Steam billows dramatically from thermal vents at the Rotorua Sanatorium grounds in this evocative Edwardian-era view — a scene that once drew ailing visitors from across the British Empire seeking the curative powers of New Zealand's volcanic waters. The foreground shows a circular iron-railed enclosure surrounding an active geyser pool, while a second eruption plumes skyward in the middle distance, partially obscuring the elegant balustrade of the Sanatorium building visible at left. Tall conifers frame the background, giving the image an almost painterly quality. The Government Sanatorium at Rotorua, opened in 1908, became a world-famous destination for rheumatism and skin treatments, its grounds dotted with accessible thermal features that became iconic postcard subjects in the early 1900s.