These steaming and brightly coloured volcanic craters are part of the huge geothermal field spreading out from around Lake Taupo on New Zealand's North Island. The rocks have been stained by sulphur and other colourful minerals which makes them appear more like the craters you'd imagine on Mars than on the moon, but the ground throughout this region emits steam and spits hot mud, so certainly suggests an unearthly quality of space. Every now and then the build up of steam, heat and pressure under the ground builds top a point where there's a huge explosion of mud and ground and another blowhole and mud pool is born – some are up to 20 metres deep.

The gases can be pretty nasty, as can the heat radiating out of the round so the walkways laid to allow people to walk around the field are relaid regularly – and even offer wheelchair access. So its not quite as dangerous as it may look.

Written by  World Reviewer Staff.

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