/07/30/travelling-with-stabilo-26-waiotapu-geothermal-wonderland-part-2-%e7%bb%8f%e7%ba%ac%e6%b8%b8%e8%b8%aa-26-%e6%80%80%e5%a5%a5%e5%a1%94%e6%99%ae%e5%9c%b0%e7%83%ad%e5%a5%87%e6%99%af-%e4%b8%8b/