Adventure

Today has been a busy one.
We woke at 9, to brilliant blue skies and sunshine. We decided to zoom off straight away to get to a geyser that spouts at exactly 10.15am every morning. We even skipped breakfast in order to get there on time! What is the world coming to.
Anyhow, we got the location of the Geyser a little confused, and ended up up Hells Gate instead. This is a national park-like area which, for a small fee, allows you to wander the environs of typical Geothermal landscaped. I say wander - the gist of the sign at the entrance reads:
'Enter at own peril. DO NOT under any circumstances, even to rescue a puppy, leave the path, or you WILL fall through the thin crust into a fiery, steaming cave of sulphourous Hell torture.'

Like I say though, it was sunny so we continued on (though we did keep to the path). The land is bleached, parched white and grey with powdery yellow-green crystals huddling about the steaming craters and pools of intensely bubbling mud. The noise of popping, spludging goop at high temperatures, combined with the sulpherous steam was distinctly unnerving. Neither Alex or I can imagine why, on seeing that place for the first time, the Maori's first urge was to get into the water and take a bath.
There was a Maori guy at the end of the park, offering to give basic instruction in Maori carving, so I had a go and successfully (its recognisable...) carved myself a Maori stylised shark, meaning 'strength'.
We got back on the road and went to Okere Falls. It used to be used as a water turbine, now is a wild water rafting experience. We watched some rafts go over the 9m falls and explored the caves and surrounding forest. We also went searching for trout in the pools.
We stopped for lunch at the side of Lake Rotoiti, which means 'Little Lake' in Maori. The sun caught the min wavelets and made them sparkle. It was quite idyllic.

In the afternoon, we headed for Hanumana Spring. This place was magical. A stand of giant Redwoods kept the air light, cool and smelling of foliage in a pleasantly green manner. The ground was spongy with bracken and it led us on a lovely walk to the spring.

This was fascinating - a 15m rock hole, underwater, with water serenely welling out of it-a million gallons an hour! Yet so quietly and softly! The water was so clear as well. The river walk on the way back - you could see right to the bottom of the river, and the water actuallyu appeared to be turquoise. Tiny bubbling springs lifted up grey sand and floated it around. Black swans posed and tussled for picture space on the surface. It was beautiful.
Back at our little camping spot on the sulphur plains, we have got some ideas for our next destination from our fellow campervanners, parked nearby. They have just arrived in Rotorua from Taupo, our next major relocation destination. It is sounding gooood!