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Story: Volcanic Plateau region

Rotorua mud pools

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The Volcanic Plateau’s bubbling mud pools have intrigued tourists for many years. Mud pools occur where turbid water or mud is geothermally heated. They draw the ear as well as the eye, as the mud bubbles like thick soup on a stove.

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How to cite this page

Malcolm McKinnon, Volcanic Plateau region – Geology and climate, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/15136/rotorua-mud-pools (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Malcolm McKinnon, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 May 2015.