Science Learning Hub logo
TopicsConceptsCitizen scienceTeacher PLDGlossary
Sign in
Image

The Devil’s Bath at Wai-O-Tapu geothermal area

The Devil’s Bath at Wai-O-Tapu geothermal area - green water.

This pool in Rotorua’s Wai-O-Tapu area gets its colour from a combination of hydrogen sulfide gases and ferrous (iron) salts. Rotorua, nicknamed ‘Sulfur City’, has sulfur deposits in many of its geothermal fields. The city is also known for its hydrogen sulfide smell.

Why do you think the pool has been nicknamed the Devil’s Bath? 

Rights: Takver, CC BY-SA 2.0
Published: 19 February 2019Size: 335.65 KB
Referencing Hub media

Explore related content

Appears inRelated resources
Sulfur

Article

Sulfur

Sulfur is a chemical element. Its official symbol is S and its atomic number is 16, which means that each ...

Read more
Exploding Taupō

Article

Exploding Taupō

Volcanoes often occur at the boundary where two tectonic plates meet. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the Taupō Volcanic Zone (TVZ), ...

Read more
Water quality in Rotorua lakes

Article

Water quality in Rotorua lakes

David Hamilton was the former Environment Bay of Plenty Chair in Lakes Management and Restoration at the University of Waikato. ...

Read more
Restoring Rotorua’s natural geothermal taonga

Article

Restoring Rotorua’s natural geothermal taonga

The haukāinga (local residents) of the Rotorua area – Te Arawa, Tūhourangi and Ngāti Wāhiao – have lived in this ...

Read more

See our newsletters here.

NewsEventsAboutContact usPrivacyCopyrightHelp

The Science Learning Hub Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao is funded through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's Science in Society Initiative.

Science Learning Hub Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao © 2007-2025 The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato