Devil’s Bath New Zealand – The Secret of Green Neon Color and Deadly Smell
The Waiotapu volcanic area in New Zealand has many natural wonders. On top of that, the most prominent and attractive to visitors is Devil’s Bath New Zealand, a neon green lake with a strong sulfur smell.
Devil’s Bath New Zealand Origin
Devil’s Bath is a small, bright green lake located in the active geothermal area of the Okataina volcanic center of the Waiotapu tourist area.
According to Atlas Obscura, the unusual watercolor in the Devil’s Bath is formed from a combination of hydrogen sulfide, black salt, and iron sulfate. The intensity of the watercolor depends on the inclination of the sun and the number of minerals at that time. Additionally, the water is light green, almost yellow where there is a high concentration of sulfur, the dark green part is where the concentration of iron is high.
In addition to the eye-catching blue color, the lake has a smell that many visitors humorously described as “charming”. In fact, it was a mixture of sewage and rotten eggs. Therefore, the lake is called the “Devil’s Bath”.
If you are thinking of swimming in this pool, the answer is no, please! The Devil’s Bath is not safe for this activity because the water contains a sufficient amount of acid to slough off your skin.
Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland
Devil’s Bath New Zealand is one of the most popular tourist attractions of the Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland. It is a geothermal complex that covers about 18 square kilometers. Waiotapu in Maori means “sacred waters”, formed about 200,000 years ago. The geothermal area includes a series of colored water geothermal pools, and sulfur geysers, forming a unique landscape. Being a volcano but not erupting lava-like in Hawaii, the eruption activity here is mainly gas eruption.
Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland is a 30-minute drive southeast of Rotorua, North Island. The place is open year-round. An adult ticket is 22 USD, and a child is 7.6 USD.
Besides that, there are tours and activities that you can book from operators to easily arrange your trip.
Final Say
Devil’s Bath New Zealand attracts visitors with its extremely strange features. You will see a lake in neon green and a deadly smell like a sewage mix rotten egg. If you think it’s interesting, pack your bag, and explore it!
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Khoi Nguyen
Khoi Nguyen builds The Broad Life with a desire to inspire people go exploring the world and live a more interesting, experience, and adventurous life. This blog shares the stories, pictures, and experiences at destinations where he has traveled to.
32 Comments
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Khoi Nguyen
You’re welcome!
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Luna S
I never knew about this lake! Pretty neat that the different levels of minerals causes the color.
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Khoi Nguyen
Yeah, the post has the info of why the lake has that color.
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Christiana
I have about this lake, but I’m a little too scared to ever visit. It sounds like an amazing place to see though.
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Khoi Nguyen
Yeah, this lake is actually an interesting place to visit and know more.
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PrettyInThePrairies
This is so gorgeous! Defiantly going on the bucket list
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Khoi Nguyen
Enjoy your trip!
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Ntensibe Edgar
Oh! For a moment there, I thought it was safe to swim in that water! It’s my first time hearing of this bath.
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Khoi Nguyen
Haha, I’m sure you don’t want to jump in the water when visiting it in rea.
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Lora Frost
Wow — I had no idea water could be this colour! Nature is truly amazing. This looks like a great place to plan a trip to,
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Khoi Nguyen
Yeah, the park itself is a good travel destination to visit. And you can come and witness this interesting lake.
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Jocelyn @ Hip Mama's Place she/her (@HipMamasPlace)
I have never heard of the Devil’s Bath although I’ve heard of similar places where the coloring of the water or soil is different due to some weird chemical, etc. So much to learn about our planet!
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Khoi Nguyen
Yeah, our whole planet still has many amazing things to be discovered.
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pacioalita9
This is a bright green pond. I would love to visit this place!
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Khoi Nguyen
You will see it is great to visit.
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Rosey Marie
22 is such a reasonable price. I’d love to take the family to visit.
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Khoi Nguyen
22 is for visiting the park with many other things. It’s truly a good price.
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A Nation of Moms
How interesting. I’ve never heard of this before, and it is fascinating both to see and also learn about the science behind it.
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Khoi Nguyen
Absolutely!
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Fransic verso
Wow, this looks so cool and the pool look interesting. This is first time to know about this place. Thank you for sharing with us!
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Khoi Nguyen
You’re welcome! And share with me your experience if you visit Devil’s Bath.
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Beth
Oh, wow. Nature is so intresting. It’s crazy how many weird things are out there. I’d love to get a look at Devil’s Bath.
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Khoi Nguyen
You will be interested in the lake for sure.
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Neely Moldovan
This looks really cool! Would love to visit New Zealand!
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Khoi Nguyen
Enjoy!
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Christian Foremost
What a wonder of nature. The place just looks so magical in the picture. Hope you guys enjoyed your stay there.
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Khoi Nguyen
Thanks for your comment!
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Blair Villanueva
The color of this pool reminds me of Ghost Buster! Neon green is one of my favorite colors, but not when it smells like rotten eggs. Still, I would love to visit this in New Zealand, while wearing a mask.
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Khoi Nguyen
Haha, you just remind me of Ghost Buster. I try to think of something when seeing the neon green but cannot remember Ghost Buster.
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Angela Ricardo Bethea
When I read the word Devil’s Bath, that one movie which Megan Fox starred in comes to mind. That is indeed quite an interesting and unique lake to check out.
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Khoi Nguyen
Absolutely!
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Stephanie
There is so much beauty on this earth – thank you for sharing this place. I enjoyed the journey.