New Zealand: Rotorua – Waimangu Volcanic Valley

Waimangu Volcanic Valley is another geothermal wonderland area in Rotorua, bursting in color of the amazing silica terraces that encompass every range of acidic-yellow and fire-orange to fluorescent-green and snow-white. Wooden walkways safely take you to most of the valley’s attractions. The entire area is a rift valley and there is a massive lake that is actually near-boiling hot, aptly named Frying Pan Lake. But the most stunning attraction is the Inferno Crater – the largest geyser-like geothermal feature in the world! The geyser is actually erupting underneath the blue lake, but the bright blue waters are steaming and boiling with a temperature of 35 to 80 °C (95 to 176 °F), and being almost pure acid with a pH 2.2. I probably got way to close to this lake in one of the pics, well past the protective barriers.