Devil’s Bath: New Zealand’s green sulphur pond

2 min read

2 years ago Robin

New Zealand’s Wai-O-Tapu volcanic area offers a number of roiling, bubbling geothermal sights, but possibly the most intriguing is one of its most calm!
Know as Devil’s Bath, it is a bright green pond full of sulfur-infused stink water.
The pool sits in a slight depression likely created from a massive eruption from underground. It is well out of reach of visiting curious, but can be seen clearly from above.

The bright green water gets its color from deposits of sulphur that rise to the surface and float on top, in a combination of hydrogen sulfide gases and ferrous salts, while the intensity of the green sludge depends on the inclination of the sun’s rays and the amount of minerals present in the water at any given moment.
The green identifies that active mineral while other hues found across the park such as blues, reds, and otherwise signify other volcanic elements.
But there’s never a day that the green body of water doesn’t look weird compared to what you’d expect a regular pond to look like.
And then there is the smell of this charming attraction, which is best described as half sewer, half rotten egg.

Devil’s Bath is one of the most popular attraction of the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, a geothermal complex about 4.2 square kilometers in size.
It even has a generous viewing platform which allows visitors to admire its unique color and take in the charming smell.
The origin of the demonic monicker is unknown, but given how unnatural the pool looks, it would almost come as no surprise to see Satan himself rise from the still lake.
And, in case you were wondering, no, Devil’s Bath is not safe for swimming, as the lime-colored water is apparently acidic enough to peel a person’s skin off, which doesn’t sound very attractive.