Tourists burned by Hell's Gate mud

By KELLY BLANCHARD and INGRID TIRIANA in Rotorua
Two English tourists are distraught after a hellish experience at a Rotorua tourist attraction that left them with facial burns.

The tourists say the burns, caused from rubbing mud on their faces while bathing in mud pools at Hell's Gate, has ruined their holiday and they've been warned they may suffer permanent scarring.

When Farah, 26, and Ghania, 27, got out of the mud pools at Hell's Gate after a 15-minute soak and washed the mud from their bodies, they found their faces had blisters and were stinging, like they had bad sunburn.

Farah, who has the worst burns, "freaked out" but was told by a staff member she was over-reacting and that what she was feeling was normal.

Another staff member drove the pair to Lakes Primecare where a doctor told Farah the burns could take up to a year to heal and could leave permanent scarring. They were told it might have been caused from a chemical reaction with sunscreen and to stay out of the sun, especially between 11am and 3pm, which would ruin their 20-day summer holiday in New Zealand.

Hell's Gate general manager Bryan Hughes said he regretted what happened to the girls and was now getting the mud pool tested. No-one had suffered burns from the mud at Hell's Gate since its spa facilities opened four years ago but guests were now being told to wash their faces thoroughly before putting mud on their faces, he said.

The two tourists have sent a letter from their lawyer to Mr Hughes, asking for written details about the expenses the tourist attraction will pay.

Farah said she wanted Hell's Gate to pay for all ongoing specialist care.

"If I am going to be scarred for the rest of my life, he should be footing the bill for any surgery or skin grafts. I know it is not his fault but I'm trying to stop this from happening again."

Mr Hughes wrote back to the girls' lawyer recommending they stay in touch with him and lodge a claim with Accident Compensation Corporation. He told The Daily Post Hell's Gate had agreed to pay medical expenses, two nights' backpackers' accommodation, one meal for two and travel to Taupo, and had offered to reimburse them for the trips they missed to Waimangu Volcanic Valley and Huka Falls.

But Farah and Ghania are upset with the way they have been treated. Ghania said it was not the money that made her angry, more what she perceived as an "uncaring attitude".

"We've had to change our plans. Farah has to spend the rest of her holiday with patches on her face."

Ghania said she felt Hell's Gate could have handled it a lot better.

"I think they should be making people aware that something which is meant to be luxurious can turn into something disastrous."

Farah said they probably would cut their holiday short because they were so distressed and because they would now be unable to do many of the outdoor activities they had planned.

Mr Hughes said Hell's Gate did everything it could. He said the staff member told Farah she was over-reacting because they thought her skin was reacting to sulphur, which he said was common. Mr Hughes said thousands of guests had rubbed mud over their faces without any problems.

Samples of water and mud from the pool had been sent to a private laboratory in Hamilton and Hell's Gate had contacted an English store to get details about the sunscreen the girls were wearing.

"All we can do is track back and see what the story is," he said. "We don't like putting our visitors through that. We are going to try our best to get to the bottom of that situation."