Bluey by @Thorvald (El Thorvaldo)

The Blue Pool, a runoff reservoir for the neighbouring geysers. Water temperature averages 30–50°C and in bygone days was used for bathing. According to the information plaque, the vague mounds at the far end are sinter-encrusted manuka stumps.

Because Whakarewarewa is such a lucrative geothermal hot-spot, residents of Rotorua frequently dug shallow wells as a source of natural hot water; this became problematic as the drainage weakened the geysers, and in 1987 authorities launched a bore-closure programme to rescue the springs.

Original photo taken May 2014. Submitted to DeviantArt August 2015.