New Zealand’s fabled Pink Terraces - one half of the long lost ‘eighth wonder of the world’ - have been found on the bottom of a volcanic lake near Rotorua.
Scientists, who have been surveying the lake floor, yesterday (2.02.2011) released images of sediment-covered crescent-shaped formations 60m below water that they believe to be the terraces.
The Pink and White Terraces - the world’s largest silica terraces and cascading hot pools - were New Zealand’s first major tourist attraction but they were buried 125 years ago in a massive volcanic eruption that dramatically changed the surrounding landscape.
This discovery puts to rest more than a century of speculation as to whether any part of the Pink and White Terraces survived the eruption.
Mapping Lake Rotomahana The team of New Zealand and American scientists has been mapping hydrothermal vents on the bottom of Lake Rotomahana - in the heart of the central North Island geothermal region - with two unmanned submarines.
Sonar images scanned by the underwater vehicles show a pinky, sediment-covered staircase rising one to two metres from the lake-bed, for a length of about 70m.
Underwater photographs also show the terrace edges.
Project leader Cornel de Ronde, of GNS Science, said the team was elated at discovering what was once described as the eighth wonder of the natural world.
"They're back. Actually they never went away. They were always there, we just didn't know it."
Scientific collaboration The project is a collaboration involving GNS Science, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University in New York, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Seattle, and the University of Waikato.
The original purpose of the 10-day mission was to map the lake floor and investigate the extensive geothermal system under Lake Rotomahana and how it evolved from an on-land geothermal system to a submerged one.
While the scientists had been keeping an eye out for fragments of the terraces, they "weren't expecting this at all," Dr de Ronde said.
"The first sonar image gave a hint of a terraced structure so we scanned the area twice more and we are now 95 percent certain we are seeing the bottom two tiers of the Pink Terraces."
Original Pink & White Terraces The original sets of terraces were at different locations on Lake Rotomahana - pink on the western bank, and white on the northern end.
Researchers believed that parts could have survived the 1886 Mt Tarawera eruption, particularly the White Terraces, which were protected from the explosion by a ridge.
However, the search has not revealed any evidence of either the top section of the Pink Terraces or of the White Terraces.
Dr de Ronde said they could have been destroyed in the eruption, or masked from acoustic detection by thick sediment.
The next step for researchers could entail seismic mapping of the lake floor, which would enable them to penetrate the surfaces they had not been able to during last month's project, he said.
Te Wairoa - The Buried Village As well as expanding the lake and covering the terraces, the volcanic eruption buried several villages, including Te Wairoa - The Buried Village. About 150 people died in the eruption.
Māori leader Anaru Rangiheuea, whose ancestors were buried during the eruption, said learning of the discovery of the terraces had been emotional.
"It brings back a few tears and a few feelings of my people that were all buried and killed in the aftermath of that eruption and weren't able to get out. It's sad for me."
Te Wairoa is now a popular tourism attraction that has become one of New Zealand’s most visited historic sites.
Lake Rotomahana Lake Rotomahana is three kilometres wide and six kilometres long, and 115m at its deepest point.
When Mount Tarawera erupted - five kilometres to the north of Lake Rotomahana - it belched out hot mud, red hot boulders and clouds of black ash from a 17km rift that crossed the mountain, passed through the lake and extended beyond into the Waimangu Valley.
Lake Rotomahana’s waters rose 30m after the eruption which also created a 100m deep crater on the site of the terraces.
Background: The Pink & White Terraces
The Pink and White Terraces - Otukapuarangi / fountain of the clouded sky, and Te Tarata / the tattooed rock - were New Zealand’s most famous tourist attraction in the 19th century.
Tourists made incredible journeys - some sailing for months from Europe - in the early 1880s specifically to view what was billed as the 'eighth wonder of the world'. They were taken to the terraces in whaleboats and canoes, and many bathed in the warm silky waters.
The travertine terraces were formed by geothermally-heated water, containing large amounts of siliceous sinter, regularly spouting from two geysers located beside Lake Rotomahana and cascading down a hill slope.
The water left thick pink and white silica deposits that formed terraces enclosing pools of water.
The White Terraces were the larger and more beautiful formation, covering three hectares and descending 30m down the hillside, while the Pink Terraces were where people went to bathe.
Background: Te Wairoa - the Buried Village
Te Wairoa - a Māori village that was buried in the 1886 eruption of Mt Tarawera - is a world-class culture and heritage tourism experience, and one of New Zealand’s most visited historic sites.
Volcanic ash preserved many of the buildings and the excavated archaeological site near Rotorua now offers a rare insight into life in a 19th-century Māori village.
This awe-inspiring and moving experience is put into context in the award-winning Museum of Te Wairoa. Established in 1999, the museum houses a large collection of objects excavated over the past 80 years that depict the history of the settlement, and the fusion of two cultures.
Also included in the museum are displays of archaeology and volcanology, and a children’s discovery room.
The 12-acre park-like setting is filled with tall trees, grassy areas and native birds offering visitors a peaceful and emotional experience.
