A bore eruption in the Rotorua city centre is not being linked to a change in the geothermal field, according to the Rotorua Lakes Council.
Water and gravel shot 15m into the air on Sunday from a bore in a service lane between Amohau and Eruera streets. Council geothermal inspector Peter Brownbridge said the bore was drilled in 1974 but it was not known when it was abandoned.
"The focus is on getting a water flow down into the bore it will die down and we can get into it to re-grout and close it off."
A digger was at the scene to clear the area around the bore so workers could see what they were working with.
"We've established we are dealing with a bore, rather than a bore feeder pipe, which will be much easier to fix," Mr Brownbridge said.