Alluring, is it not?

The stunning beauty of this place is truly mesmerizing. Unfortunately only on a photo seen being somewhere else. The visual charm clashes with the overwhelming presence of noxious fumes. When you are getting closer and closer, you can barely take a breath. The air becomes thick with an intoxicating blend of fumes overwhelming the senses. It is hardly only the carbon dioxide bubbles, reminiscent of champagne, that rise to the surface, but all other intoxicating fumes that arise from this lake. I needed two or three approaches to photograph it at close.

This hot spring called Champagne pool is approximately 900 years old and has a surface temperature of around 74°C . It measures about 65 meters in diameter and is around 62 meters deep. The distinctive orange color seen around the edges of the pool is due to the deposition of minerals, especially orpiment and realgar, which are both arsenic sulfide minerals. These minerals, along with others like gold, silver, mercury, and thallium, are present in the water and contribute to its unique coloring. Champagne Pool is part of the Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland, a popular tourist attraction that showcases New Zealand’s geothermal activity.