Ngatamariki sits about 20 kilometres north of Taupo. Unlike the other geothermal areas in the area, there are few surface features to be seen by the casual observer. The reservoir runs deep, and relatively little of that energy reaches the surface in any visible form. The surface features that are visible are concentrated along the Orakonui Stream on the western edge of the field, where a handful of hot springs seep out carrying dilute chloride bicarbonate waters. The dominant feature is Ngatamariki Hot Spring – a large geothermal pool roughly 50 by 30 metres across, occupying a crater blasted open by multiple hydrothermal eruptions. The most recent of these (in May 2005) created new pools and temporary geysering before settling back down.
The area is largely inaccessible, sitting behind farmland and plantation with no formal walking access.
