THERMAL ACTIVITY

Otago Witness, Issue 4085, 28 June 1932, Page 74

THERMAL ACTIVITY

SENSATION AT ROTORUA GEYSER PLAYS IN STREET SHOTS SENT IOOFT HIGH ROTORUA, June 20. At 3.30 p.m. on Saturday a thermal blow-out occurred in the centre of Tithoukol.iiku street, Ohinemutti, and continued for three-quarters of an hour in Ihe middle of a driving rainstorm. Fortunately no one was injured, although a Maori. Jacob Haimona. had a. very narrow escape, being bespattered with the hot mud erupted in the first shot. Tuhmikot.uku street leads down from Ibe Lake House Hotel to file flat grounds of the pa On account of the very boisterous weather few people were about, but Haimona was engaged let ling some water out of a small Maori >ven which was previously on the spot. A’liilc doing so he noticed escaping steam gradually increasing, and its sudd n acceleration caused him to retire. He commenced to walk away when the ground blew out from where he had previously been standing. He had to run to escape a great jet of boiling mud and water which shot into the air. Fortunately the wind was blowing strongly from the south-west, and carried danger away from his direction. The back of his clothes, however, was plentifully bespattered with hot mud. A press representative was on the scene a few' minutes after the occurrence. The eruption was then at its height. There were two craters, and the larger one resembled the action of Waimangu, sending intermittent showers of hot mud and stones 30 feet high. The other blowhole was emitting a great cloud of steam, and every few minutes sent symmetrical shots over into the air much on the same lines as Pohutu.

Some shots went 100 feet high, and made a spectacular display while they lasted. Kettles, which were in the oven when the blow-out occurred, completely disappeared, and a motor lorry which stood some 30 yards away was soaked with mud and hot water. Mud was also plastered thickly on the walls of the Maori accommodation house, which was another ten yards further on. Mr Gordon’s house is only ten yards from the scene, and only the fact that the Wind was blowing strongly from the opposite quarter saved it from damage.

It was hard to obtain a clear view of the scene on account of great clouds of steam blowing across the road, but when the geysers had been in operation over three-quarters of an hour the wind suddenly dropped and presented a clear view. Almost simultaneously the geysers stopped playing, and the spectators ventured closer. Then with dramatic suddenness the ground of the roadway sagged towards the biggest crater, and the edge subsided several feet. The spectators heat a hasty retreat to a more secure position. The ground fell awaj from under the corner of Mr Grund’s fence, and the end of the fence itself was tilted into the crater. A powerpole carrying an electric light wire subsided several feet into the soft mud ir the side of the hole.

No further activity has occurred since. An inspection of the scene to-day revealed that the larger crater is now a gaping hole approximately 25 feet by 20 feet, and the smaller is 6 feet by 4 feet. There has been a marked increase in thermal activity round Lake Rotorua during the past few days, and last week a blowout of a second’s duration warwitnessed at the rear of the Ward Bath building. The geysers at Whakarewarewa have also been particularly active, and much activity has been noted in the Waiotapu area. There is at present more thermal activity on the lake shore than has been the case for years, indicating that the activity is not lessening in the district, but is altering.