I did not stay in Rotorua proper, as it is a geothermal town there are a few streets that smell of sulphur (though not nearly as bad as I was anticipating when I booked my lodging). I was in Hamurana Springs, on the northern edge of the lake. As I was packing up to leave, I figured it might be good to go see the eponymous springs.
The springs are back a bit from the road, so I had a lovely walk along the Hamurana Stream, which the springs feed. It was a gorgeous day. The ducks agreed.
I've mentioned this a non-small amount before, but I never did get over how clear the water is.
Or how green it is.
The redwood grove is not native, these were planted as a memorial for lives lost in World War I.
Pretty flowers are pretty.
And in detail:
The stream narrowed quite a bit as I got closer the the springs.
Hamurana Spring is the general name of all of the springs in the area. The biggest spring is called Te Puna-a-Hangarua. Hangarua chieftainess of the Ngāti Rangiwewehi. It is also said to be the lair of a kaitiaki (guardian) taniwha (water spirit) named Hinerua. The water from the spring filters down from the Mamaku plateau, which takes about 70 years. This part of the spring is 15m (49ft) deep. The water temperature is a constant 10C (50F) and enough water comes up every hour to fill two Olympic size swimming pools.
On January 9, 1957, two skin divers from Wellington recovered 5,000 pennies from the spring, some dating as far back as 1860. The coins were donated to Rotorua children's charities.
Rainbow trout are especially fond of this stream. I was fair bit back, which adds to both the impressive size of the fish and clarity of the water in these pictures.
A bit farther on is Kauaenui, the Dancing Sands Spring. The pictures aren't really indicative off how much that sand is moving, but it is very cool. (The grey puffy/cloudy bits are dancing sand.)
One last look at the lake, then it was time to jump in the car and head to my stopover in Raetihi.
No comments:
Post a Comment