POHUTU GEYSER

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 92, 30 March 1936, Page 6

POHUTU GEYSER

Shots Reaching 80 Feel MANY DISPLAYS DAILY An indication of the increase of thermal activity at the Whakarewa-' rewa Reserve is given by the fact that up to Friday Pohutu Geyser had given daily shots for the past 40 days, which is the longest unbroken period of activity in the experience of the present caretaker of the reserve. It has been noticed that, in spite of the fact that on occasions as many ns seven or eight displays have been given in a day, this has not affected the continued activity of the geyser, in contrast to the experience of previous years, when, after such continual activity, the shots of the geyser would become of less height and would ultimately cease for an indefinite period. Practically since early in February dis* plays reaching a height ef 80ft. have been usual. A comparison of records kept by the caretaker over the past 15 years shows that the greatest number of displays given in any one year during that period was in 1926, when the geyser played no fewer than 621 times, an average of nearly two shots a day. With the exception of the year 1929, when 323 shots were given, activity was very intermittent until last year, when from April onward regular periods of activity were experienced, with the result that the geyser gave 384 displays between April and December. During the three months of this year the geyser has already given in the vicinity of 200 displays, aud if this average continues it seems likely that tho figures of 1926 will be eclipsed.