Comments on: Tourism: At What Price. A Treatise on Authenticity http://www.diversity.net.nz/tourism-at-what-price-a-treatise-on-authenticity/2009/01/08/ Commentary and Analysis for User-Centered Technology Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:02:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Mike http://www.diversity.net.nz/tourism-at-what-price-a-treatise-on-authenticity/2009/01/08/comment-page-1/#comment-17363 Mike Mon, 12 Jan 2009 07:38:04 +0000 http://diversity.net.nz/?p=2130#comment-17363 Hi Ben. I've never seen Lady Knox that I can remember, but the more I <a href="http://home.comcast.net/~sterling177/ladyknox.htm" rel="nofollow">read about it</a> in random places, the more it sounds as if this geyser has been largely artificial from its discovery. People have been pouring in soap for the entire time it's been known, and the only reason it even acts like a geyser, if I understand correctly, is because over 100 years since the discovery of a pool of excited water, people have been piling rocks around the edge to reduce the surface area and make it shoot higher, and over time those rocks have become covered in silica so it appears to have gotten that way more naturally than it did. Part of me wants to think that it's ugly to interfere with these things and it could be nice just to let nature figure itself out on its own and we could enjoy it for what it is, but I can't imagine that stacking rocks around a geothermal pool would be anything but eclipsed by the effect of the geothermal power stations nearby, or the history of people drawing on geothermal outlets that popped up on their property to save on power bills, etc. A quick search around random blogs of tourists to NZ suggests that you're not the only person who felt cheated after thinking it erupted on its own, only to discover it was induced. eg. [<a href="http://mynewzealandvacation.blogspot.com/2007/03/lady-knox-geyser-at-wai-o-tapu-rotorua.html" rel="nofollow">1</a>, <a href="http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/iceice17/anton_2007/1206001200/tpod.html" rel="nofollow">2</a>, <a href="http://travel.sulekha.com/new-zealand/travelogue/2364.htm" rel="nofollow">3</a>]. Perhaps they need to revise their marketing to sell it more on its human history, explain why that makes it different from other geysers to be interesting in its own way, and make it clearer to people before they arrive that it's manufactured and it only reliably erupts at that time because it's induced. Hi Ben.

I’ve never seen Lady Knox that I can remember, but the more I read about it in random places, the more it sounds as if this geyser has been largely artificial from its discovery. People have been pouring in soap for the entire time it’s been known, and the only reason it even acts like a geyser, if I understand correctly, is because over 100 years since the discovery of a pool of excited water, people have been piling rocks around the edge to reduce the surface area and make it shoot higher, and over time those rocks have become covered in silica so it appears to have gotten that way more naturally than it did.

Part of me wants to think that it’s ugly to interfere with these things and it could be nice just to let nature figure itself out on its own and we could enjoy it for what it is, but I can’t imagine that stacking rocks around a geothermal pool would be anything but eclipsed by the effect of the geothermal power stations nearby, or the history of people drawing on geothermal outlets that popped up on their property to save on power bills, etc.

A quick search around random blogs of tourists to NZ suggests that you’re not the only person who felt cheated after thinking it erupted on its own, only to discover it was induced. eg. [1, 2, 3]. Perhaps they need to revise their marketing to sell it more on its human history, explain why that makes it different from other geysers to be interesting in its own way, and make it clearer to people before they arrive that it’s manufactured and it only reliably erupts at that time because it’s induced.

]]> By: Ben Kepes http://www.diversity.net.nz/tourism-at-what-price-a-treatise-on-authenticity/2009/01/08/comment-page-1/#comment-17362 Ben Kepes Mon, 12 Jan 2009 07:36:13 +0000 http://diversity.net.nz/?p=2130#comment-17362 @Greg - maybe not completely fake but far from authentic all the same. Maybe I was just the wrong person for the show... @Greg – maybe not completely fake but far from authentic all the same. Maybe I was just the wrong person for the show…

]]> By: Greg http://www.diversity.net.nz/tourism-at-what-price-a-treatise-on-authenticity/2009/01/08/comment-page-1/#comment-17357 Greg Mon, 12 Jan 2009 06:19:34 +0000 http://diversity.net.nz/?p=2130#comment-17357 Since Im a rotorua boy, I better step up here... :-) I'm not sure it is fake. Sure, it wouldnt naturally do that at that particular time, but the addition of soap simply lets the geyser erupt at that particular time. I think it has something to do with cold water not letting the hot water erupt or something, and the soap changes the density of the cold water.... I think. In all, its about as natural as it can be. Its not like they're pouring vinegar and baking soda down there. Would it have been better to let the kids see... nothing? As it was, they saw exactly what they would have seen if they had had the amazing fortune to be there when it erupted naturally... I didnt think thermal areas were tapu, tapu was AFAIK reserved for very spiritual areas. I'm not an expert though, but maori have been using those areas for cooking and bathing for... ever. So, in a pretty touristy place, its a pretty authentic experience you got I think! I hope you took advantage of all the free hot-pools around there! Since Im a rotorua boy, I better step up here… :-)
I’m not sure it is fake. Sure, it wouldnt naturally do that at that particular time, but the addition of soap simply lets the geyser erupt at that particular time. I think it has something to do with cold water not letting the hot water erupt or something, and the soap changes the density of the cold water…. I think.

In all, its about as natural as it can be. Its not like they’re pouring vinegar and baking soda down there. Would it have been better to let the kids see… nothing? As it was, they saw exactly what they would have seen if they had had the amazing fortune to be there when it erupted naturally…

I didnt think thermal areas were tapu, tapu was AFAIK reserved for very spiritual areas. I’m not an expert though, but maori have been using those areas for cooking and bathing for… ever.

So, in a pretty touristy place, its a pretty authentic experience you got I think! I hope you took advantage of all the free hot-pools around there!

]]> By: Ben Kepes http://www.diversity.net.nz/tourism-at-what-price-a-treatise-on-authenticity/2009/01/08/comment-page-1/#comment-17154 Ben Kepes Thu, 08 Jan 2009 06:42:36 +0000 http://diversity.net.nz/?p=2130#comment-17154 @Scott - but it's fake - authnticity is king @rich - your comment raises a number of issues - I'm not brave enough to raise them here :-) @zoli - you will see some soon! @Scott – but it’s fake – authnticity is king
@rich – your comment raises a number of issues – I’m not brave enough to raise them here :-)
@zoli – you will see some soon!

]]> By: Zoli Erdos http://www.diversity.net.nz/tourism-at-what-price-a-treatise-on-authenticity/2009/01/08/comment-page-1/#comment-17143 Zoli Erdos Thu, 08 Jan 2009 01:23:09 +0000 http://diversity.net.nz/?p=2130#comment-17143 Ben, I hope you'll treat us to a few great Flickr albums :-) Ben, I hope you’ll treat us to a few great Flickr albums :-)

]]> By: richie rich http://www.diversity.net.nz/tourism-at-what-price-a-treatise-on-authenticity/2009/01/08/comment-page-1/#comment-17130 richie rich Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:22:53 +0000 http://diversity.net.nz/?p=2130#comment-17130 I think that Waiotapu is actually a scenic reserve – acquired by the Crown around 1900. By 1908, the only (!) significant Maori-owned thermal area in the Rotorua region was at Tikitere. Your sensitivity to the environment may have led you to overlook this greater cultural inauthenticity. And anyway, what's the difference between chucking something into a geyser to make it spurt and (for example) fencing off a valley & killing the introduced mammals so that we can enjoy gawking at endangered species. In NZ, natural (ie left without human impact) means possums, rats, stoats etc running amok, forest collapse and the rest. I think that Waiotapu is actually a scenic reserve – acquired by the Crown around 1900. By 1908, the only (!) significant Maori-owned thermal area in the Rotorua region was at Tikitere. Your sensitivity to the environment may have led you to overlook this greater cultural inauthenticity.
And anyway, what’s the difference between chucking something into a geyser to make it spurt and (for example) fencing off a valley & killing the introduced mammals so that we can enjoy gawking at endangered species.
In NZ, natural (ie left without human impact) means possums, rats, stoats etc running amok, forest collapse and the rest.

]]> By: Scott http://www.diversity.net.nz/tourism-at-what-price-a-treatise-on-authenticity/2009/01/08/comment-page-1/#comment-17129 Scott Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:23:29 +0000 http://diversity.net.nz/?p=2130#comment-17129 It's only the equivalent of washing powder, right? And it does get spat back out... Not too a big a deal given that many tourists will have flown here from the other side of the world. It’s only the equivalent of washing powder, right? And it does get spat back out… Not too a big a deal given that many tourists will have flown here from the other side of the world.

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