It isn’t noon yet but the sun feels high above our heads. We find vacant seats in the nearly full amphitheatre half-encircling the object of everyone’s attention: the Lady Knox Geyser. Everyone is here to watch her blow. Soon one of the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland … Continue readingThar she blows!
Leaving Cathedral Cove, we drive southeast. Barely a quarter of an hour later, we arrive at Hot Water Beach. Underground geothermal springs abound here. Dig into the sand, provided it’s within two hours either side of low tide, and hot water escapes to the surface. … Continue readingHot Water Beach
Life has a way of balancing everything, even the most moving of spiritual experiences. Walking back after the sun has risen, uphill this time, we encounter a flock of tiny, busy birds. Rushing, tumbling in our path, as though they’re fleeing an unseen enemy. Their … Continue readingClumsy birds
We walk down in darkness, hand in hand. The sky is devil blue. The witching hour. We can barely see a few steps in front of us but as they say, that’s all you need if you’re taking it slow. Step by step, hand in … Continue readingCathedral Cove
The lights cut. The world collapse into darkness, a split second apocalypse. Or, you know, a blackout. Haven’t had one of these in ages. As my eyes adjust, I observe emergency lights across the garden illuminating the stairwells of the opposite block. The hum of … Continue readingCandlelight
Deep in the forest, there is a bed so vividly green we can imagine no better embodiment of photosynthesis. We trudge on pebbles and mud, following the flow of the Oirase stream. We exhale gently for the hike is not hard going and the trail … Continue readingA vanishing voice