Pink and White Terraces (Otukapuarangi)

Pink and White Terraces, or Otukapuarangi (“fountain of the clouded sky”) and Te Tarata (“the tattooed rock”) in Māori, were considered a natural wonder until they were destroyed by a violent volcanic eruption in 1886. The Pink and White terraces have been dubbed by a number of people as “The Eighth Wonder of the World.”

Geothermally heated water containing large amounts of siliceous sinter regularly spouted from two geysers located beside Lake Rotomahana and cascaded down a hill slope, leaving thick pink and white silica deposits that formed terraces enclosing pools of water. The White Terraces were the larger and more beautiful formation, covering 3 hectares and descending 30 metres, while the Pink Terraces were where people went to bathe.

The terraces were located on the edges of Lake Rotomahana near Rotorua.