102 SPORT AND TRAVEL 



country here is less fearful than at Tikitere fortu- 

 nately, but none the less active for all that. Within 

 a radius of less than a hundred yards, some ten or 

 a dozen geysers play at intervals ranging from two 

 minutes to several hours, and the display, when 

 several of them happen to be in action at the same 

 time, is most effective. Waikite, the famous twin 

 geyser, has ceased working now, and has been suc- 

 ceeded as queen of Whakarewarewa by Wairoa ; but 

 even Wairoa plays no longer of her own accord, and 

 only under the inducement of a plentiful supply of 

 soap does she consent to perform for the curious 

 multitudes. As is well known, too much soaping of 

 a geyvser causes it eventually to cease its action alto- 

 gether, so that the matter becomes an important 

 ceremony, and in the Rotorua thermal country is 

 allowed by the government only when some dis- 

 tinguished visitor comes to see the display. I was 

 fortunate in being on hand when Wairoa was thus 

 induced to play for the son of the late Premier of 

 New Zealand, Mr. Seddon. The wooden cover, 

 always padlocked over its mouth, was solemnly 

 removed, the crowd warned to stand back out of 

 danger, and a bag of bar soap thrown into the 

 diminutive crater. Almost immediately the water 

 foamed lathering up to the edge of the silicious 

 opening, but not until almost twenty minutes later 



