Māhanga Rua sits at 1,085 feet along the Thermal Explorer Highway, between Rainbow Crater and Opal Pool. From this point, Maungaongaonga rises to the north-northwest at 2.4 miles, reaching 2,674 feet. Maunga Kākaramea, also known as Rainbow Mountain, is visible to the north-northeast at 2.8 miles, with an elevation of 2,438 feet. Maungaongaonga is a dacite volcano located between Rotorua and Taupō on the North Island Volcanic Plateau; its area is a scenic reserve, and some of its southern slopes are geothermally active. Sunrise and sunset times at the overlook vary by season, ranging from a 05:48 sunrise at the December solstice to a 07:32 sunrise at the June solstice, with sunsets spanning from 17:02 in June to 20:38 in December.
![500px provided description: The water is ~73C year round, with spectacular geochemical colors and bubbles?hence, 'champagne pool'. [#lake ,#new zealand ,#nz ,#hot spring ,#geothermal ,#champagne pool ,#Wai-O-Tapu]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Champagne_Pool_Waiotapu_New_Zealand_%28148846405%29.jpeg/1920px-Champagne_Pool_Waiotapu_New_Zealand_%28148846405%29.jpeg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
Named terrain around this overlook, nearest first. No view direction is recorded, so every bearing is listed.
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Golden hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:17 | 19:29 | 18:54 |
| June solstice | 07:32 | 17:02 | 16:20 |
| September equinox | 06:06 | 18:11 | 17:36 |
| December solstice | 05:48 | 20:38 | 19:59 |
Local time (Pacific/Auckland). Computed for this exact position.
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Maungaongaonga is an 825 metres (2,707 ft) high dacite volcano located between Rotorua and Taupō in the North Island Volcanic Plateau. The area of the mountain is a scenic reserve and some of its southern slopes are highly geothermally active.
Māhanga Rua sits at about 1,085 feet (331 m).
From Māhanga Rua: Maungaongaonga (NNW, 2.4 mi); Maunga Kākaramea / Rainbow Mountain (NNE, 2.8 mi).
Opal Pool is the next surfaced lookout along the same route after Māhanga Rua.
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Māhanga Rua — confirmed, rated, and photographed by people who actually pulled over. A local confirmation is what upgrades a lookout from Discovered to Verified. Zero hallucinations.
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