Waimangu Geyser
The Waimangu Geyser was a geyser in Waimangu Valley in Rotorua on the North Island of New Zealand. He was the largest geyser in the world.
The geological conditions for a geyser were probably made by the eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886, the down the mountain a 14 km- long trench and opened by the Lake Rotomahana.
The first outbreak was observed in 1900. He reached in individual eruptions up to 400-460 m altitude, usually about 100-150 m He was the highest geyser in the world. The highest, today active geyser in the world, Steamboat Geyser in the U.S. reached about 100 m altitude. The largest geyser of New Zealand is now the Pohuto in Whakarewarewa with a maximum height of 30 m.
The water of the Geysires was due to entrained stones and mud black, named so that the Māori the geyser " Waimangu " ( " black water "). The geyser was the valley and the total thermal area, the Waimangu Volcanic Rift Valley, the name.
After the eruption of Tarawera in 1886 was the then most important tourist attraction of New Zealand, the Pink and White Terraces destroyed, tourism began to develop again to the geyser. 1902-1903 was a major tourist accommodation at the entrance to the valley and shelters overlooking the geyser. The south to the refuge was later removed because it was in the throwing area of the ejected rocks. 1903 came more and more visitors.
On August 10, 1903 sailed the tourist guide Alfred Warbrick and a Mr. Buck Ridge, mate on the yacht Tilikum, due to a bet the Geysirsee twelve minutes long with a rowing boat. They took measurements before and found the lake 14.6 m deep and 130 × 80 m tall. The unexpected lack of depth has been attributed to the fact that the stones thrown up fell back into the vent after the eruption again.
On August 31, 1903 four tourists, including the national rugby player Joseph Warbrick were killed after repeated instructions of their leader Alfred Warbrick had ( the brother of Joseph ) to return to a safe distance, ignored. After they had gone close to the edge of the geyser, this broke off suddenly. The four tourists were from hot water and mud washed down the drain the geyser and died.
As a result of a landslide that changed the water table, the activity ceased on November 1, 1904 suddenly, after they had already been removed in the course of the year.
His vent, one on three sides by hills surrounded pool, located in Waimangu Valley in the northeast of Echo Crater with the " Frying pan lake" and can be visited.