About | Orakei Korako Geothermal Park & Cave
Orakei Korako, which means “The Place of Adorning”, is New Zealand’s largest and most active geothermal area, with 23 active geysers, stunning silica terraces, bubbling mud pools and an array of brilliant colours. A geothermal wonderland, come and be amazed by this natural beauty.
Located off the beaten track, Orakei Korako is 25 minutes from Taupo, or 45 minutes from Rotorua. Get out here before the day warms up for a nice and refreshing walk.
When you’re there, there’s a cafe and ice blocks available for you to enjoy before or after your self guided walk. Seating overlooks the geothermal field which is a highlight. Head to the toilets before you go as there are no toilets on the other side. The facilities are top-notch!
To get there, you’ll first need to go over by ferry which is just a short ride with the boats running on demand.
Once you’ve docked, walk up the ramp and straight into a wonderland of amazing colours, smells, and warmth. The information panels along the way show you where you are on the track and tell you a bit about the place, so you don’t need to carry one around with you. The track takes you up close to everything so you can get a really good look, and then takes you up higher so you can check them out from a good vantage point. And boy, are they amazing! It just makes you think how vulnerable we are and how great this earth is!
You’ll come across what they call the ‘Artists Palette’, which really does look like an artists palette. Up there, you’ll get to see the huge silica sinter terrace with its clear blue pools and irregular erupting geysers.
Head into the bush and near the top you’ll find the Ruatapu Cave. This is one of only two geothermal caves that exist in the world (the other being in Italy). A viewing platform takes you there where you can look down into it, at the bottom is a blue pool of hot water (around 44°C), known as Waiwhakaata, or ‘the pool of mirrors’. It is a sacred place that was once used by Maori women to bathe and beautify themselves before ceremonies.
Now, the most impressive of the geysers is the Diamond Geyser so keep an eye on it – you just might get lucky! It’s unpredictable, but its eruptions can last from a few minutes to many hours, with hot water (between 70-90°C) going as high as nine metres.
DISTANCE / TIME
The walk is 2.5km and it takes around 60 – 90 minutes to complete the self-guided walk.
About the track
There are lots of steps along this track but it wasn’t too hard for the kids, but this also means that it isn’t pram or wheelchair friendly. There are lots of benches along the way for you to stop and take a break.
OVERNIGHT PARKING
If you visit the park free overnight parking is available if you’re in a self-contained vehicle, toilets are open 8am – 5pm.
OPENING HOURS
The first ferry leaves at 8:30am and the last trip over to the valley is at 4pm.
When to go
This geothermal park would be most magical during colder months when there’s more likely to be more rising steam, impressive mud pools and it would probably make the walk a lot more pleasurable. But this walk can be done at any time of the year. If you’re visiting on a hot day, try to go first thing in the morning or late in the day to avoid the heat.
Tips
- Bring sunblock and lots of water on a hot day (the geothermal area has been said to get 4-5 degrees warmer) – but if you forget the friendly staff can help you out.
- Bring a little snack for the kids to help keep them going and sit at the viewing platform at the top – this will keep them occupied and you might just get the chance of seeing a geyser go off.
- Have your camera or phone handy for photos.
- Visit early morning or late arvo to get away from the hot sun. The wet and cold can make for a better experience.
- Orakei Korako has been well preserved – make sure it stays that way by making sure everyone stays on the path and doesn’t disturb this natural beauty.
Nearby
Lilliput Farm Fun & Animal Park
Location
Photos
It’s a bit of a drive out to Orakei Korako but seeing as we were heading back home, it was actually only a ten-minute detour from State Highway 1. The day we came, it was super hot and we soon realised – we probably should have come early on in the morning or later on in the day. Or winter. Because it was already hot and we weren’t even on the other side!
We arrived at a small lake and could see the geothermal field on the other side. But before we headed over we enjoyed some ice blocks under a nice shaded umbrella on the deck overlooking the geothermal area. When we got our tickets the man behind the counter told us that we should bring lots of water being such a hot day, it gets even hotter over there. We were thankful for the tip and stocked up.
The ferry ride was short – taking only a minute or two to reach the other side.
The ferry took us over Lake Ohakuri, which is actually an artificial lake. When they filled it up, it drowned two-thirds of the Orakei Korako geothermal area. This included two of the world’s largest geysers, Minginui Geyser (which was once seen erupting 90 meters high) and the Orakei Korako Geyser (which could erupt up to 55 meters).
Lake Ohakuri is now popular for boating, water skiing and other water activities. If you find yourself on the water, it’s worth checking out the geothermal locations, Akatarewa Stream and the place they call Paradise, or if you prefer, go on the jet boat tour to what they call ‘The Squeeze’ – I’ve heard it can be quite hard to find by yourself!
Just starting off on the track and immediately we’re walking into this geothermal wonder which is literally trickling past right beneath us.
There were lots of information boards dotted along the way and it was great to be able to read up a little on all of the different areas. It’s such an interesting place that these little notes were really appreciated – they were nice and short so great for the kids but also provide enough information to keep it interesting!
‘Map of Africa’ – part of the track had actually been closed off – it seemed like nature had taken over. But don’t worry, you’re not actually missing out – the other side of the track is just past those bushes and simply goes up into the forest and back down again.
Getting a close-up look, it was all so fascinating and brought about a lot of questions of how this all came to be and how amazing mother earth is.
We loved all of the different colours. This little pool was a beautiful clear blue.
The whole track is maintained really well with boardwalks most of the way. Lots of steps, you’ll feel cooler underneath the very welcome shade of the trees.
The viewpoint of what they call the Artist Palette, and it’s easy to see why. What amazing colours!
And then we came across the rare geothermal cave, which is one of only two geothermal caves known in the world. You were once able to walk all the way down into the cave but now there is a platform where you can look right into it and down to the small pool of warm acid water at the bottom.
Rejoining the main track, we headed up even further to the highest viewing point. Lots of steps, but totally doable even in the heat of summer! Just don’t forget water.
As you walk up higher and more into the forest, the temperature drops as you move further away from the geothermal field and it was a sigh of relief from us as we’d chosen such a scorcher of a day to come – we were literally running away from the heat most of the way and finding any shady tree to relax under. Phew!
Seeing the bubbling mud pools was fascinating. Come in winter, or when there’s been a good amount of rain for more action.
All finished up, we made our way back to the place we started and after pushing the button to signal the ferry, we waited for the boat to come and grab us.
Exploring the Orakei Korako Geothermal Park was so much fun and we discovered heaps along the way. It’s steamy, it’s hot, and it’s vibrant. Bring your camera, you’ll want to take lots of photos here!
