The Weird and Wild Landscape (Final) - Wai-O-Tapu Mud Pools

The third and final entry in New Zealand's Weird and Wild Landscape feature submits a constantly evolving lake-sized cauldron, percolating with plops, fizzes, and plenty of steam.  While the embedded video reflects a relatively calm bubbly mud bath, we were fortunate witnesses to a few impressive eruptions that launched hot viscous muck high into the air like a spectacular fountain.  We resisted the urge to chuck in some local coins and submit wishes for consideration by Rūaumoko, the Maori volcano god.

The Weird, Wild Landscape - Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Wonderland

The Devil's Bath really is this eerie yellow-green color.When a park has "Wonderland" in its name, you have to question whether it will live up to the hype.  It was a dreary day when we visited the Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Wonderland - So much so in fact, we had to take shelter when a sudden down-pour interrupted our hike.  Did we care?  Nah...We laughed, chatted about what we had seen, and were excited to head to the next section of the park when the deluge diminished.

Between the bright colors of the thermal pools (oranges, reds, greens, blues and yellows), the harrowing walkways over bubbling sulphur lakes, and the vastness of the formations, we were left in awe of this surreal and visually stunning experience.