Rotorua Trip

A couple of months ago I traveled with my best friend to Rotorua for the weekend. I had already been there a few years ago, but had never gone to Waiotapu or the Redwood forest and I wasn’t as interested in photography back then as I am now. So this trip, we spent a lot of time walking, hiking and exploring the many beautiful nature reserves Rotorua has to offer. Waiotapu (meaning sacred waters) is a thermal wonderland and has the largest area of surface thermal activity of any hydrothermal system in the Taupo Volcanic Zone. The area is literally covered with boiling pools of mud, water and steaming fumaroles, and collapsed craters. The beautiful range of colours that we saw are all natural and are due to the different mineral elements, including colloidal sulphur, silica, iron oxide and sulphur. I got to see the Lady Knox geyser erupt, which was quite a show. If you’re in the area, I highly recommend visiting Waiotapu. I was in awe of all the amazing colours of the pools and had a blast taking so many photos. We also went to the Humurana Springs Reserve, which is famous for its crystal-clear, freshwater springs. The water, once above ground, flows into Lake Rotorua. We got to see some waterfalls at Okere Falls Scenic Reserve, where the Kaituna River has become a Mecca for white water rafting, kayaking and river sledging. I wasn’t aware that there even was a Redwood forest in Rotorua until the lady at the hotel reception mentioned it. We had a really amazing hike amongst all the gorgeous forest with its towering trees and native ferns. On our last day we did a horse trek at Lake Okareka. I’ve done a lot of horse treks over the years, and this one beat them all. The views were absolutely breath-taking. Check out Horse Trekking Lake Okareka for more info.

Please enjoy the photos. 🙂