Whakarewarewa Earth & Science Facility

Te Matapuna o Papatuanuku

Back to Experiences

GNS Science, Te Pü Ao, is New Zealand’s leading provider of Earth, geoscience and isotope research and consultancy services. It's purpose is to understand natural earth system processes and resources, and to translate these into economic, environmental and social benefits.

Since 1865 GNS have demonstrated scientific excellence in a country that straddles two tectonic plates, where earthquakes were first associated with geological faulting, and whose first Nobel Laureate, Ernest Rutherford, saw that radioactive isotopes could be used for geological dating.

Today, GNS continue these investigations, from the atomic to the planetary scale. These activities are expressed through our Māori name, Te Pū Ao, which means “the foundation, origin, and source of the world”.

GNS at Whakarewarewa Thermal Village

For hundreds of years Maori living at Whakarewarewa Village have worked and lived with the active geothermal landscape in the area. Geothermal activity is a natural resource the Tuhourangi and Ngati Wahiao people have learnt to live with; when a new eruption occures or a hot pool forms, the families living in this village are able to work around it and carry on with life.

Back to Experiences