A panorama taken from the northern side of Champagne Pool at Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. This large, greenish pool is surrounded by silica deposits and fringed with orange from antimony rich deposits around the edge. The pool is covered with steam, which, for brief periods, is blown away giving a clearer view over the water.

Champagne Pool at Wai-O-Tapu - Rotorua visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Champagne Pool at Wai-O-Tapu' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Bay of Plenty.

The Champagne Pool is one of the star attractions at Wai-O-Tapu Thremal Wonderland, and the most famous hot spring in New Zealand. Champagne Pool fills a crater formed some 700 years ago. Champagne coloured waters percolate up from underground full of carbon dioxide which forms bubbles near the surface where the water temperature is 74°C. At the edges of the pools the silica is lined with bright orange from antimony rich deposits that solidify out of the cooler water. Mercury, thallium, gold and silver are also deposited in the rocks.

Water flows east out of Champagne pool continually feeding over Artist's Palette, which are coloured yellow because of sulphur deposits. From there the water flows over silica mud flats to Primrose Sinister Terrace and down Primrose Terrace forming beautiful and fragile silica deposits.

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland
PO BOX 1992,
Rotorua,
New Zealand

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland is on Waiotapu Loop Road. This comes of Highway 5 at Waiotapu about 27km south of Rotarura and 55km north of Taupo.