Rotorua: Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud
I stood in the midst of a barren lunar landscape. The whole earth seemed to be simmering and steaming. Pools of bubbling mud were all around, and sulphurous fumes filled the air. Many of the rocks were stained yellow.
Rotorua remains an active volcanic area. In the town itself, geysers and steam erupt in back yards; houses occasionally disappear into the bubbling earth.
Soon I barely noticed the stench of sulphur. The pools are of different temperatures, and so had different uses for those who lived here. Some were for cooking, others for washing; one only the high priest could use. Another, with a temperature around 100 C and a pH around 0.5, was used for the disposal of bodies of defeated warriors (or possibly anyone else who proved unwanted) — the body would literally dissolve in a few days.
