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Whakarawarewa, Rotorua, New Zealand
Whakarawarewa is a thermal park in Rotorua.  Though there are similarities to Yellowstone, people actually live here and have adapted their lifestyle to the geothermal features.  I don't have an 3D of the thermal features themselves- the constantly moving steam makes it difficult, but I'm including some 2D photos for the next several pages to show you what the area was like and how different it is from Yellowstone.

The folks that live here are Maori, and the building above is the town hall, rich in carvings all along the edges and roofline.

To the right, you can see how the village integrates with the thermal features.  Folks live right in the middle of it- they don't even notice the sulphur smell and sometimes walk barefoot on the warm ground (even though it was quite chilly here in June).  We even saw a steaming hole in the ground with a dinner casserole cooking in a foil-wrapped glass dish!  In the center, you can see the day's laundry hanging out to dry.
©2005, Jeffrey L. Cooper


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