Kia Ora!
Okay! Here are some more of my pictures from Field Camp here on the North Island of New Zealand. I've got a few more after this, but I figured this would be a good start.
Hiking along the Tarawera River...
Beautiful whitewater....
And to the falls! This is the Tarawera waterfall. Quite beautiful as well as being a sacred spot to the Maori in this area. We swam just a little bit away from here and actually traversed some of these rapids. Since a rafting accident a few years ago I've been rather fearful of whitewater, but my friend Josh totally guiding me through navigating the rocks and water.
A good swimming spot, though the current was surprisingly fast! We jumped in for some pictures!
Beautiful view, this is quite close to the top of Tarawera Falls.
Another pool nearby. This spot looks pretty peaceful but given lots of underground rivers and currents it's definitely not a safe place to swim.
Neighboring falls up the Tarawera River.
Hiking along the Tarawera River, beautiful!
We actually camped quite nearby, swimming in the river and lake almost everyday! It's a beautiful spot, I definitely recommend it! It's quite a trip to get there, being a bit from Whakatane and Rotorua, but beautiful.
Another trip highlight!
Yes, we jumped off of that bridge. About 10 meters off the of the water I was absolutely TERRIFIED. But I did it!
Rotorua New Zealand is a city famous for it's geothermal and geologic activity, including a number of hot springs and geysers.
The browns are actually algae, specially adapted to live in the extreme environment created by the geysers.
From across the lake. Beautiful.
Our guide at Te Puia, showing us some large geysers and hot springs. One of the traditional Maori uses of these springs was for cooking! We made eggs!
Greenstone! (Jade) Maori tradition to rub your hands over the rock, it gives us strength. (That's my hand!)
More hot springs. So many in this area! This area, along with Rotorua, is within the Taupo Volcanic Zone and remains extremely active.
Beautiful lake nearby. Always stopping for a swim!
The big geyser at Te Puia. At some points in history it was recorded to be larger than Old Faithful at Yellowstone.
Rotorua and the geyser at Te Puia.
From a trail we hiked up, overlooking the city. You can see the hot pools in the bottom left, the geyser, and the city around the Rotorua lake, also formed from volcanic activity.
More soon!
Beautiful photos! Find where the extremely hot water from the springs flow into a cold river for a nice soak!
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