PHENOMENAL RAINFALL AT ROTORUA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7552, 3 February 1886, Page 5

PHENOMENAL RAINFALL AT ROTORUA.

JDk. Ginders sonde us the following interesting communication, dated Kotorua, January 29:—"Between 10.45 and 11.15 a.m. on Wednesday, the 27th inetant, an inch and a half of rain fell at Eotorua, which means that after a prolonged drought we got one hundred and fifty-one tone of water on each square acre in forty-five minutes. The sanatorium grounds were flooded ; the water during the storm either stood in pools or rushed in torrents towards the lake, causing a rapid and remarkable change in the appearance, constitution, and temperature of our hot springe. The soil in the vicinity of the springs, as you are aware, is highly charged with the salts which we find diesolved in the water. During the long continued drought many of these salts— notably sulphate of alumina, solphate of soda, and chloride of sodium, owing to heat and evaporation have covered the surface of the ground in many places as a solid efflorescence. Much of the soil also is strongly impregnated with free sulphuric auid, and here and there'are to be found patches of red olay containing iron. The result of this phenomenal rainfall has been to wash these various substances into the springe. The sulphur waters are inky black from the formation of iron sulphide; waters which previously had no aoid reaction are now intensely acid ; and, singularly enough, while many springs have become remarkably reduced in temperature from the influx of storm water, others equally exposed to such influx have become considerably hotter. And yet, sir— for this is the gist of the whole story—the remarkable phenomenon remains that the travelling public are still under the impression that the only reliable information touching the hot springs at Botorua is to be obtained in Auckland. Can you account for it V