Kerosene Creek

After a long day in the field, Rich suggested we take a dip in Kerosene Creek. While it sounds horrid, it turned out to be fantastic and promises to become a regular habit. As I have mentioned before, this area is a major site of geothermal activity and Kerosene Creek is a hot creek. From a distance, it looks like a steam locomotive is passing through the forest, leaving a trail of white smoke above the tree tops. It is a small stream, from 3 to 10 feet wide and from 1 to 4 feet deep. The best thing about it is that it is a constant 99 F. Instead of paying for the spas in Rotorua, you can just slip into the creek and really relax. At points there is a god current going, which points your toes downstream and works like a gentle jet on your back. You can lean back and the current holds you up a bit, which makes for a very relaxing repose. It is amazing to me that this natural stream, heated by the ground, comes in at an ideal temperature. It seems that, statistically speaking, it would be far more likely that it would be too hot or not hot enough, but it is perfect. The only caution is that the hot springs here harbor amoebic meningitis. But I don't worry. It's not like anyone ever died of meningitis. What's that you say?