After the underwhelming if mirth-inducing Lady Knox Geyser, we are happy to wander without expectations. There is a different bliss in not knowing what comes next. Still, we have heard one of Wai-O-Tapu’s geothermal wonders is its Champagne Pool. And when we arrive at its … Continue readingPluto’s rainbow
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
South of Christchurch, the Canterbury Plains roll on. Tussock grasslands: full of grazing livestock when green; twig-dry and prone to fire during droughts. The Hundalee Hills loom in the north. Rivers run through these plains and in the south they merge into the plains of … Continue readingCanterbury