The Whakarewarewa boiling mud cauldrons which with Waitomo Caves south of Otorohanga once constituted New Zealand's prime tourist attractions - in truth both are still high on the overseas tourist list of must-see places and the present owner-operators are only too well aware of that fact.

They set the entrance fees accordingly.

I decided on this occasion to leave a revisitation until another day. At the time I was aware of far too many freely available scenic attractions I wanted to see and experience while I still had the chance to do so. There's nothing like a minor heat-attack to bring about a mind-altering change of attitude as to what is important and what is not quite so important!

But of course, having visited here some years ago, along with visits to Hells Gate and Wai-o-tapu thermal parks I was not in the same frame of mind as a traveller who may never have experienced the truly awesome sight of boiling clear-water pools alongside similarly bubbling mud pools, not to mention memorable natural fountain-like displays of the gysers. These days, a guide is obligatory, so you will not only see, but also learn about was is truly a wonder of nature which probably hasn't missed a performance over the last million or so years.