My love for eggs is a borderline obsession so when I heard that Rotorua was famous for them I couldn't wait to arrive. The rich scent of eggs filled our nostrils the moment we turned off the highway but it wasn't long before we realised it wasn't caused by anything edible. This pungent eggy smell, more similar to that of rotten eggs than your average sunny side up, is actually caused by the geothermal activity at work within the region which releases large amounts of sulphur compounds into the atmosphere.
I make no exaggeration. The stench is so intense that you wouldn't look insane if you were to attach a peg to your nose but once you cast your eyes on where it all comes from it suddenly seems worthwhile. On our first evening we explored the Sulphur Park closest to us, weaving in and out of the maze-like paths and stopping at each of the white plains to watch the mud puddles bubble whilst the steam rose from within them.
The following day we spent the morning at the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland where there were even stranger yet more stunning scenes waiting for us. We arrived just in time to witness the Lady Geyzer volcano erupt and over the course of the next two hours passed fluorescent green lakes, steaming champagne pools, yellow sulphur caves and exploding mud baths. My favourite of all was called the 'Artist's Palette', a clear lake decorated with clusters of green, orange and yellow rock which broke through the mist from the hot pools behind.
Before arriving in New Zealand I thought that places this beautiful existed only in films or in filtered photographs but here we found an absolute abundance of them. Everywhere we turned there were the most amazing natural wonders, all with an abnormal colour or design that made them look completely unnatural. Even the forest, which at a first glance appeared to be rather ordinary, had grown on a slant so that all the trees were diagonal with branches sprouting in every direction.
Our biggest frustration throughout the day was that our cameras just couldn't do any of these scenes any justice. Whatever we tried the colours and dimensions of these incredible sites didn't seem to translate onto our screens. Although sad we couldn't capture the beauty forever, we were extremely thankful to be there to witness it firsthand and so eventually tucked away our cameras and just enjoyed the moment for what it was. It really is something you need to experience to believe and I hope you all get the chance to!
No comments:
Post a Comment