Dramatic incidents during drilling at Wairakei Geothermal Field, New Zealand

The paper describes three blowouts associated with Wairakei wells that had been drilled during the late 1950s to early 1960s, near areas of surface thermal manifestations. Also discussed are the 1960s drilling practices in this geothermal field, the remedial actions undertaken to regain well control, and the lessons learned from these unexpected incidents.